Love every moment

When you really think about it, you realise that life is a succession of individual moments. While to the outside world it may seem that many of us share these experiences, the way we process them is entirely individual. In this way, experiences can have a very different meaning for each of us. We use all of our senses to experience a moment, but it's how and what we tune into that's important. At any point in time, there is so much going on, even if it doesn't seem that way on the surface. Our inner world is a rich source of information, which can help us to make sense of things, but paying attention to each moment is the key.

While it's really important to dream, imagine and have goals in the future, a 'wandering mind' can be a cause of unhappiness. It follows then, that training our minds to be more present can increase our quota of happiness. Being present and living in the moment, is also called mindfulness - a state of active, open, intentional, attention on the present. When you are more mindful, you understand that you are not your thoughts, you become a mere observer of your thoughts, without judging them. Rather than letting your life go by unchecked, you really get the most out of each experience and learn to value each moment.

The significance of each moment and how it makes us feel, can be worth capturing. In NLP we use a technique called anchoring, we create a 'physical trigger' of that positive feeling, which we can then use in the future to recreate a feeling of positivity again, whenever we choose. We can use this process to begin to train our minds to see the positive in each moment, rather than the negative.

Marie Beynon Ray, prolific writer and author of 'Doctors of the Mind: A History of Psychology' captured the essence of mindfulness in her lovely quote:

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand ...and melting like a snowflake." 

It reminds us that each moment is important and should be enjoyed before it disappears. And, that each moment is an opportunity to create something new or make a positive change. Once you start to value these moments, you realise that mindfulness can be at the very heart of love; particularly when it comes to knowing and loving yourself.

Why not take time to learn to love ‘moments’ this month and see where love takes you?