I hope that everyone had a fantastic weekend! Let me ask you: "Did you think about work over the weekend?" If so, what did you miss while thinking about work? What other things have you missed by not being mindful?

When we go through our days without being present in each moment, something I call "Mindful Awareness", we run the very real risk of missing out on the best that life has to offer.

We've all done it. We've all been one place physically while mentally we are elsewhere. We are thinking about something that happened in the past, reliving it over and over, or we are imagining things that may happen in the future. Unfortunately, our conscious minds don't do a good job of being in two places at once, so if our attention is focused on something else - then we are closed to the opportunities and possibilities that the present moment is bringing us.

The cliché says that "Opportunity Knocks". This is a very active, present moment phrase. You'll notice that opportunity doesn't call ahead to make an appointment so that you will be ready for it. Likewise, opportunity doesn't leave a card like the post office saying "Sorry we missed you. Your opportunity will be held for you and is available at such-and-such depot."

So it is up to all of us to ensure that we remain present to ensure that we are open to the opportunities, experiences and possibilities that the present moment brings.

This does not mean that we can't pay attention to the past or the future. Of course, we need to plan for the future and we absolutely need to learn from the lessons of the past. I suggest that we schedule time to do each of these activities. If you set aside time specifically for such purposes, then you are honouring the present moment and you'll be able to get the most out of it.

Always remember that you and I have subconscious minds which busy themselves with working things over while we sleep. We need to allow our subconscious minds to make the connections for us while we focus our conscious attention on staying mindful of the present moment.

Don't spend your week wishing for the weekend and your weekend thinking about the workweek. Live in the present moment!!

ENJOY NOW!

Copyright (c) 2003-2004, all rights reserved.
National Library of Canada ISSN 1708-0606

You may copy, forward or distribute Mindful Moment provided that this copyright notice and full information for contacting Patrick Mathieu are included.

Contact him at: http://www.mathieu.com or email patrick@mathieu.com.