One of my favorite quotes is the one that goes, “Life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Is it just me or do you hear the last part of that sentence, take a deep breath, think about how beautiful it would be to have constant take-your-breath-away-moments, and immediately aspire for that kind of existence? God bless the individual who penned that, and thank you for inspiring me to set the intention to have these kind of orgasmic experiences daily.

Since setting this intention—and in essence saying, “I want to inhabit each moment so fully that I feel the swell of it within,”—I’ve had so many. Yes, of course, I’ve had them on vacations in Tobago where I ‘ve awakened to open patio doors on a beachside balcony, seeing nothing but peacefully promising waters. And, yes, I’ve had them when I’ve watched my son perform on stage, making eye contact with me the whole time because as he says, “I didn’t care if any one else was there Mommy, as long as you were there.” But although I deeply appreciate these grand events, and wouldn’t exchange them for anything, I want these moments to be a part of my regular existence.  So, I’ve also had these sweet moments, where for no reason, I am overcome with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love when I’m doing something as simple as watching a movie, listening to a song, writing a blog post, taking a deep breath or thinking about the sun.

But, I’m human (womp,womp), and since I am, I don’t have them every single day as I aspire. Sometimes I forget to practice mindfulness—stepping back to see the world and my life for what it really is. Practices of mindfulness speak to experiencing each and every moment of time as, delicious. Thich Nhat Hanh talks about having these kinds of experiences, doing things as simple as sipping tea.

In order to find the sacred in everything you do—thereby practicing mindfulness—at any given moment you have to:

1. Be still, internally.

2. Take deep breaths.

3. Absorb your surroundings.

4. Literally search for the beauty of the moment.

5. Take it allllll in. [What are the colors you see? What does it feel like in the moment? What does it smell like? etc.]

6. Say thank you, again and again for every aspect of that experience.

7. Tell the universe you want more of these experiences.

When you make this a regular practice, these take your breath away moments will sneak up on you. You might see a stranger smile and for no apparent reason, except that you’re in the place to receive, your heart may burst with the overwhelming beauty of the moment.

I sincerely believe heart swell moments like this are hidden in each day for us. It’s up to us to seek them out. It’s the small things. 

Frugalistas: Regular meditation practices make this an even simpler task. Can any of you share how you go about finding and experiencing these moments on a regular basis?

[info_box type=”alert_box”]If you want to practice self-care, you have to care for your finances.  My book, The Happy Finances Challenge, is designed to help you learn to make money decisions that will lead to long-term financial happiness in just 42 days. [/info_box]