👁 INTENTION
Today, let's free ourselves from any stressors of the past or anxiety for the future by taking today one powerful moment at a time.
💬 QUOTE
“There is only one time that is important – NOW! It is the most important time because it is the only time that we have any power.”
– Leo Tolstoy
🪄 AFFIRMATION
I am present because only this moment holds the opportunity for powerful life-changing action. I will not allow my past fears and failures to limit the potential of who I could become today. As I live today moment by moment, I free myself from any stressors of the past and anxiety for the future.
📜 POEM
In this moment, let us be free
from worries of past and what’s yet to be.
In this journey of presence, magic unfolds
to support my heart in being open and bold.
For in this moment, we hold the key
to live life fully, wild and free.
With every breath, we renew this vow
and embrace what is with a reverent bow.
🧘 MEDITATION
Instead of being distracted by our external surroundings, Gia shows us how to use sound, sensation, and other external stimuli to keep our focus centered in the present moment.
📿 MANTRA
Life is now.
जीवनम् अधुना अस्ति।
🦁 MICRO ACT OF BRAVERY
Today, take a moment in public to count five slow breaths in a row.
It’s not as easy as you may think. So here’s a short one-minute exercise to help you commit to those five long, deep breaths.
Take a minute and try it now:
Breathing in through the nose,
Breathing out through the mouth.
Breathing in feeling the lungs expanding,
Breathing out feeling a sense of letting go.
Breathing in to feel the body getting fuller,
Breathing out to feel the release of any tension.
Breathing in feeling alive and awake,
Breathing out feeling muscles relaxing.
Breathing in that sense of fullness,
Breathing out that unnecessary tension in the body and mind.
🧸 REFLECTION
Living in the past or future can quickly lead to suffering while staying present can cultivate peace and happiness.
Meditation can help train the mind to stay present, and using distracting sounds as cues to stay aware of each moment can be a simple and effective technique. With practice, staying present can lead to greater alertness and empathy in daily life.
Some spiritual philosophers say that suffering exists because of the awareness of time. If we had no concept of the past or future and we only had this very moment to experience, life would be a lot simpler.
We wouldn’t over-analyze the past. We wouldn’t dread the future. We wouldn’t operate from fear based on past failures. We wouldn’t sabotage the future with worry and doubt.
While the concept of time gives us opportunities to learn from past mistakes and experiences while setting liberating goals for the future, it’s important to keep bringing all of that awareness back into the here-and-now. What good is all your planning and personal growth if you don’t let it inspire the present moment?
The present moment is where we can take inspired action, where we can actually create change and LIVE LIFE!
If you’ve ever felt like life was just passing you by, then you understand the power of the present moment. Time seems to disappear when we are fully present. We can relax and enjoy the moment, and often times there is just enough time to finish a task or activity when we are truly present.
There are no regrets when you are present because you have fully embraced every experience, every lesson, and every moment.
When you’re living in the present moment, you’ll find yourself to be a more peaceful and happy person. You’ll be a better partner, friend, and parent because you can give yourself completely to the people you love, rather than being distracted by the thoughts in your mind.
Meditation is very helpful for developing a practice of staying present because meditation is all about being in the moment. Meditation helps train the mind to ignore distractions, maintain focus, and let go of thoughts.
In today's meditation, we experienced a meditation technique that can easily be applied to your everyday life so that staying present is simple and effective. In this technique, we use the distracting sounds around you as little cues to keep you aware of each moment. Instead of ignoring these distractions, we’ll be observing them without attachment, just witnessing life happening all around. The key here is to stay detached from sensory observations. Keep the present in mind by noticing the stimulus and letting it go immediately so you can observe the next stimulus. This continues on endlessly. You’ll try not to judge or start a commentary on anything you notice, but just observe it and let it go.
Once you have practiced this technique for a while, you’ll notice yourself becoming more alert and observant in your daily life. While driving in the car, you might avoid an accident because you heard tires screeching long before you saw brake lights ahead of you. While chatting with a loved one, you might experience a deeper level of communication and empathy by noticing nonverbal signs and body language.
