Stopping and thinking.  Something that is totally underrated, at least it was in my life.  In the past year I have really built a practice of reflection (see previous post) and it has made a huge difference in my life.  Starting this process of taking time to review, take in the learning, and make plans that make sense based on that has allowed me to create the days and weeks I want to have.  One of the things I didn’t really count on was how this practice would affect me in other areas of my life.

Building a practice of reflection, pausing has now seeped into the way I think and behave.  Not that I am perfect at it, I have a long way to go and probably there will always be a new level to go to forever.  What I am noticing now is what is happening in the moment.  Here are some of the things I notice going through my head:

-Why am I thinking that way about ________?

-What consequence will those words I am about to say or actions I am about to take ultimately create?  Is that what I want?

-How am I going to feel after I do or say “that”?

-Is that true or am I just making it up?  What’s the proof that it is true?

These are just a few of the thoughts that pop into my head, allowing me to pause, even if for a split second, and to move forward with intention.  It is helping me to limit overreaction, feel more peaceful and enjoy the moments of my life at a higher level.

Start to be encouraged by the how this experience of being more present can roll out in your life.  Start to see how this is a process and it will happen over time.  You won’t real Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power of Now and instantly be a person who is present 100% of the time.  Over time, like me, you will see the door crack open and little by little it will open wider and you will experience the expansion of being in the moment more and more.  Oh the joy!  Have fun!