Every moment is an opportunity to start fresh.
Sometimes I get bogged down. A lot of things happen to us in this crazy life, and they are not always good things. We are inevitably going to meet adversity somewhere along the line, whether it be in the form of illness, a falling out with a friend, a bad break up, or an infuriating job.
It is like we are walking through our lives on a tightrope over the oblivion of possible negative outcomes, and occasionally we slip and fall into this abyss of misfortune.
It’s okay.
It is normal to feel bogged down by challenging situations in our lives. Something bad happens, and that experience starts a chain reaction of negativity for us. Someone slights us in some way, or we fail at something, or we fall on our ass in the parking lot, and this creates a certain negative momentum to our experience that results in having a bad attitude. Once that momentum is created it becomes increasingly difficult to snap out of it and get our act together. The sad thing is, some people live their whole life like this.
So, how do we wake up from our slumber? How do we shift our attitude when we’ve found ourselves in a slump?
There has been one key realization that has helped me in getting through tricky situations more than anything else: every moment is an opportunity to start fresh. Every passing second offers the possibility of change.
Let’s say we are having a stressful day. Something feels off, and we just can’t shake the feeling. What I try to do is remember that with each moment comes the possibility of cleaning the slate completely. I think about this negative momentum of my day and how I am unconsciously letting it happen. When I can truly see this—that my stress and negativity is a choice—then I can wake up from this dream of a sh*tty day.
Human beings are gifted with the superpower of choice. We can choose what path we take. This is what has risen our species above the rest of the animal kingdom—but ever so often, our force of habit prevents us from exercising this ability.
When I am feeling overwhelmed by stress, I take a few breaths and remind myself that every moment offers the potential for change. I don’t need to let something that happened to me in the past drag on any longer. I let it go, simply by accepting whatever is happening in the here and now. I recognize that the present moment is always new; it only seems old when we hold onto the past.
“Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
I like lists:
1. A lot of sh*t can happen to us.
2. These things can create a negative momentum in our lives.
3. The key to awakening is realizing that every moment is a fresh start.
4. This realization occurs when we accept what is happening in the now, without trying to hold onto it.
Let go of the past, step into the present, and create a better future.
~
Relephant:
How to Get Out of your Own F*cking Way.
How to Get yourself Back Together after Hitting Rock Bottom.
~
Author: Samuel Kronen
Image: Instagram @elephantjournal
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Copy Editor: Travis May
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