“As you go about your day today, see if you can identify your lowest moment.
Sam Harris
The point in time when you are least happy, least in touch with how good your life is, or can be, most agitated, or contracted, or worried.
And in that moment, see if you can bring to mind one thing that you are deeply grateful for, a relationship, your health, or that you are comparatively free from pain.”
I have been listening to the neuroscientist, philosopher, and author Sam Harris. I am always fascinated by his insights, wisdom and quality of work. Helpful to break out of our mind traps and view the world more rationally.
We often get caught up during our day focusing on all the negative things, or thinking how bad our life is. It’s essential to try and catch ourselves at this moment.
Pause.
Is our life really that bad?
What about all the things that are going right?
Take a moment to reflect on them.
“You might even use a negative visualisation and reflect on how much worse life could be. Think about all the people who would consider their prayers answered if they could trade places with you in this moment. Just think about what it would be like to lose everything, and then be restored to the moment you are now in, your lowest moment of the day.”
Sam Harris
This perspective can help bring us back to reality and realise that most of the bad things in our day, aren’t actually that bad in the context of our whole life.
It’s hard to pause when we get emotionally hijacked, but today I will do this exercise.
A final line from Sam:
“Because to have your health, even only sort of. And to have friends, even only a few. And to have hobbies, interests and the freedom to pursue them. To have spent this day free from some terrifying encounter with chaos is to be lucky.”
To be alive and have this experience is to be considered lucky. Let’s try to make the most of it and maybe even relish this moment.
Reflection
- Pause during my lowest moment today.
- Reflect on one thing that I am deeply grateful for in my life.
- Recognise I have the power to change my experience in this way.
Please check out Sam Harris’ work if this resonates.
