Happiness in the moments

There are some experiences in life that you will never forget. They’re so big, so magnificent, so impactful that you can hardly help but to feel humbled and awed by them.

The Grand Canyon. The Great Pyramids. The birth of your child. A thunderstorm over the ocean. Falling in love. These experiences leave you wide-eyed and breathless, if only for a few moments.

Then there are the smaller moments…The way the sun shines through the clouds and bounces off the trees. The sounds of your team laughng over a shared lunch. The coolness of a breeze as it whispers across your skin. The intoxicating rhythm of your favorite song. Bubbles in a warm bath.

While they’re easily looked over and often forgotten, every one of these moments has the potential to stop you in your tracks and leave you filled with awe, joy and wonder. The trick lies within your attention.

The big experiences of life command your full attention, and that’s what makes them great. That’s what makes them meaningful. However, your everyday activities and experiences can be filled with meaning simply by giving them your attention.

You can consciously create a meaningful moment for yourself and as a leader, your team, by intentionally bringing the full weight of your awareness to it. Activate your senses. Choose to be present, and suddenly you’ll find that the smallest of moments holds the magnitude of the entire universe…and you get to enjoy every bit of it.

And you don’t have to just wait for one to come along. That’s one of the beauties of being human…you can create them! And it doesn’t have to cost much, if anything at all.

I know the frustration of not being where you thought you would be by now. I know the impatience that can come with wanting to reach your goals. And that's OK.

However happiness isn’t dependent on having the right job, finding the right partner, buying the right car, or finally retiring from “the grind.” It’s here for you, now, quietly calling to you from the soft edges of your awareness.

All you have to do is listen, and the least becomes the greatest.