These days, when I am writing quite often and feel very involved with the processes of the participants of the 100 Day Warrior, I look for help and guidance in the books of great teachers. Sometimes I don’t know what to write about and a quote can give me inspiration or an angle. Sometimes I search for something that speaks to me and sometimes I just open a book and choose the first words that meet my eye. I trust that the message that I find is the right message for somebody.
I am very curious who feels spoken to by the message below. It is the opening of a little book by Thich Nhat Hanh. What he describes is the heart of mindfulness.
Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don’t have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.
We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.
Excerpt from: “Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life.” by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Thich Nhat Hanh offers us a reminder that happiness is possible only in the present moment. If we learn to come back to the present moment we can find peace and joy. Do you realize that this goes for all us? That is goes for you too? Have you asked yourself how your situation would change if you allowed yourself to practice this principle?
Not only do I deeply feel that it is our birthright to be at peace I also feel that avoiding growth and development is the source of all our suffering. People who are at peace with themselves don’t feel the need to harm others. If you want to make a genuine contribution to humanity the best thing you can do is to devote yourself to finding harmony within. If you are interested I am happy to help.
***
This is episode 17 in a series of 100 blog posts that will be published daily during the 100 Day Warrior, a unique program around physical strength, inner wisdom and meaning. All posts are written by Atalwin Pilon, founder of Basic Goodness and creator of the 100 Day Warrior. For requests for motivational speaking, in-company workshops, online coaching and mindfulness training click here. If you would like to join our international community of brave and inspiring human beings or just follow this blog and receive updates, please click here of sign up on the right side of the page. Atalwin specializes in coaching smart and creative people, both groups and individuals. If you are interested in a free coaching session click here.
Leave a Reply