What A Time: The End of a Decade

My dear friend always says, "What a time".

I recently asked him what he means when he says that and he repeated himself, again saying, "what a time". He went on to explain that it's a way of acknowledging how crazy and wild life can be. Those moments that you never thought could happen or would happen, recognizing the humor in some of those "awkward" or less desirable circumstances we get ourselves into, or perhaps even those times where we just take in the beauty of this world and the gift of life. "What a time". Let's be honest, this life journey is quite the ride!

As we approach a new year it's common to do some reflecting or goal setting activity, but this year let's be intentional about embracing all the moments. The messy, painful, gorgeous, hilarious, humbling, empowering, raw, vulnerable, and everything in between; all of these moments that we either get so caught up in that we lose ourselves in thoughts and emotions OR we tend to be so unconscious that moments pass by without us fully experiencing them. Read on to learn 5 ways that you can embrace all those "what a time" moments in 2020 and beyond.

1. Be The Witness

The other day I was going on a run and I don't know how much time had elapsed, but before I knew it I was in some dramatic conversation with someone in my personal life. This imaginary interaction was not productive, it was not serving me in any way, and it was literally going on for quite some time before I even realized it! I was able to step away from the dramatic thought cycle, tune in to how my body was feeling on my run, and I started to embrace the scenery around me. I was then able to notice the gorgeous community I reside in, the ocean, the trees, and all of the other active people that were out early on a Saturday morning. If I wasn't able to step away and become the witness to my experience, I would have missed all the beautiful "what a time" moments on my run!

2. Expect To Be In Awe

When we expect life to present miracles and we look forward to the unfolding of our relationships, our own becoming, and the beauty and form that exists around us we are able to be fully present and embrace the "what a time" moments as they arise. We tend to attract the exact things that we think about most often. This has been studied and researched in the field of Positive Psychology and on a spiritual level is a foundational piece of the Law of Attraction. When you expect to be in a state of awe, you will start to notice all the wonderful things around you.

3. Visualize

Tap into your vivid imagination and guide yourself through a visualization depicting all the details of the day you would like to have. How do you want to show up at work, in your relationships, what do you want to wear, where do you want to go, etc.. The more specific you can be the better. If you can connect to the feelings and the energy that arise for you in this visualization, you will be far more likely to experience those "what a time" moments in the physical world.

4. Sit In The Discomfort

Sometimes we try and move so quickly through the moments in our lives that feel unnerving and unsettling. We avoid any emotion or feeling that doesn't soothe us. Of course, as we enhance our ability to be "the witness" to our experiences this becomes easier and easier to move through. If we can get curious about the the things that trigger us, bring us pain, or get us in a "funk", we will be able to get to know ourselves in a new and meaningful way. Sometimes the greatest "what a time" moments, come from overcoming the very things that were causing us the most pain.

5. Affirm It Now

The thing that always makes me smile when my friend uses this term is that we truly only have this moment. If we can look around and really acknowledge, "Wow, what a time to be alive!" and practice gratitude, truly living in that state of awe, we are practicing the art of mindfulness in the most profound way possible. Affirm it, acknowledge it, and voice it as often as possible because Gosh! What A Time! You are here in this moment, going into a brand new decade, with purpose and intention to make some serious magic in 2020!