Happiest in the Present Moment
Over the past few years, I’ve learned something that feels both wildly simple and surprisingly powerful: life will absolutely do life… and I still get to choose how I meet it.
Because Things Happen
Work gets chaotic. A relationship goes sideways. Someone you love exits the scene. A plan you were excited about suddenly collapses like a poorly packed suitcase. None of that is “wrong.” It’s just the human experience doing what it does.
But here’s the part that changes everything: I get to choose how I react. And realizing that? That’s inner strength.
What We Think About Comes About (So Let’s Think Better Things)
I’ve noticed my mind loves to write dramatic scripts before the day even starts. You know the ones:
“Today is going to be long.”
“This is going to be hard.”
“Something is definitely going to go wrong.”
So now, I try to start my day differently—before my brain starts borrowing stress from the future.
When I wake up, I take a few minutes to connect with my breath and preview the day the way I’d like it to feel: relaxed, positive, doable. Not perfect. Just lighter. And when something unpleasant shows up (because it will), I return to my breath like a home base and remind myself: There’s a choice here.
Even if the situation can’t change, my relationship to it can. And that’s incredibly liberating.
Pause + Breathe = Better Experiences
Deep belly breathing is my little reset button. It’s like saying, “Hold on, let me step out of autopilot for a second.”
When I pause, I create space. And in that space, I can choose how I want to respond instead of reacting on reflex.
Sometimes I’ll ask myself:
“What would safety feel like right now?”
“What would love look like if I gave it first?”
“What would peace feel like in my body?”
The breath helps me tune into those quiet intuitive nudges—the ones that are easy to miss when I’m in a hurry or in my head.
Mindful Moments: The Tiny Choices That Add Up
To me, mindfulness isn’t about being calm all the time. It’s about being here—really here—with whatever is happening.
When I’m mindful, my choices feel more aligned. I’m not as tangled up in expectations (mine or anyone else’s). I’m not living ten steps ahead. I’m just noticing what life feels like right now and responding with a little more intention.
And when I’m engaging with life fully—aware, present, participating—I’m kinder. More patient. More loving. Not because everything is easy, but because I’m not fighting reality as much.
Mindfulness also helps me feel things and let them move through me instead of storing them away for later. Because “later” has a funny way of turning into tension, heaviness, or something my body eventually demands I deal with.
The Present Moment Is Where I’m Delighted
I’ve found that joy doesn’t usually live in the outcome. It lives in the doing.
When I focus on the activity—not the result—I’m suddenly in my senses again. I notice light, texture, breath, sounds, and little miracles. And in that noticing, I feel healthier. More alive. More like myself.
We all can endure and navigate so much more than we think we can. And I genuinely believe we can change our experiences for the better by changing how we feel about them—and how we breathe through them.
Your turn: Where in your life could you pause for one breath… and choose a softer reaction? What helps you create your own mindful moments?
