Today I was asked the question, “How do you achieve a lively outlook on life and become a more vibrant person?” Mmmm… That’s an interesting question, and the answer is already asking for itself.
A lively outlook on life obviously implies being alive, being as alive as possible, 100 percent.
It’s probably not so easy in this day and age, where all attention is scattered in a thousand directions to non-existent realities. We literally stretch ourselves 360 degrees in time and space and leave almost nothing in the here and now, in the moment of real life.
How much we are lost in the non-existent past and the as yet unfulfilled tomorrow, how much we give away to illusions. Meanwhile, life, woven of present moments, is passing by.
It is abundantly clear that we should make some effort to switch from meaningless stretch mode to a state of life. Don’t put off this switching process, or you’ll simply keep fooling yourself, staying in the same frame of reference.
Life begins with breathing
Life begins with breathing, full and voluminous. Of course, we’re all smart and I don’t have to tell you the importance of breathing. But what is the point of carrying all this knowledge around in your head as dead baggage and not having the benefit of it. I’m not suggesting that you sit down in meditation and start conscious breathing an hour long).
Open a window, for starters, and stare up at the sky, just as you did when you were a child. Or go outside aimlessly, just for fun, and start breathing with your chest full, without fuss and with pleasure. Feel how the air tastes, how it penetrates your lungs and fill them to the lowest lobes, how your rib cage unpacks.
Is the air ringing, cold or scalding. What is it like for you? You are a living person and definitely in the process of conscious breathing you will live the special feelings, the unique facets, shades and flavors of this process. It will really help you to focus your attention in this very moment and gradually loosen the stretch.
A Sense of Gratitude
This topic is so magical and voluminous that I’m ready to expand it into dozens of pages, but 
brevity is the sister of talent).
I suggest launching a gratitude ritual in your life. The best time to run it is before going to bed and right after waking up. There are literally millions of reasons to be grateful, and you can see that very soon. Just start by going over and over in your head and noting all the pleasant moments of the day.
Perhaps you were given the right of way on the subway, or the green traffic lights were especially kind to you and your car, or maybe today the sun was surprisingly warm and bright in a special way. Or maybe you bought yourself a favorite dessert, well, what better reason to thank yourself and the manufacturer for creating your favorite treat? Learn to see the unusual in everything, in every aspect of life.
Over time, you will easily respond with gratitude in the moment, and it will transform your entire life. It’s what brings us back into life, into presence, gives us a sense of confidence in the future, and fills us with deep trust.
Afterwards, you can switch to a more challenging level of gratitude, namely gratitude for all that is not in the pleasant moments group.
Everything that happens to us is conditional. It is our responsibility to label and react based on our own state of consciousness. And it’s very easy to see this in practice by beginning to express gratitude for anything that brings us physical, emotional, or mental discomfort. Whether it’s a quarrel at work, disgustingly brewed morning coffee, a headache, or failure of a child at school.
There can be many reasons for dissatisfaction and our challenge is to cultivate a sense of deep gratitude through all of these big and small manifestations. What does life teach us when it speaks to us with these facets, what power lies behind these decorations?
Maybe disgusting coffee has prompted you to think about switching to your own pep resources: “It’s time to quit caffeine,” you hear in your head. Maybe your child’s failure in school is an indication that he or she is not getting enough attention, love, and support. If we approach all of life’s troubles with the intention of gratitude, we will be able to discover the invaluable lessons and clues that life broadcasts to us. And that will make us even more grateful.
The desire for change
An equally important condition – A sincere desire to change your life. The moment you begin to sincerely desire change, not to demand it, but to desire it, the process kicks in. Д
For some people the process takes a week, for others it takes a month, or even three months. And we simply must have patience and be especially sensitive to see this process unfold and support it by returning to the practice of thanksgiving.
With your trembling patience and gratitude, you can spin this timid change into a real hurricane of miracles. So be prepared for a disastrous change in your life!
Meditation
The practice of meditation is not accidentally rooted in the distant past. It helps you to be present, to expand your consciousness, and to be included in life. It is not at all about flying away and floating in the clouds; it is about immersing and grounding yourself in your inner space.
Include meditation in your morning rituals in preparation for the coming day, take care not only about the hygiene of your body, but also about the hygiene of your soul. The result will not make you wait long, after a month you will be able to put a decent order in your head and this in turn will allow you to become even more alive and present. I wish you good luck and success in your changes for the better. Be happy both with and without reason!
With love, Maria Shakti.
