How do you reset yourself and are you fully present in the moment?
Vacations are awesome! My family and I just returned from vacation that allowed me to reset and spend time with them. It was all about sun and fun. The greatest gift was spending time with my family, as they are the reason for living. I am fortunate to be able to bring everyone, and I’m thankful for the many blessings I have in my life. I enjoyed the time away from work and opportunities for a reset. I let the stress just slip away but asked myself why we haven’t done this sooner. We tried new activities and experienced another culture and all that comes with that. I fought the need to check Facebook or take thousands of pictures. It was simply enjoyable to just being present in the many moments of our vacation. Small insignificant moments brought a smile to my face.
I told my kids before we left, that life is about experiences. If we want to live life to its fullest, we need to experience as much of it as we can. Trying new things, such as different restaurants are what brings rich experiences. We even took our family to a dolphin experience, which is something they will probably never do again in their lives. Very often, we must seek out different experiences because we live lives that are predictable. We get caught up in our work or unimportant activities. I for one, have lived for our home. We always worked for a better home and never took time to go somewhere else and experience different things. We can live our best lives when we chase wonderful experiences and stay within those moments.
Have you ever thought of sitting and doing nothing, just be where you’re at with no distractions? I have read books in the last few years on Stoicism and the teachings of Socrates and other great thinkers. I am by no means an expert in Stoicism but as I understand it, it’s the focus on internal thinking and harmony. One topic I have read and investigated on is the idea of stillness. I experienced this more in-depth as I sat on the beach and took it all in. I was still in the mind and body, and I was able to just be there in that moment. I believe it is an experience much like meditation. We can explore our days and find moments where we can just sit in stillness and concentrate on our breathing as well as clearing our minds of distractions. This helps us by reducing our stress levels, which has several health benefits. Our lives have so many outside distractions. We all carry a smart phone in which we are always surfing, working, and reachable by others. Our mind is changing because of the overuse of devices. We must seek out moments to unplug, disengage, and just be present.
What methods are you using to unplug from stress?
What does life look like for you when you are able to be still?
When will you schedule some time off?
What is forcing you or getting in the way of having more experiences?
Life can be overwhelming, but it can also be magnificent with the right experiences. You need to look for great experiences and be present in those moments. For a better understanding of my message, I recommend books by Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, The Daily Stoic and Stillness Is The Key. Each, are great reads on the topic of Stoicism. I hope you find opportunities to shut down and reset this week. Thank you so much for looking in on this week’s post. I hope you have a great week full of great experiences.
Steven C. Bucks- Leading Conversations
