Time to read: 3 minutes
Article at a glance:
- Life isn’t about reaching a destination; it’s about being present in the dance of each moment.
- Practicing gratitude helps us notice and enjoy the meaningful parts of life, no matter how small.
- Celebrating what’s right with the world gives us energy and perspective to face challenges.
- Reflection and alignment with our values allow us to live intentionally and renew our energy.
We often think of life as a journey. We see lots of pretty “Enjoy the journey!” graphics all over social media, and while calling life a journey is way better than focusing only on the destination, we don’t think it’s the whole picture.
Too often in life, we chase the next thing; the next promotion, the next grade in school, the next pay raise, the next house, the next quota, the next goal, or even the afterlife. We’re always chasing what’s on the horizon, but the horizon never gets closer!
We feel like that great thing is always on its way and never here. But even if you get there, you don’t feel very different.
We love Alan Watts’ take on this. In his popular talk “Life is Not a Journey,” he posits that the universe is playful. There’s no destination. Instead of a journey, he compares life to a dance, where each movement, each step, each second is part of the whole. The point of a journey is to arrive, but “The whole point of the dancing is the dance.”
So, how do you enjoy the dance instead of focusing on the next thing?
How to Enjoy the Dance
Practice gratitude
So much of enjoying the dance is noticing the little moments that make up the whole, and nothing helps us notice like gratitude. When we take a pause to consciously recognize something good in our lives, it enriches the entire dance.
Instead of rushing through your day, take a second to feel grateful for the running water (cold and hot!) in your shower and kitchen sink, the lights that come on when you flip a switch, the beautiful sunrise on your drive to work, the goofy squirrel playing on the tree in front of your office window, or the taste of your coffee.
The dance isn’t just the big, impressive moments. It’s the little ones too.
Celebrate what’s right with the world
“Our vision controls our perception, and our perception controls our reality.” - Dewitt Jones
It’s easy to look around and notice everything that’s wrong with the world. With social media and “If it bleeds, it leads” style news reporting, it’s hard not to.
But we can choose to also look for what’s right. This is not only a much more pleasant way to live, but it can give us the energy to fix what’s wrong.
Celebrating what’s right also reminds us that there are many “right answers” and not a single way to live or dance.
Align with what matters
Knowing what matters can serve as a anchor to help guide your steps in the dance of life.
At Redmond, we’ve clarified what’s important to us by creating our mission, vision, and core values. You can also identify your personal core values and priorities. Then, as you go throughout your day, use those values to check in with yourself. For example, ask yourself “Is this action in line with my core value of integrity?” or “Will this choice help or harm my most important relationships?” “Am I using Occhiolism right now?”
So, what’s important to you? How can that shape the way you live?
Reflect and Renew
Life is busy, and it’s easy to plow right through without ever pausing to notice where you are, how you got there, and how that can shape what happens next. As our friend Dewitt Jones says, “Raw experience is empty. It’s what we learn from it that matters”
It’s helpful to pause and learn from what you’ve experienced, then make conscious adjustments so you can choose how you want to dance.
Try this: Take two minutes to reflect on an enjoyable experience from the past 24 hours. You could do this by writing in a journal, talking with a friend, or even in your head! Maybe it was a fun conversation with a coworker or customer, or a particularly good sandwich, or a moment of meaning and connection with your child.
Bonus points: make this a daily habit! Set a reminder in your phone to pause and reflect, and make time for renewal.
Learning to Dance
Appreciating the moments that make up the whole and learning to dance through the challenges takes practice! It’s not always graceful, and that’s okay.
These tips can help you slow down and live life as a dance, not as a means to an end!
