I’ve been reading a book called “The Lost Art of Compassion”, by a psychologist named Lorne Ladner.  In it, he reminds us that developing compassion is a powerful way to experience greater happiness, as it cultivates feelings and a state of mind that support a sense of well-being.  He starts chapter one with the words, “Buddhist masters always have emphasized that each moment of life is precious.  In any given moment, we can allow life to pass us b y or we can be mindful of what’s most essential, living with genuine purpose, energy, and joy.”  As I read these words, I realized that Ladner isn’t talking about an extraordinary effort to have unusually special experiences.  He’s talking about being conscious of the quality of life we choose from moment to moment.

Later in the book, he goes on to say that, “Although each of us has only a limited number of evenings, thoughts, and breaths left in our lives, we rarely take the time to consider how they are spent.”   One of the Tibetan practices he shares is “to begin each morning by thinking about how lucky you are to have another day of human life.”  Beginning the day with the recognition that another day is a gift invites us to become more conscious of the activities and values we bring into how we spend this precious time – internally, with our beliefs, attitudes, and feelings, and externally, through our actions.

Reading these words got me to thinking about how many of us go through our lives on auto-pilot, not realizing consciously that we are blessed to have the many moments that make up each new day of life.  To have to attend to work activities and demands is an inescapable part of life for most of us and, even here, we can discover what qualities and choices we bring to these lived moments.  Even when we are engaged in the hectic pace of deadlines, we can choose to move through them consciously, recognizing that these moments, too, are part of the precious gift of life we have been given for another day.

And so, without becoming morbid or afraid of the fact that we each have a limited amount of time on the planet, and that each day, each breath, each thought is a gift of continued life, allow yourself to recognize the quality of how you spend your time.  For this week’s experiment, I invite you to notice the following:  Whether at work or play, what choices do you tend to bring to each moment, each thought, each activity?  What kinds of choices lead to a greater sense of well-being and contentment?  Which leave you wanting or dissatisfied? 

Remember, as you do the experiment, avoid judgment about how you choose to live moment to moment.  The goal here is to become more aware of these choices so that you can decide if they are working for you, not to be hard on yourself because you may discover choices you don’t like.  Notice what happens when you actively bring in compassion for yourself, and an awareness of the fact that we all are on a journey of discovery, each and every day.  Sometimes we make choices and take on attitudes that enhance our sense of well-being and at other times we get caught up in thoughts and patterns that lead us into a sense of deprivation or fear.  The beautiful thing is that each moment offers a new opportunity, a new choice.  That’s one of the most important things to remember on this journey of living more consciously – the present choice isn’t the last option.  We can always change course as we discover what works better.