Imagine that you are sailing around the world and you have $1,000,000 worth of gold coins with you. Imagine what you might do with that amount of money while you’re sailing. Would you pay off debt as well as fund your entire trip. Would these gold coins allow you to take the year off to continue to sail around the world, enjoying each moment for the next year? As the captain, you’re responsible for guiding the ship and giving directives to your crew and passengers. Now imagine that one of your crew has discovered a tiny hole in the side of the boat. During a rough patch of waters, half of your gold coins have spilled out the side of the boat. Now that might be considered a huge ‘spill’ in your journey. What would you do? Since half of the money is lost, would you count it a total loss and just pour the other $500,000 dollars worth of gold over the side? Or would you close up that hole and use the rest of the money as wisely as possible?
One of the most common ‘spills’ in life happens when we pour the second half of our day overboard. Have you ever done this? You start your day in a bit of a rush and soon you run into some waves that toss you about. You’ve had to make some quick decisions that you weren’t counting on. Because you weren't prepared, you didn’t choose the best options. Maybe you got a speeding ticket because you were running late. Or maybe you spoke harsh words with someone you love and put a little ding in your relationship. A few more negative experiences in your morning have begun to color the rest of your day. Then by about 2pm you’re faced with some more decisions. Instead of gathering yourself and getting intentional about the rest of the moments you will have, you think to yourself ‘this day is already a waste, what does it matter what I do from here'? And thus begins the pouring of the rest of your gold moments over the side of the ship. "I've already had one donut this morning, I might as well have the bacon cheeseburger as well for lunch." or... "I haven't really accomplished anything at work this morning, what's the point in trying to get something done this afternoon?" Sound familiar?
Every moment is an opportunity to open your self up to the Divine. Every moment is an opportunity to make an empowering choice to alter your life and the lives of others. It doesn’t matter what kind of mistakes you’ve made up until this moment, your next choice can always be an empowering one. You can take 10 minutes to repair the hole in the boat and secure your gold. Saving the day isn’t impossible. It’s not even difficult. It simply requires intentionality and a few moments to get focused and certain of your ability to choose well moving forward.
The next time you realize that you’re having a ‘bad day’, stop. Close your eyes. Take 5 deep breathes. Not the ones you normally take. Visualize your breathe coming into your body and spreading throughout, reaching the tips of your fingers and toes. Exhale until you have no breathe left in you. Repeat four more times. Spend a few moments surrendering yourself to the Divine and inviting the Source into the rest of your decisions that day. Get certain that you have the capability to make the most of every moment that you face. Write down one or two things that are imperative to accomplish with the time you have left. Maybe it’s the project that has been paralyzing you. Maybe it’s the simple decision to be completely present with your family while the sun is in the sky. Either way, you have just taken some simple measures to ensure that the rest of your golden moments get used in empowering ways.
Now, would you like to save the first $500,000 worth of gold coins? Before you go to bed tonight, get certain that you will start the next day with your own morning ritual. One that gets you centered and intentional about how you want to spend your treasure.
"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." - Tony Robbins
"Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts." - Nikki Giovanni
"Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again." - Joseph Campbell