Paul Abrahams: Eight tips to help make every moment matter

By Paul Abraham of www.headingonwards.com

In our age of digital distraction and instant gratification we often fail to listen and engage very little with our surroundings. 

Because of this we let moments slip away, the cultivation and practice of being “in the present” and acknowledging the gift of every special little moment provides us with a calmness and a feeling of wellbeing.

Whether this is watching a setting sun, a start of a flower blooming, your child’s first step or the smell of your favourite perfume or aftershave, make every moment matter.  Here are a few tips to help you enjoy the simple things in life.

• Dwell in the present.  You can’t change the past or predict the future, but here in this moment all possibilities are alive.
• Live as everything will happen only once.  Be aware of the unique and once-in-a-lifetime nature of each of each meeting or experience.
• Do something you’ve never done before.  As the saying goes, you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect different result.  Give yourself over to the moment when something unknown begins to blossom within you.
• Don’t postpone special points in time.  Each opportunity presents itself only once.  If you don’t embrace it, it’s lost forever.
• Sit down quietly and observe what is going on around you.  The simple act of stepping away from the daily hustle and bustle opens the door to wellbeing.
• Apply mindfulness to all five senses.  Train yourself in the art of listening, watching, touching, tasting and smelling to give each moment the richness of human perception.
• Make every gathering a party.  Don’t wait for a holiday or birthday to experience extraordinary things.  With the right frame of mind, every day can be a celebration.
• If you don’t like what there is, make something different.  Human beings have the power to reinvent themselves as many times as it takes.  If your reality is too dull and predictable, you have the opportunity to create another.