Moments

Life is a set of moments, some beautiful and some not so beautiful. 

Our choices, along with our attitude toward them, can change everything.

One of the surest ways to realize this, and set ourselves free in the process, is to live in the present. Deeply concentrating on the right now, seriously paying attention to processing each moment, and really observing ourselves can show us what we are creating, as we make the choices which will ultimately create our future moments. This realization can be life transforming. 

A moment can change our lives.

What would we give to change just one moment? What about several? There is no way to really do this, but we can change the present and that means becoming hyper-aware of what we are doing at the present time.The Buddhists call it mindfulness, the yogis call it being centered, and I call it being fully awake. If we mindlessly go through life one day we will turn around and realize we don't know why we made the choices that we did. That moment hurts and can be anything except beautiful.

It may be eye-opening, perhaps even inspiring as it motivates us to change, but it is an uncomfortable realization to have. Hopefully, we find out sooner rather than later if we have been walking around in a mind numbing stupor. Nothing like realizing you've been a zombie for many years. This can happen for many reasons, becoming a shell of a person. However, trauma is the biggest cause.

A traumatic moment changes us forever.

It is one of the reasons that moments are so important. One traumatic moment you may get over eventually, a string of them can deal a deathblow to our ego and to our life. One of the ways this happens is through a series of traumatic moments. 

These may be personal or global in scale.

Take for instance the 9/11 attacks, this would be an example of global series of traumatic moments. Leaving everyone who witnessed it, whether in person or on the television in a state of shock. Assassination of Presidents and other leaders, Pearl Harbor, and the sinking of the Titanic are all other examples of global scale traumatic moments. I'm certain I could come up with numerous more examples.

Our attitude toward these moments is just as important as what happened, if not more so.

Our outlook about the moments that surround us will make all the difference in our lives. When we begin to see that we are in control of our emotions and begin to see every moment for what it is--an opportunity to change our lives--and begin to be mindful of our thoughts toward these moments, then we become a master of our own destiny. 

We begin to steer the ship and let go of our fears.