Quote of the Day

“Ten times a day, something happens to me like this – some strengthening throb of amazement – some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.” ~ Mary Oliver

The following is excerpted from my Momentum newsletter:

There is a commonly held belief that the beautiful feelings we experience — the “throbs of amazement” and “empathic pings” — are caused by external things happening around us. That we feel joy because we’re in the presence of a beautiful setting, like a sunset, or experiencing a major life event, like the birth of a child.

While it’s true some events “open” us to awe and joy more easily, we have much more control over our inner weather than we might think.

Creating bliss is an inside job.

Our ability to direct our full attention toward the present moment is what stops time and induces wonder. Not the sunset.

Drinking a cup of tea. Washing a plate. Scribbling something down. Waiting in line at the grocery store. All of these can be moments steeped in deep appreciation.
Our sense of wonder is built on the attention we feed it.