Big moments come and go. Sometimes they are rather fleeting at the time but turn out to be major events later in our recollection. We are only saddened that we did not cherish them when they happened. Take, for instance, the first real date with my wife. It was not technically a date, at least I played it off that way. However, I was taking her somewhere, and we would be able to spend several hours together, which now that I look back on it was a significant development in our relationship. This was a big moment, and I certainly recognized that. I worried about what I should wear, where we should go, what we should do, and what I should talk about. I probably spent more time worrying about those first few dates than all our subsequent dates combined, but is that good?
The point is that every day you have big moments in your life. A meeting with your kids’ teacher at school, a follow-up with your mentor, a new client presentation, a job interview, and yes, perhaps a date with your spouse. Big moments are happening all the time, but do we treat them that way? Do we give the moments in our life enough gravitas for what they are potentially worth?
Take this blog, for instance. Just a normal, routine thing for me. Wake up, come up with an idea, and start writing. Just another day, another blog. It is easy to fall into the motions in life, and oftentimes that causes us to treat potentially big moments with frivolity. Yet, what if one of my blogs became a significant inspiration for someone, for me, or perhaps one of my great-grandchildren someday? Should I not treat something that another person may gain value from as a big deal?
Try this. When you wake up tomorrow, stop yourself from going through the motions that you normally do. Ask yourself this one question: What are my big moments today? Today, I came up with several. I have two meetings with potentially new clients, I have a parent-teacher meeting at my daughter’s school, I have a proposal that I am delivering for a new opportunity, and I have a chance to mentor someone who is asking for advice. Each of these can be considered big moments if I were to stop and really think of them that way.
In reality, there is not much I would do that differently, but thinking of them as big moments changes my perspective. Instead of something I have to "get through," it becomes something to anticipate, think about, and plan for. The more active it is in my mind throughout the day, the more prepared I am. The more I remember it, the more I focus on leaning into it. That can make all the difference in the world when it comes to being present and in the moment when these types of events happen.
Oftentimes in life, I was on autopilot, so many of these big moments passed me by, and I barely remember them. Sad, really, so if you want to make sure these types of things have a greater impact on you, you can choose to make them part of your focus as you start out your day.
