What we pay attention to is what we become. However, the world is clamoring for our attention: read this book; listen to that podcast; follow these rules; spend more time with family and friends, work out, see the latest movie, shop till you drop, tend to the 756 unread emails, and, by the way, can you make cookies for the PTA meeting?
Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired magazine, states:
“The only factor becoming scarce in a world of abundance is human attention.”
We live in a swirling, head-spinning, mind-numbing overabundance of possibilities with an exhausting level of choices. Every day brings new technology that we probably don’t know how to use, a new disaster in a place we can barely find on a map, and another incomprehensible decision by someone we don’t know but somehow affects our day-to-day life. And, we have a fear of missing out, so we pedal faster to keep up.
That’s not going to change, however, what we can do is pause frequently to savor this moment: this small flower, this sweet hug, this blue sky, this steaming cup of coffee with a friend. Now, this moment, is in our control. We can savor it, slow it down, pay attention to even the briefest moments of aliveness, express our gratitude for our feelings of well-being, love, joy, and tenderness for everything that surrounds us.
We can also create savoring rituals. Savoring is the capacity to notice, appreciate, enhance, and prolong the positive experiences in your life with deliberate attention to and awareness of our positive emotions. Rituals are regular, deliberate behaviors made with a specific purpose in mind. Here are just a few ideas:
Notice 5 beautiful things around you before your first sip of coffee.
Create an altar of memories that touch your heart and savor a few moments of connecting with them at least once a day.
Look for something new to savor every day. (Maybe even note them in a journal.)
End your day resavoring a moment from the day.
Increased awareness of pleasurable sensations lies at the very heart of savoring. When we take time to notice and enjoy pleasant experiences, not only can we recognize positive emotions, but we can more fully appreciate them.
Consistently noticing and extending small, everyday positive moments can have a significant effect on happiness, resilience, well-being and overall life satisfaction. Subjective well-being is not likely to be significantly improved by noticing only truly extraordinary positive events, which by nature, are rare and sporadic. Indeed, the frequency of positive experiences is a much better predictor of happiness than the intensity of those experience.
Being fully present in the moment is the basis of mindfulness.
What savoring ritual could you create to help you more joy in your life?
Source: 3 Gratitude Exercises for Helping Professionals, by Elaine Houston and Hugo Alberts and offered free at PositivePsychology.com
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