The rest of this life you are living begins today. What happened yesterday, a week ago, a year ago, 10 years ago is gone and is never coming back. Tomorrow is certainly not a given, is completely unknown and is not guaranteed to come. As this is being written (or is being read) - we are here now - today. That means we have an opportunity. It means we have this moment, right now - and that is all that matters at this point.
So, I will spend the rest of my time - whether it lasts for only 30 more minutes, 30 days, 30 years or beyond - being grateful for this moment - being grateful and prepared for whatever life may throw at me. I know there will be times to endure challenges, pain, suffering, sadness, tragedy, failure, and stress - but I will be prepared. There will also be times of joy, happiness, new life, success, abundance, love, peace, and freedom - much of which I can create or at least be a part of simply by being prepared for the challenges life will bring and seeing what the good or opportunity that can arise from those challenges can bring.
There are many things in life that can bring us down, make us feel small and weak, but when we understand the things we truly have control over, we don't have to hold on to any burdens for long periods of time. If we focus on opening our minds to receive the good things that life has to offer and accept what we have with gratitude, then we will be better prepared when things come up short or those challenges appear.
Creating balance through meditation has been incredibly useful for me and for so many others. Taking a few minutes each day - especially first thing in the morning, to show gratitude by thinking of all of the wonderful things life has to offer, all of the abundance that exits, all of the opportunities and choices we get to make each day - doing this can be extremely rewarding verses grabbing our phone first thing to hop on social media or watching the news or some other trigger that typically sets negativity in motion.
Try this simple exercise (do it now - in this present moment) - as well as each morning first thing after you wake up and get out of bed:
Find a comfortable spot in a dark room - a chair or on a mat on the floor
Sit up straight, but in a comfortable position - you can sit with your legs crossed or not...whichever is more comfortable for you, but relax your entire body and work to clear your mind
Close your eyes and take a deep breath - inhaling through your nose and filling up your lungs (it should last at least 3-4 seconds)
Pause for one second - holding in your breath and feeling the tension in your body
Release your breath slowly through your nose, completely relaxing your entire body (it should last at least 4-5 seconds - if not longer)
Repeat this sequence for at least nine more breaths - if your mind begins to wander, acknowledge the thought that popped into your head and then let it go - there is nothing you have to do in this moment other than focus on your breath
Work on focusing completely on your breath - listen to it, focus on it, feel the tension and energy it gives you with each inhale - and the relaxed feeling and release of tension with each exhale
Doing this each day helps provide clarity, it helps in emotional balance by helping you become more aware and present with each situation - and not allowing yourself to get too high when things are going well or too low when things do not go your way. It can help you live in the space between order and chaos of life. After doing this consistently for awhile, you can add more time to it or more breaths - whatever works best for you. Doing this will also help you better align with being grateful.
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