- The quickest way to your most blissful state is to be present.
- Being present is a choice you make in each moment, not a pursuit.
- Breathe in the air. Notice the thickness and scent.
- Look around. Experience color and motion.
- Listen. Hear the melody that the world creates.
- Taste. Let the intensity linger with an infinite number of combinations.
- Feel this book in your hands, the texture, the temperature.
- If you find yourself looking back, focus on positive memories.
- If you happen to look forward, visualize positive experiences.
- Be in the place, the very moment, that you are in right now. You don’t get to be here again.
- Enjoy the process. The end result is not nearly as fulfilling as the way you get there.
Your Dad’s Lesson:
When I used to get something in my head, I was like a train with the windows covered. To give you an example, while watching a movie with footage of the office of an advertising agency, I became entranced. Brick walls, high ceilings, Herman Miller chairs . . . so very cool. The vision of that office was all I could see for a number of years. During that period, I deferred a lot of things I enjoyed — family, friends, surfing, and so on — thinking that a singular focus would help me expedite the realization of that vision. A couple of days after we finally moved into our new office, after being briefly impressed with myself and my surroundings, I found myself wondering, “Is this it?” As I stood staring at our blue lights, red furniture, and copper reception desk (which were pretty sharp at the time), I promised myself that I would keep the windows uncovered on the way to the next destination.