Reflections: Every Moment Counts…
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have…” Eckhart Tolle
Reflections: Every Moment Counts… Sahasrara – symbolizes detachment from illusion
Plan your hours to be productive,
Plan your weeks to be educational,
Plan your years to be purposeful,
Plan your life to be an experience of growth
Plan to change. Plan to grow. Iyanla VanZant
Remember the last time you puttered around your home reading and tossing old magazines? Or what about that lingering bubble bath you took or the time you stopped to watch some street entertainer perform a song or dance? Perhaps we savored the moment; maybe we felt a niggling pull or a critical voice in our head telling us to get back to being busy. Whether we are being productive, purposeful or playful, every moment counts…
“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the lord.” Psalm of David 31:24
Reflections: Every Moment Counts… Ajna – symbolizes the 3rd eye of intuition
Do not let your fire go out,
Spark by irreplaceable spark,
In the hopeless swamps of the approximate,
The not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all.
[…] The world you desired can be won.
It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours. Ayn Rand
For years, I felt that if I wasn’t being fully engaged in some productive endeavor, I was wasting my time. But, the fact is that every moment we spend on this planet counts in our favor (an opportunity to learn/serve), and nothing is a waste of time. Our active and inactive days give us a chance to regroup, refresh and recalibrate our lives; our quiet times are as valuable as our hectic ones.
“A single day is enough to make us a little larger.” Paul Klee
Reflections: Every Moment Counts… Vishuddhi – symbolizes the throat, all forms of oral communication
You’re worried about
How you’re going to feel
At the end of your life?
Live. Right this minute.
That’s where the joy is at. Abigail Thomas
The last several days have been difficult and, as a way to seek clarity and comfort, I turned my attention to inspirational writings; scriptural texts and uplifting magazine articles. In O Magazine, I came across a wonderful piece offering us 11 quotes to help us make the most of the here and now. I felt a shift after reading them and the idea for this post was born. I also thought that, instead of 11 quotes, it would be helpful to have 14 great quotes to ponder for the next seven days, two per day, with beautiful images accompanying each set of quotes.
“This year I am choosing, to live beyond my wildest dreams. I wonder where it will take me.” Oprah Winfrey
Reflections: Every Moment Counts… Anahata – symbolizes the heart and all the emotions tied to it
Fear is the most fearful of all things,
and it, in itself, is an illusion.
The fear of death is one of its greatest
cultivations. Death can freak you out totally.
And unless you think about it, take it apart
molecule by molecule, and begin to figure it
out, it will continue to paralyze you. Ginny Brock
As I started looking for appropriate images, I came across the Chakra page in Wikipedia and realized that the vibrant colors would be perfect. I could compliment the quotes with images from the seven energy centers or chakras in the body. The Chakras are “force centers” or whorls of energy permeating, from a point on the physical body…. considered focal points for the reception and transmission of energies.” They represent points of light or energy links that enhance certain qualities or behavioral patterns in the body. You may click on the links I added and read up on each for more in-depth information. I hope you take a moment to contemplate the quotes and accompanying pictures. More below!
“We can’t take any credit for our talents… It is how we use them that counts.” Madeleine L’Engle
Reflections: Every Moment Counts… Manipura – Symbolizes the solar plexus and called city of lights.
You have to start by changing the story
you tell yourself about getting older…
The minute you say to yourself,
Time is everything, and I’m going
to make sure that time is used
the way I dream it should be used,
then you’ve got a whole different story. Diane Sawyer
There are seven chakras or energy centers/markers in the physical body and each one resides in an important place on the physical body. They are not visible to the naked eye, but the energy during meditation is palpable.
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” Henry David Thoreau
Reflections: Every Moment Counts… Swadhisthana – Symbolizes the tailbone; ovaries & prostate, and called “one’s own abode.”
When you’re trying to motivate yourself,
Appreciate the fact that you’re even
thinking about making a change.
And as you move forward,
Allow yourself to be good enough. Alice Domar
Thoreau’s quote above is apropos for all of us to read and digest. it is so easy to postpone our enjoyment of the present or to make the maximum effort to accomplish a wish in the now. We look for the time when x,y,z align themselves and that rarely happens in real life. So might as well press on, flawed and all. To be human is to be flawed and that’s okay too. If we can find/see eternity in each moment, we can spend each moment as quality time.
“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise thee? Will it tell of thy faithfulness?” Psalm of David 30:9
Reflections: Every Moment Counts… Muladhara – Symbolizes the base of the spine and called the root chakra
Life is no “brief candle” to me.