📓 JOURNAL PROMPT
Recall a past moment that left you feeling powerless or afraid.
If a similar moment were to occur, what understanding do you now have to navigate through it more courageously?
🙌 KUDOS
Nice work! You've just completed Day 4 of 30 Days of Bravery 💪🦁 Can you feel those brave muscles growing a bit more?
Take a moment to share some key takeaways from today's session with the community in the comments below!
✨ 👭 ✨
We journey better when we journey together.
I was a in an on-line relationship with a person for some time, and I moved abroad to marry them and be with them. However, it turned out this person had an addiction and I ended up in a place where I was all by myself, without family or friends, without being able to work and drive (at the beginning at least) and having to endure everything that came with the addiction. It was the hardest time of my life and I took it very personally and felt I could change it. I had left everything I had for that person and I didn’t feel I had a purpose in life if it was not working on the relationship (unfortunately, addiction is not a marital issue and you can’t change somebody who won’t change). I do not regret anything about that time, I learned a lot of things and it changed me completely. Today, I would have a lot of coping mechanisms to be able to deal with something similar, but I think my days of moving to another country for somebody who I do not get to see in person too much are over! I am much more cautious with the people I meet and I take care of myself better and put myself first. I would never put myself again in a situation where I am financially dependent on somebody else, where I can’t move around with my own means and where I am completely isolated socially. f I had to re-live that experience, it would be completely different this time around.
I was raised in an angry household and spent many years frozen and unable to respond any better than my 8 year old terrified self did. I am only recently able to hit pause and recognize that I am stronger in the now than I was then. That moment of pause allows me to breathe in strength and respond better. Still working to align my voice to that inner resolve.
Powerless…. I think the moments that I found I was the most powerless was when I drank. I could not understand why I could not just could stop with one or two beers or drinks. Alcohol numbed me for many years allowing me to put aside and mask the pain I was feeling. I’ve been sober for over 17 years and I don’t miss it. It took me a long time to get sober with many failed attempts. One day I just knew I was done. I wanted a better life andI wanted to find happiness. I was desperate to stop the the cycle. I no longer desired it and I really don’t think about it anymore except to be grateful thatl I no longer have to live that way. I’m also grateful my children never had to see that side of me. When I’m feeling sad or anxious I allow myself to be in that moment knowing that this too shall pass.
I have felt powerless when people change the game plan and take away the consistency that we had. It makes me wonder what part I play in the relationship if the consistency doesn’t matter (when things have worked flawlessly with the consistency and we both agreed it was amazing). Today, I choose to not dwell on it. Try really, really hard to not take it personally and just let it go. Try to think about bigger things and focus on what I can do to ride the wave. It is hard though. I am in a long-distance relationship and rarely see her, but we have been together seven years. It’s a beautiful love, but communication is often so hard due to the holidays and vacations. Looking forward…
My most powerless moment was the time i had the job interview. That was a nightmare for me. I spent more than 3 hours to speak to the boss. However, because of my anxiety, I really can’t perform well in front of him. The boss kept teasing me about I am not good enough for him. I knew what he told me was for my own good. He gave me a lot of advice but not in the way that i can accept. I felt very exhausted at that interview and I was stuck after this. Although the boss accepted me to work in his center, I rejected the job opportunity because I am scared. After that interview, i stopped myself to seek for a career. I think i was not well prepared to get into this real world. My fragile self-esteem and anxiety could not allow me to stand in this working environment. Hence, I continuously stay in my comfort zone and not willing to come out.
This is why I took this 30days bravery challenge in order to encourage myself to be brave and powerful. If there is a chance again, I will accept the challenge. If I really feel very exhausted, I should try to give myself a break, to think about the way to solve the problem. Always remember, escape is not a good way to solve the problem but face it.
I HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING THAT WHAT I HAVE TO SAY MATTERS.
My dog died and my parents had a divorce all in 6 months