Making Moments Matter

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Because one picture can bring up myriads of memories, both in the picture, and the things that surrounded it. It is a snapshot of a moment of time. More so, our time. Our memories. Our life. Our journey. You get the point.

Above is a picture of me dancing with my mother at the Christmas Market a few weeks ago when my parents visited us here in Heidelberg. It captures a moment in life that speaks of meaning and relationships.

It reminds us of moments. Moments have lasting affects on us because life is made up of moments. They are part of the whole story of our journey. Moments do deep work in our being, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. If you could watch the whole video, you would see tears and hear silent night being played on saxophone in a beautiful city in Germany. Memories come from moments.

Because of that, wisdom reminds us that each moment matters.

The Psalmist said that life is like a breath, a vapor. In short, life is short in view of eternity.

This is why it is important that we make each moment matter. Each moment count. Each relationship. Each talk and so on. We want to minimize regrets, especially with our relational life.

This is not an exhaustive list, but these tips can help us maximize our moments.

Be Present

Whatever you do, and wherever you are, be all there. We live in a distracted world. Dinner is too often filled with screens lit up with twitter feeds and facebook posts. We need to rediscover the lost art of being present. Being with the people around us. When we give less than 100% TO THE SETTING WE ARE IN, we get less than 100% out of it.

If you are at work, be there. At home, be there. With your kids, be there. With your friends, be there. Alert and engaged. Attentive. This will make your time for profitable, and the moment more memorable and matter more.

Be Personable

We also need to be people oriented. We may refer to this as being relationally present. Being present is more than occupying physical space. It is being relationally engaged and involved in the lives of those we are with. I understand that this is not always easy. Sometimes we are not, or for some of us, we are not bent that way. But when we make people our focus, and relationships important, everything changes. It is in the personal exchange between people that memories are made. We were made to enjoy other humans. It really comes down to being others focused. Interested in the lives of those around us. When we are such, we enter into peoples lives, and invite others into ours, and thus build mutual experiences and life long memories. But the best part is, that it is good for us and enjoyable. The memory is a byproduct. But we build a relationship and lay something to build on and strengthen.

Be Proactive

When I say proactive, I mean we are intentional and engaged. It is easy to just drift through life and let the tides draw you in and out and the waves toss you back and forth. But the fact is, we have the power and ability to self set our course to some extent. We need to be alert and attentive to our situations and surrounding. We need to approach each situation in life with intention. How many mindless and meaningless hours have we wasted away all because we were not intentional about our time? We lament those lost hours of our lives. Being proactive puts us in control of our use of time, and eliminates regrets.

Be Positive

I cannot say enough about the power of positivity. If you bring a positive attitude to your settings, you will bring so much more potential for a good outcome. A good attitude is unstoppable. Obstacles and letdowns can't conquer it. Life is good. Fun. Enjoyable. Optimistic. If you bring a positive attitude to life, you will enjoy it more. Our world is cynical and pessimistic. But the general zeitgeist does not have to determine our view of life. When we have an optimistic approach to life, things just seem to go better. Things seem to go smoother and are more enjoyable. Our attitude affects our situations more than we often realize.

Life is a gift. It is to be enjoyed and lived to the full. I hope these tips help you to maximize your moments and live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.