Do you ever forget to breathe? I know I do—there have been countless moments when I catch myself holding my breath.
Most times we forget to breathe it’s because we’re holding on too tightly to something. For me, it’s usually fear I’m holding onto.
Taking the leap into the unknown can be scary but holding yourself back out of fear of vulnerability, pain, or hurt can be just as damaging.
They say that the difference between fear and excitement is the breath. When we’re in fear/anxiety/panic, we hold onto the breath, clenching, afraid to relax and release. Whereas in excitement, our breathing may be quickened but we experience a sense of ease in our anticipation.
What would it look like to just go for it and appreciate the experience that you are having in the moment without worrying about the outcome?
What could it feel like to suspend the need to know “how it all turns out” and just be present for what’s happening in this very moment?
What would it take to live moment to moment?
Maybe you’re like me—I’m a future thinker, a planner, a predictor. Whether it’s from a place of trying to calm my fears by predicting the outcome or because planning gives me the illusion of feeling prepared for anything.
I like to look 10 steps ahead and strategically plan my moves from there. At times, this line of thinking has helped me to massively accelerate my results. However at other times, the way I’m wired takes me out of presence and instead has me focused on predictions.
In that, I miss what is happening right at this moment. I’m held back from enjoying the now with my full self because there’s a piece of me that’s already run off 10 steps (or 10 million steps) into the future.
So let’s make a pact, or promise, plant some seeds of intention into the ground to let ourselves be in the moment—to be curious, to be in play, to invite in fun—all while knowing that the muscle of predictability, reliability, and planning will always be there for us to lean back on.
I invite you to consider—What would it look like to just go for it and appreciate the experience that you are having in the moment without worrying about the outcome? What could it feel like to suspend the need to know “how it all turns out” and just be present for what’s happening in this very moment? What would it take to live moment to moment?
