Goldfish Do This Better Than You

My brain is always running with everything I have to accomplish. My guess is that your brain might do the same.

Yesterday I made the very conscious choice to stop what I was doing  to simply experience the moments without feeling tied to commitments.

I drove for an hour to a specialty store to be able to sit in the warm sun an enjoy 100% all natural chocolate.

I drove some more then parked the car to be able to stroll the city with my love.

Then, I drove another hour to sit by the pier to watch the sun set.

While we sat I noticed two ducks swimming toward us. Of all the people on the pier they swam to my feet and just sat…and sat…and sat. After a few moments, instead of being nervous, I whipped out my phone to capture the moment. Then I became curious. I asked, “I wonder what ducks symbolize?” So of course I went to Google.

I chuckled when I landed on the first line of the first site I visited as I read this words, “The spiritual meaning of the Duck speaks the message: Be in the now, be in the moment, for this is where all of your power exists and is available to you.”

I’m not debating whether this meaning is valid or not, but I do want use this experience as a reminder to you to be in the moment.

It is so easy to be in the past–thinking about what you should have done or what they could have done or how something could have been done differently to make now better. It is equally as easy to be in the future–worrying about what needs to be done or your ability to fulfill your future commitment  or will you be able to complete a task well enough to meet others standards. But it is not as easy to remain focused at length for this present moment.

Being fixed in the past can create anxiety. Being focused on the future can create fear. But being in the moment creates peace, and when you are at peace you have power–power to deal with anything.

I read recently that humans’ attention span is less than a goldfish…8 seconds…YIKES! That being said, here’s a personal challenge: right now in this moment stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, take a deep breath and focus on the fact that right now, you have the power to focus…and do this for 12 seconds.

If you think you can’t, I’d suggest you keep practicing until you know you can. When you do, I suggest you reward yourself with the experience of being able to say, “I AM in the moment.”

Finally, you can smile knowing that you focus is better than a goldfish! 😀

So how do you feel? Let me know below.