The Power of This Moment
Have you ever woken up, gone through an endless day of tasks, and by bedtime realized… you can barely recall the day? I know that feeling—it’s happened to me more than once.
So how do we shift from drifting through our days to actually living them? How do we create memorable moments that stay with us—not just the ones marked by vacations or weddings, but the ones within each ordinary day?
Let me share a moment that reminded me of this.
🖨️ From Frustration to Clarity
Few weeks ago, after several emotionally draining days, I needed to print something, but my laptop refused to cooperate with the wireless printer. I spent two exhausting hours troubleshooting (in all honesty, electronics and I have a complicated relationship). As frustration started to bubble up, I realized thatI could keep pushing as I always do, or I could pause.
So I did something unfamiliar for me. I left my house. I headed to a nearby park and breathed deeply.
Just stepping away from the problem created space. In the park, I walked quietly and then sat still. I felt the breeze, heard children laughing, watched the passing clouds. I played presence games with myself, like gazing at a cloud to "open it up," talking gently to a tree, feeling the ground under my feet, quieting my thoughts.
And then, the moment came: a butterfly landed on my lap. Just for a second. But what a second it was. I felt honored, grateful and alive.
The Magic in the Mundane
It’s usually the little things, the ones we actually notice, that can shift a mood, a mindset, even a life.
We never know: the stranger walking beside us might become our next best friend, our husband or wife, a moment of pause might spark a breakthrough, or simply breathing might return us to our truth. But we have to be in the moment to receive its gifts. If you are so much in your thoughts that you don’t see what is around you, if you don’t stop for a moment to “smell the roses”, so many moments could get lost!
Wisdom from a Walk
After just one hour outside, I returned home with clarity. I called HP support (why hadn’t I thought of that earlier?), laughed with and at myself, and printed the document easily.
But the real win wasn’t the paper—it was what I learned:
Getting upset didn't help. Leaving the environment and re-grounding did.
Presence brought inner calm. In that calmness, my anxious thoughts (“I’m not smart,” “I’ll never figure this out”) quieted—and the solution came to me instead of me having to chase after it.
My belief“I can’t handle electronics” started to crumble, because I did find a solution
This wasn’t a crisis (I’ve been through those too). But it taught me how even simple choices, made mindfully, in the moment, can shift everything.
Most habits are formed in autopilot mode at a very young age. We repeat actions because they’re familiar, not necessarily because they serve us. Think about the way we brush our teeth, how we reach for snacks when we feel stressed or bored, how we often rush through meals without noticing taste or fullness. Mindfulness interrupts this loop. It gives us the power to pause, observe, and choose differently, not from willpower alone, but from a place of deeper connection to our values and vision.
When guided by mindfulness, we begin to truly know ourselves, gently uncovering what no longer serves us and discovering what we’re ready to change. From that awareness, we start to create new experiences that align with our deeper values. And when these experiences are repeated with intention, they shape new habits. Those habits, in turn, generate even more aligned experiences—and the cycle of transformation continues, one mindful moment at a time.
Imagine waking up tomorrow and deciding—not just hoping—to begin your day with a breath, an empowering though, and honoring yourself, before you reach for your to-do list. Imagine inserting a moment of calm before the chaos, or savoring your coffee or tea without scrolling through your notifications. These small, mindful shifts pave the way for bigger changes.
So if you've ever found yourself racing through the hours only to wonder, "What did I actually live today?", know that you're not alone. And more importantly, know that you have the power to change it, one moment at a time.
When we slow down and truly pay attention, we stop living on autopilot. We start making choices that feel right and true and in time those choices change our lives. Mindfulness helps us take that first step—and each step after becomes easier, intentional, and aligned.
