I used to live chasing the next best thing.

Nothing was ever good enough in the moment, and I was always looking to fill the internal void I felt with something external.

Food, alcohol, drugs and money—you name it.

Then something shifted.

Someone told me I needed to live an internally focused life instead of an externally focused life. This meant beginning to peel away the layers and looking within. With this newfound shift, I began to embrace the living “one moment at a time” mentality.

It can be easy for us to get caught up in the externally driven world. The reality is that living one moment at a time opens up an entirely new dimension of living.

It starts with a slight smile at someone walking down the street. Feeling the connection and energy of being in the presence of another person.

It starts with actually tasting the food on your dinner plate. Taking small bites and feeling the way your body responds to hunger, fullness and satiation.

It starts with sending a text to a friend or family member in the morning and saying something simple like “good morning” or “I love you.”

All of this fosters a greater sense of love and connection. With connection, we are free. We are the people we were put here to be. We get out of looking for the next best thing.

Connection fosters presence.

It is important for us to find ways to connect and feel as though we are part of something bigger. For some of us that is joining a sports team, going to a yoga class, calling a friend or simply meditating.

 The beauty is that we each get to create a life of our own design.

A moment of our own design.

The power is in our hands.

This is simple stuff.

And also pretty life changing.

~

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Apprentice Editor: Amanda Fleming Taylor / Editor: Rachel Nussbaum

Photo: David Joyce, Creative Commons