We often take for granted that we’ll see one another again. 

We think there will be time to reconcile a misunderstanding. 

We expect that we’ll be able to say I love you one more time.

But as this Thanksgiving approaches, recent world events remind me that there may not always be time. That life is precious -- that relationships are precious -- that each moment is precious.

The truth is, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Yet we spend so much time fretting over the past or worrying about the future instead of recognizing that the only thing we really have is now – this moment.

In my yoga studio is a wise saying stenciled on the wall:

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly. “  -Buddha

Living in the present moment is a practice -- a practice that allows us to fully experience life in the most healthful and meaningful ways. It’s a way of being that allows us to turn all our focus and energy on each relationship and the task at hand. The result of this practice is a more peaceful and fulfilled life.

As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, consider how gratitude helps us live in the moment. It invites us to pause and reflect on all the things that have brought us to this moment. 

One of my favorite bloggers, Seth Godin, shared this Thanksgiving Reader in a recent blog. It’s a wonderful activity to create memorable moments around the dinner table.  Here’s my favorite entry:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.

It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

• Melody Beattie •

This Thanksgiving, how will you practice living in the present moment?

First published in November 2015.

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Passionate Leadership
is who you're being as you're leading.

About the Author

Gayle Ely is a Leadership Coach, Trainer and Facilitator and founder of Total Life Leadership. At Total Life Leadership, we partner with purpose-driven non-profit leaders and service entrepreneurs to help them answer the question “How Do I Become a Better Leader?”

Using The Six Pillars of Passionate Leadership, we equip leaders to be the best they can be.  The result is a passionate leader whose team and organization are operating for maximum impact.

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