We live in an incredible world of miracles, joy, beauty, opportunity, love, abundance, fun, and meaning. If that is the case, and I believe it is, why are so many people stuck, lost, stressed, unhappy and struggling? I truly believe the difference between living a life of joy and meaning and one of fear and emptiness is a moment. It is the moment we make a decision to not miss the really important things in life.
Before I say anything else, I want to ask you to reflect on what is most important for you in your life. I would then like to ask you to consider, in the scheme of your day-to-day existence, do these things get time and attention that is proportional to how important you declare them to be? If you are smiling and feeling joyful right now, you are on track. If you are feeling a little uncomfortable at this moment, I would ask you this; do you want to keep missing out on the joyful moments that are there for you if you were to simply pay attention?
There is joy, beauty, opportunity, love, abundance, fun, and meaning in every moment, unless you miss it. So, don’t miss it. I am so glad, these days, I am more tuned in to these special and beautiful moments. For much of my life I have missed many of the truly joy-producing and important moments because I was deluded and distracted by things I believed to be most important. They were not. I am sad for what I missed, but grateful that these days I know what is most important in my life.
I was up early the other day, as I am every day, and training at my favorite place, by the beach. In the old hard-core days, I would train myself so relentlessly that I would miss everything else going on around me because of the pain and suffering I was putting myself through. In my own misguided way, I believed this was how life was meant to be lived; with discomfort and sacrifice to achieve great things in order to be happy. How wrong I was and how much I missed!
I erroneously believed happiness and fulfilment were at the end of the ‘achievement’ rainbow. What I now know is that happiness and fulfilment is right there in front of my nose in every moment of every day, and all I have to do is open my heart and eyes to see it. Back to my story. I was training at the beach, and these days my goal is not just fitness, it is also joy. So, my heart and eyes are open. As I was jogging on the spot and looking out into the water as the sun was rising and the pink clouds were spreading across the morning sky, I noticed some disturbance in a very calm and flat Port Phillip Bay. I saw something emerge from the water and then disappear. I looked again and saw the fins of several dolphins’ glide gracefully above the surface before returning back to the depths.
Let me tell you, dolphins at this beach are not a common thing, so I knew this was special. I watched, I enjoyed, and when they were gone, I felt gratitude I had this experience, as I could have quite easily missed it. As I looked around at all the other people who were out walking dogs, exercising, on their phones and doing what they were doing, I wondered how many of them got to experience the same miracle of nature I just did. I am sure most of them, caught up in their own minds and lives probably and tragically missed it. It is my greatest desire that, as you move forward in your life, you don’t miss it. Miss what? Miss everything that is right in front of your nose that will give your life meaning and joy.
Don’t miss the dolphins. Don’t miss the birds singing. Don’t miss the sunrise and sunset. Don’t miss the rainbow. Don’t miss the flowers as Spring in Australia is approaching. Don’t miss the smile you can share or receive. Don’t miss the kindness you can offer. Don’t miss the word of encouragement you can give. Don’t miss the wonderful person you already are. Don’t miss intimacy. Don’t miss honesty. Don’t miss the family time that is so valuable. Don’t miss your child’s laughter or loving touch. Don’t miss what you can appreciate. Don’t miss the lessons and opportunity that comes from challenges. Don’t miss your glorious uniqueness. Don’t miss life.
In my podcast this week called Motion requires friction, with Ashley Williams we discuss her journey from depression to joy. When she decided to stop missing the simple but important things that appear in every moment, she was able to move into a very different place in her life. The same will be true for you. When you get to the end of your life, you will be potentially more impacted by the things you missed than the things you achieved. So, please take my advice and don’t miss the joy, beauty, opportunity, love, abundance, fun, and meaning that is available for you to enjoy in every moment.