Life isn’t perfect, but the opportunities it presents to you are. If you meditate, you know that it is forcing yourself to relax and concentrate on the here and now. What do you smell right now, what do you see right now, what are the things that are happening around you in this moment? It’s this type of exercise that can give you clarity. When you stop, look, listen, see, smell, feel, you realize things you never realized before. You don’t have to be in a meditative state to do this. All you have to do is be aware every single day, and that is a lot more simple than you think. It may start out as a conscious effort to open your head and heart to what is around you but the more you do it, or force yourself to do it, the more instinctive it becomes. Sometimes I find my thoughts racing around in my head with several different things, mostly – what am I forgetting today? But I’m teaching myself that when I find my thoughts racing, the moment I realize that’s what I’m doing, I tell myself to stop, look, listen, and feel what is around me. It clears my head and then I am more aware. Do you know what happens when you’re more aware? You see the opportunities around you. Let’s take a “for example” situation (this is fictional). I’m sitting in my office everyday, usually taking care of whatever urgent situation arises for the day, and I get a phone call from co-worker that needs help for a problem they’re having. Typically, I would just answer it or do a little digging to find the answer for them then go on about my day never giving it another thought. However, this day, after I help the person and hang up the phone I stop, think, see, hear, feel what is around me and realize that the problem I just helped with is something that most of us have trouble with and then I wonder why we have that problem. I think back the root cause and then figure out a solution that will make the problem go away for everyone. I present it to my boss, who loves it, and BAM! Just like that, I’m a superstar. If I keep that up, I may get that promotion I’ve been looking forward to for the last year! It’s called hustling, and it doesn’t have to mean that you work harder, it simply means you work smarter. This can even help you personally. I am an adoptee who has an extraordinary story (or so I think). I wrote a book about it, then learned about blogging at a writer’s conference and took the opportunity to start my own blog, having no clue if it would be something I would enjoy, if others would read it, or if my book would sell; but I seized the opportunity to try. I may not be a mega big person in the adoption community but this blog has opened my eyes even more on not only adoption issues, but everyday issues we all face. I’ve met so many incredible people, I’ve been interviewed in magazines and on TV! I would never have had those opportunities without my book and my blog. I took the opportunity to tell my story and found more opportunities to help people. One door opens another, opens another, until you find yourself on this incredible journey we call life. THAT is how you live, people. That is how you take advantantage of living. Everyday you’re faced with little opportunities that you can take and make yourself a better person, worker, spouse, parent, etc… If you’re not stopping to see the opportunities then you’re not taking full advantage of life. Stop, feel, see, hear, smell, and think about what’s happening around you, then HUSTLE. xoxo