Most of us lead very busy lives.  It is easy to forget that we need to also nourish our senses.  We stop seeing what is right around us.  When I go for a walk I have to consciously remind myself to stay in the present and pay attention.  If I do not do that I will be in my own little world thinking about all kinds of things.  What I am not seeing is the houses on my street, the kind of gardens people have, what the people look like that you pass, is there wind rustling, etc.

W e have to cultivate our senses.  If we do not do that our lives become routine and lose their luster.  We have to re-sensitize ourselves in order to live vibrantly.

Stress and commitments will do that to us.  W are so focused on what we need to do that we stop paying attention to what is around us.  We are not present in the present.  I have found that taking Yoga classes has helped me stay present.  I was surprised how difficult staying mindful has been  for me.  Repeatedly I would catch myself at being somewhere else than where I actually was.

Stop and smell the roses.  By practicing paying mindful attention you will be more aware of yourself and others.  By engaging all your senses your life will  become more vibrant.

Recently I read the following quote: “The vast majority of people have the deeply entrenched conviction that ‘success’ promotes happiness. But it is not success that promotes happiness. When you genuinely enjoy your life, you are successful in the only real meaning of the term!” This was written by Tom Russell, who is not familiar to me.

I agree with him. It is how we feel on the inside about ourselves and our lives that creates success. However, people who genuinely enjoy their lives would not refer to it as success; rather they would feel that is just the way life is supposed to be. Coincidentaly I also recently read an interview with a 100-year-old woman living in Costa Rica who liked her life very much. She lived modestly, was surrounded by generations of family and friends, was active and productive and felt that her life had purpose. I doubt she would have stressed that she felt she was successful. I do think she would have agreed that she was happy.

I am concerned that there are too many people whose lives lack the element of genuine enjoyment. Especially by the time people are in their second half of life they have frequently shut down vital parts of themselves. One of my goals in my work is to help people recharge their personal lives so they can genuinely enjoy their lives.