When was the last time you enjoyed the sensation of grass on your bare feet?
When was the last time you savored each bite of your meal?
When was the last time you found yourself humming while doing some task?
Our society is so focused on results, goals and dreams that it’s easy to ignore the process that gets us there. And yet, most of life is process.
Living in the moment
I recently read a book featuring a character who lived wholly in the moment. When he washed his hands, he was aware of the scent of the soap, and its slipperiness, and the coolness of the water, and the roughness of his calloused hands. When he washed his hands, he was thinking about hand washing, and nothing else. Not what was for dinner, or what time it was, or what was on his schedule for tomorrow. Just hand washing. He enjoyed the process.
Granted he was A) a fictional character and B) he lived in a monastery where most decisions were made for him, but I still felt inspired by his ability to focus on the moment.
I’ve never experienced that kind of complete absorption while doing a mundane task. When I am driving, or peeling potatoes, or washing my hands, I am almost always thinking about something else. The scary thing is, sometimes I feel like I go through an entire day without noticing any of it, because my focus was on what came next, not what I was doing now.
Slow down and pay attention
If most of life is process, doesn’t it make sense to enjoy the journey, not just the destination? But the work of getting somewhere isn’t always fun, is it? The process can be boring, or painful. Getting in shape causes pain. Practicing a skill sometimes results in failure. Cleaning bathrooms is no walk in the park. But whether the results are what we had hoped or not, we can still find joy and pride in the process. Here’s one artist’s take on it:
Enjoy The Process from Nathan Yoder on Vimeo.
A few suggestions for enjoying the everyday stuff of life:
- Pay attention to incremental goals. I haven’t reached my ideal weight, but I did resist that free donut in the break room. Celebrate the little victories.
- Focus on what you learned rather than the results. That meeting didn’t go so well. Next time I’ll do better at anticipating what questions the client might have.
- Tune into your senses. By necessity our brains tune out much sensory detail. Sometimes, though, we won’t get full enjoyment out of an activity unless we notice the textures and scents and sounds. The next time you go for a walk, find a place to sit and try to soak in the details: the quality of the light, the odd-looking beetle crawling across the pavement, the sounds we only notice with our eyes closed, etc.
- Be grateful. In any situation, find something to be grateful about. The view out the window, the light bulb that was finally replaced, the fact that this particular stinky job is making someone else feel better.
And if you find your daily processes make you miserable, if you dread getting up in the morning and facing them again, it may be time to reassess your goals. Don’t fall for the lie that a big salary or a prestigious title is worth all the sacrifices you make to get there. If you’re doing what you’re meant to do, no mountain is too tall to scale, but if every day it feels like more of you has died, maybe the goal you’re striving for isn’t as fulfilling as you thought.
What are you going to do today to enjoy the everyday stuff of life a little more?
