“If we are to grasp the reality of our life while we have it, we will need to wake up to our moments. Otherwise, whole days, even a whole life, could slip past unnoticed.”

This quote is from the book “Wherever you go there you are” by Jon Kabat -Zinn. I was reading it while eating my grapefruit in the staff room at work, and when I stumbled upon this quote I scrambled to find something to write it down on. This quote resonated so strongly with me, and I became desperate to share it. All I could find was a napkin, but that worked just fine.

Mindfulness and awareness have really been on my radar lately. With all the work that I have been doing on “the Artist’s Way” and positivity in general, I feel that I’m not properly acknowledging those times when my efforts are paying off. Or I don’t see an opportunity that I have been given as a byproduct of the mindset that I’m trying to uphold. There have definitely been times when I’ve under-appreciated an event, a relationship, or an opportunity simply because  I already possessed it. So often we take for granted what we already have, and when we achieve what we want we immediately go to a place of “oh, I guess that wasn’t such a hard thing to achieve after all.” Then something worse happens. I constantly hear people complaining about things in their lives that are actually really awesome.

Almost 8 months ago I was a hostess at a restaurant, telling table after table our special of the day with the grossest of smiles, and feeling completely miserable. How did seating tables have anything to do with my career goals and ambitions? I was doing it so that I could serve tables… but then I didn’t want to serve tables either. I can vividly remember standing in front of the hostess desk, closing my eyes, and picturing myself wearing the uniform and standing in front of the desk at this gym I’d applied at (the place where I’m working now). This is where I wanted to work, and sure enough my visualization materialized… but then, like anything else, after a month I realized that the job wasn’t everything that I ‘d hoped it would be. This is what I’d wanted, but once I had it I wanted something else. I thought that switching jobs would help me to evolve as a person, but it didn’t – and I found myself facing the same problems that I was met with in other jobs, just underneath a different guise. In order for my work experience to be different I needed to change my interior, not my exterior.

It will always be possible to find something to complain about, no matter what your situation. However, it is your choice to search for the negative or the positive. Here’s something else to keep in mind. We attract what we think about (I really believe this). If you focus on the negative, more of the negative will appear. If you focus on the positive, the same is true. Which one sounds like the more attractive option? I am currently in the market for a different part-time job, but this time I’m searching for jobs outside my comfort zone that will push me forward instead of keeping me stagnant. While I’m searching, I’m also being mindful of enjoying and appreciating the job that I have right now. Although it has its flaws, I could be working for far worse companies. It’s really not that bad, and there is a lot of things that I really enjoy about working there.

I’ve decided to start consciously appreciating every thing, no matter how small, that I attract into my life. Don’t take anything for granted. I guess what it comes down to is living in the moment, and recognizing that it is through “this” moment that you will be able to take the necessary steps towards your goals. This is the only moment that you will ever have. If you pay attention, “this” could also be the moment that changes your life. Change doesn’t happen in the future. Change happens in the now.