Using High-Flying Moments to Build the Momentum of Feeling Good

I always love it when April comes around. Hope blossoms in my heart along with the spring buds and even occasional glimpses of sun warm me up enough to brave the continuing gloomy weather before the full arrival of spring.

This morning, a flock of chickadees flittered around our patio on a mission for bugs. I delighted in watching this cleanup crew swoop in and fly from one place to another, gobbling up bugs I couldn’t even see. One even came right up to the window I was watching from and ate bugs and spiders from around its edges!

I stopped what I was doing and watched the birds work with a huge grin on my face. My heart danced as I milked that joyful moment for all it offered. I appreciated the chickadees’ efficiency, their beautiful markings, the way they worked together, and their agility as they maneuvered through the air.

Like harbingers of spring, these birds arrived and awoke my wintry heart, starting my day off on a high. Then a text came in on my phone and I responded, swooping myself out of my happy revelry. A few minutes later I looked back and the birds were gone, along with any sign they had ever been there.

By choosing where we put our attention, we can begin to shape our experiences.

Life is filled with opportunities to feel uplifted or downtrodden. As we choose what to focus our attention on, we are provided with plenty of both uplifting moments as well as not so uplifting moments. By choosing where we put our attention, we can begin to shape the experience that we have. By taking opportunities to feel uplifted and managing our self-talk by taking it in a positive direction, we can nurture feelings of happiness and contentment in our lives.  As we begin to nurture these avenues of thought and behavior, they can become easily traveled freeways in our minds, helping us to inhabit and enjoy the experiences and moments in our lives that make them rich and wonderful.

Use the power of your mind and attention to master the power of these high flying moments. Try this:

When you notice a good feeling rumbling around inside of you, pause and notice it.  Once you notice a good feeling, don’t stop– stay on that channel for a while. Try to milk a moment of beauty and the good feelings it generates for all it’s worth.

Appreciate all the components of what is pleasing you, the small truths that make it pleasurable, the beauty, the feelings of delight, love, comfort, upliftment, and hope. As you notice these good sensations and positive feelings inside your body and mind, also notice how they expand and grow with the attention. Don’t try to change anything– just sit in the moment and notice and expand it with your gratitude, affection, enjoyment and appreciation for as long as you possibly can.  Once you have developed this habit of thought and appreciation, you will begin to notice the positive influence it will have on the rest of your day, relationships, and life.