Opening to the Moment

Some of you may have noticed that I missed July – well I did not miss July, I fully embraced it, though I did not post anything. I have been and still am traveling and loving every minute of it. However, there was an insight I had. Many situations have arisen that I am happy as can be, yet someone around me is having a miserable time. Which brought me back to a topic that I know I have spoken on before, but it is important enough to give it another look.

              The main difference in our experiences has to do with acceptance of the present moment. If you are more of a fan of Myers Briggs then I will say it as was being a perceiver while others were being judgers. What I mean is that as a perceiver or an acceptor of the present moment, there are no rigid expectations for what the current situation is to be. This mindset sees what the situation has to offer and does their best to adjust their expectations to match it. A judger, or one that has a struggle with present moment acceptance has an expectation for how the situation should be and either tries to fix it or becomes disturbed when the situation does not fit.

              Please, do not get me wrong, there are situations that are much more beneficial with a clear intention of how we want them to work out. However, there are so many other situations when this habit is not serving.

Let me give you an example, if you are going to give an important presentation, if you are having a major surgery, if you are the director of some production, the practice of knowing the outcome that is preferred and making it the expectation would serve you well. Neither mindset is right or wrong, it is choosing the right moment for each. Another example, when you are visiting an amazing place of beauty and history, but think it is terrible because it is hot and humid. That is when judging is not helpful or effective. The result of expecting the weather should be ideal for the visit and allowing hotter weather to ruin the whole experience is not serving. Or that it is too bright, too crowded, too cloudy, too windy, etc. The perceiver can accept these elements and still enjoy the experience for what it is.

              Yes, I completely understand that there are preferences and that some details of an experience make it harder to enjoy the moment. Much of the difficulty is the current habits you have. Once you break the habit and open yourself to accepting the experience as it is and shift your expectations accordingly, you will find it easier to go with the flow of the moment and embrace what is has to offer.