Making Time to Stop and Smell the Roses

How to enjoy where you are in this very moment

We often hear and read adages like, “Life is short” or “You only live once”. 

While these have lost a lot of their meaning and depth in passing, they still ring true and are important to remember when we lose sight of just how rapidly life passes us by. 

To put it in perspective: if you live to be 85 years old, your lifespan would represent roughly two millionths of 1% (0.00000002) of the entire timeline of Earth's existence. In other words, in the grand scheme of Earth's history, 85 years is equal to a mere 141 seconds.

Gone in the blink of an eye, life is a blip and a whirlwind and moves fast. 

Making time and space to slow down and appreciate is of the essence if you want to keep moving forward and living a happy, busy, full, and successful life. In my opinion, slowing down, pausing, and being thankful for all you have and have achieved is also key to paving the way for more abundance. 

In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to make time to stop and smell the roses through gratitude, real and individualized self-care, and reflection to move forward with more joy and step into new possibilities! 

Gratitude Isn’t Overrated 

You may hear about it a lot, but that’s because Gratitude really IS all it’s cracked up to be (and then some!). The past has happened and the future is yet to come, and gratitude helps to ground you in the only moment you have - the present one! 

Gratitude is a sense of awareness of what is and what has been, and offering heartfelt appreciation for all the good things in life - great and small. 

Gratitude is also about thankfulness. Recognizing and acknowledging the blessings, kindnesses, and positive experiences we receive from others, as well as those that come from within ourselves or from the world around us. It’s a deep sense of recognition and connection to the abundance in our lives.

Gratitude helps increase your happiness, reduce stress, improve your relationships, and increase your resilience. 

Take a moment before continuing on in this blog and give gratitude for this moment itself, and perhaps something in your life right now. Take time to be grateful for where you are and all you have enjoyed thus far. 

True Self-Care 

Self-care is a buzzword and an activity that can feel elusive at best. The key to enjoying self care and implementing it into your life is to choose self-care that feels nurturing, self-compassionate, and nourishing for YOU. 

Your self-care isn’t necessarily going to be what someone else deems as self-care. 

Treat yourself to whatever it is that you love! And think outside the box. Yes, self-care can be a massage, reading a book, taking a bath, enjoying a walk, but it can also be a new experience or opportunity you’ve been wanting to explore. 

Self-care can be taking time to just simply reflect and BE. Self-care is anything that’s de-stressing and relaxing to you. Self-care should also be enjoyable and fun; not just another item on your to-do-list! 

If you’re planning a vacation as self-care, it needs to be a truly enjoyable getaway, not a vacation you need a vacation from. If you’re reading a book for self-care, it shouldn’t be one that stresses you out and makes you feel overwhelmed or that you’re not enough in some way. 

Ask yourself what true self-care looks like for you and how you can savor and enjoy a personalized experience in restoring your mind, body, and spirit. 

Reflecting 

Pausing and noticing where you are now comes with time of reflection. I find that when I take time to stop and smell the proverbial flowers, I’m naturally drawn to wanting to look back at all that I’ve achieved, experienced, and been. Reflecting on this can help find undiscovered patterns, threads, gifts and joys of the journey, as well as help your mind process all that has been. 

Make sure to take time after reflecting to give gratitude, celebrate thoroughly your many wins and accomplishments, and savor the moment. 

Every moment. 

“The present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.”
- Eckhart Tolle 

When you take time to stop and smell the flowers, you make room in your life for so much more abundance, opportunity, and fresh gratitudes to flow in. 

Connect with me, Anne Stamer! 

I wrote this blog because I have personal experience with transition in life and have developed strategies around how to cope and deal with it that I use when working with my coaching clients regularly. 

Are you at a crossroads in your life? Trying to determine what’s next for you? I’d love to give you guidance and support so you can step into your next step effectively and with confidence. My strategic advice and encouragement have helped my clients achieve their goals and make life-changing transformation. 

Book a Discovery Call with me HERE!