Simplicity & Happiness.

If we choose to take seriously the task of striving for a life of fulfillment and happiness, then we must live it, every day, starting right now. Too many of us are under the false impression that happiness is something that we will arrive at ‘someday’. ‘Someday’ is comforting. If we can push things off to an unknown future time, it removes the pressure of making decisions here and now.

Of course, ‘someday’ is often necessary; we’re not always in the best frame of mind for decision making, and as we all know, it often takes time to arrive at the answer, solution or decision the aligns best with us.

But ‘someday’ has an obvious danger that is often very hard to see: it never actually arrives.

Perhaps we’re waiting; waiting for the right job, the right car, the right house, the right money, the right relationship, the right time. If we’re not careful, we’ll spend our entire lives waiting.

Now is the time. Not later. Right now…this very moment.

…because all we have is now.

The secret in simplicity.

The secret, I’ve discovered, lies within the tiny, seemingly-insignificant moments that give you small but highly-potent bursts of wonder and energy.

Stepping into a hot shower on a cold night…the smell of a fireplace in winter…looking up and seeing the clouds painted on the sky…the first hint of warmth in the air in springtime…sliding into a freshly made bed after a long day.

Think about it. What makes you come alive, even for a fraction of a moment? We all have more of these moments than we know, available to us right now, for free.

Start super-small (remember, it’s the super-small that when combined, makes up the large). If you’re stuck, hold your breath for 10 seconds, then take a breath. As Anne Shirley would say, drink it in.

What makes these moments so special?

Presence.

Here’s the thing: you’ve got to curate the process to actually work for you. Use these moments. Immerse yourself within them and savor every last drop.

Build your arsenal of moment-magic each day, as you go about your life. Explore, experiment, combine, practice and play with them. Notice. Trust curiousity and allow it to guide you as simultaneously, it fuels you with wonder, inspiration and energy.

Everything else will follow.

The First Step.

The first step is acknowledgment. Possibly, the hardest part. If we can honestly look at ourselves and acknowledge that we have not yet found the measure of happiness and fulfillment that we desire from this one and only life, then we’ve taken the first step.

We then begin the exciting and terrifying process of change.