It is a sort of splendid torch
Which I have got hold of for the moment,
And I want to make it
Burn as brightly as possible. George Bernard Shaw
I need to remember it more often… life is a splendid torch. What are your thoughts? Do you allow yourself to sit do so nothing from time to time? How does it make you feel? Do you worry that you’re wasting time or do you value all your time regardless of how it was spent? What simple, uneventful yet cherished moment comes to mind? How do you spend and use your time? What helps you handle the shift from hectic to quiet? Do share! Thank you. 😉
Read more: O Magazine – 11 Quotes to Help You Make the Most of Every Moment
The Llewellyn Journal – The Fear of Death: A Great Illusion
Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience! 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: Enjoy the large, small, and even innocuous gifts of each day; every moment counts. Cherish them all!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All photos Sahasrara, Ajna, Vishuddha, Anahata, Manipura, Swadhisthana, Muladhara, via Wikipedia and/or via Flickr
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Related articles
- The Wisdom of Eckhart Tolle (liftingtheclouds.wordpress.com)
- A Moment of Solitude (sabinianabalagtasbaliba.com)
- Quotes to spur clarity and courage in times of confusion and chaos (creativityland.ca)
- The Psychology of the Chakras (oneyogalife.wordpress.com)
- Writing With Listening: “A Ha” Moments (writingsistersblog.wordpress.com)
- Pain (sisterlysouls.wordpress.com)
- Walking on Water (candidness.wordpress.com)
- Our highest potentials rest within our chakra system. (prophetic1dotorg.wordpress.com)
- Chakras, Crystals, and Corresponding Tones (amras888.wordpress.com)
What helps me to shift my mind from hectic to quiet? Good question, often I catch myself in the moment of hectic frenzy and try to think of being in the moment, being still and letting go. I have been reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth daily to remain conscious. Wonderful post!
Good for you…I like what you do to center yourself. TY!
This post is so wonderful and useful but I feel like I can’t even catch the next minute, let alone appreciate it – trying though and many thanks.l
Thank you for this inspiring post, Eliz. Love: the quotes, esp.
This year I am choosing, to live beyond my wildest dreams. I wonder where it will take me.” Oprah Winfrey
Hello Elizabeth, it’s incredible, i ask a question in my mind, and you will answer with a post. Thank you so much:)
yesterday i heard about an incredible story. You should have a look : )have a joyfull day sandra
I’m with Oprah and love her choice. It takes some bravery to live beyond your wildest dreams.To detach I often do some cross stitch which I use to focus ..projects are not often finished but the task alone is strengthening!
Lovely post Elizabeth coupled with beautiful quotes as always. I depend on Pranayama (deep breathing) to handle the shift. It is amazing how energised I feel after my yoga practice. Haven’t been very regular this past couple of weeks while the hectic has overtaken the quiet!
Do not let your fire go out,
Spark by irreplaceable spark,
– I’m so putting these lines in my notebook! Lovely post!
Thank you. That means a lot. Our life matters every second of everyday. We need to embrace it , celebrate it, love it. There so much things to discover, place to explore, people to meet, dreams to realize. beautiful thoughts. “Plan your hours to be productive,
Plan your weeks to be educational,
Plan your years to be purposeful,
Plan your life to be an experience of growth
Plan to change. Plan to grow. “
A wonderful, inspriational and uplifting post and quotes. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Beautiful thoughts and advice especially during this difficult time for you and family. You are a blessing and this post is a gift to us and to you too.
B
Hey Elizabeth, this post is very timely. Thought of you when I heard of the crash and meant to call….anyway, I’ll be there early next month, hope we can catch up. Dealing with a few things here, lots of lessons being learnt.
Inspiring and beautiful. Thank you.
It’s funny but I find when I play a mindless computer game I come away with fresh ideas. It’s like I veg out entirely and when I’m done I feel like I can get on with a project I was working on or start a new one.
Sounds crazy but it works quite often.
b
Yes, we have to be appreciative of what we have, and be open to a change. What are you thoughts on the Law of Attraction? I’ve shared my own story about experimenting with this powerful Law in my post:http://nyparrot.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/hello-world-2/
I cannot just sit but I can sit and read for hours and not feel in the least bit guilty.
Lovely post!
Great post as always, brings to mind an Erma Bombeck quote
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me”
such a wonderful post…all about mindfulness. I’m going to repost. A lot of times it takes grief to contemplate these things. I hope you are doing well. I’m very thankful for your well-researched and thought out posts. God Bless.
Reblogged this on onbeingmindful and commented:
Live in the moment…such a wonderful collection of thoughts and images…
Thank you Shelly! This is appreciated. 😉
This was a great post. Very inspirational indeed. I love VanZant’s quote. She seemed straight out no-nonsense when I saw her on Oprah and I liked that. I especially like “that every moment we spend on this planet counts in our favor” I’m counting on that because sometimes I feel like a I didn’t get everything done, but after reading your post and thinking it out, you’re right … every moment counts in our favor even if you’re relaxing and watching TV. That moment is helping you relax so that you can be better tomorrow. Good post. You definitely helped me out here. Thanks 🙂
Aw, this is lovely, just what I needed. Thank you xxx
So true, Elizabeth.
Thanks, Elizabeth. It’s always nice to have a reminder to slow things down and live in the now. 🙂
Indeed every moment holds some purpose, some importance. Nothing should be neglected. But sometimes I feel that some people look too much into the past and to the future instead of living the present. We all have to change this 🙂
Actually sitting sometimes without a work seemed wasteful but now sitting and watching thoughts brings into mind motivation….but still lighting and not letting it burn is wasting those thoughts and thus wasting the precious time….
Beautiful TY for sharing this. 🙂