How to Seize the Moment

Seize the moment is an invitation to live in the now. The moment potentially represents a positive peak experience either for yourself or for the person you decide to share it with. It hits a crescendo. It is one open to wonder because it is spontaneous.

“Lose not yourself in a far off time, seize the moment that is thine.”
~ Friedrich Schiller

My daughter and nephew seizing the moment in The Singapore Botanic Gardens

It is as if time stood still. In that moment, you are not concerned about the past or the future. You are just focused on being present. You become in touch with the fullness of life. You are connected with pure love, intense bliss and sublime joy – feelings that spring from the depths of your heart.

The moment seized is transformational energy. It moves stuck and old patterns of thought, behavior and action. You shed an old layer of yourself, to reveal a more authentic core. With deeper clarity, you awakened into the unlimited potential of your soul. In that one moment, the mystery of time collapses – allowing you a glimpse into eternity.

“Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration.”
~ Khalil Gibran

Seize the Moment: Do Something for Yourself

By seizing the moment, you surprise yourself. You are likely to do something that you normally are not accustomed to. Although the moment itself can last for seconds even, you have just gone on a new adventure.

“The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.”
Carl Sandburg

Seizing the moment is not necessarily something that you do only when times are good. It can also be something that you do during challenging periods. Seizing the moment, you make the intent of shifting into more positive emotions. It is a moment of allowing yourself to let go of your fears.

The moment opens up in possibility for you. You have just expanded your consciousness by removing your resistance of it. It is a moment of clarity. You now know yourself as something more than what you were just a moment ago.

Seize the Moment: Do Something for Someone Else

“Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you.”
~ anonymous

You can also seize the moment by doing something surprising for someone else. The other person is not expecting you to, or at least, not yet. It is a split decision that you make. You believe that there is no other more opportune time to express your love, appreciation and care. There is no time to waste. You intend the moment to be one of togetherness, oneness and connection.

In the process, you may even surprise yourself. You have been usually self-centered. Each moment that you spend is often calculated for your advantage. However, by making the moment special for another person, you have just elevated your spirit.

It is time shared that lives on in the archives of both your memories. It is meaningful because of the magic that it has brought in connecting the two of you. Seizing the moment is a move towards integration. In that moment, you become whole and part of the whole.

Tips to Seize the Moment

Pay attention to the sign. By reading this post, ask yourself if it is a sign that tells you to seize the moment. Should you be feeling bored, then it is time to stir the pot, rev up your engine and spice up your life. Boredom is a sign of the lack of creativity. So put on your thinking cap and think of a new adventure to go on today.

Stop procrastinating. So it feels more comfortable not getting off the couch? Your initial enthusiasm starts to wear off, the more you think about seizing the moment. Well, just do it! Remove the metal chains of inertia by not putting more thought into it. You need physical movement to seize the moment.

Learn to take risks. It may be that you are being stopped by your old hang-ups. You are afraid of failing, looking like a fool and being shamed publicly. The secret is to avoid blowing your fears out of proportion. Most of your fears are not real anyway. They are psychological and can be addressed. Even if you did meet with failure, perceive it as a learning experience for future improvements.

Make the Moment Yours

Seizing the moment involves meeting the intent of not wasting your time with spontaneity. By your act, you say “yes” to a new experience. It means being focused in the present moment – giving it your best shot and fullest attention. It means being in non-resistance by not holding yourself back.

Just one moment is enough to make a difference. For it means that you are very capable of living more fully in the present moment. Moments of these strung together can create a whole new presence of being.

Start with one moment and then, two. And then, go for a day – Carpe Diem!

Abundance always,
evelyn lim signature
Author. Adventurer. Life Coach

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sangeng - November 22, 2011 Reply

Hiking up a hill to the peak can be a good exercise in focus, training to live in the here and now, stepping up the steep slopes one step at a time, watching every step on the uneven terrain, but without losing track of the goal of reaching the peak and without hurrying, feeling the sweat oozing out and feeling great all the way. Sometimes the mind would wonder but with practice, one can just focus on enjoying the sight of the bushes and fern around. Such activity is a microcosm of the endeavour in our business underaking, watching out and be fully present with full attention. Another method of training to focus and live in the moment is by way of running on the thread-mill when I just focus on the seconds and minutes that have lapsed while looking forward to reaching the time set for the running. In that sense, I am in a flow, the runner and running become one, no me, no thoughts, just the running.

Ah, this time, this place, a story– “Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road…coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable yo cross the intersection.”Come on, girl,” said Tanzan at once (and) carried her over the mud….Ekido, asked Tanzan, late at night “We monks don’t go near females, why did you do that?”…..(many morals, one of which– Tanzan has seized the moment, (as what Evelyn Lim puts it) while Ekido has lost himself in a self created puzzle he can’t solve, what a pity.

[Reply]

Evelyn Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 7:54 am

Hello Sangeng,

It’s great that you relate the experience of hitting peaks with your exercise regimes. At the same time, there is a beautiful message in there about enjoying the journey and being focused in the present as well.

I have read the story before but in the context of monks carrying a female across the stream. It’s interesting that you saw it as “seizing the moment”.

You certainly have a great gift with telling stories and using metaphors to explain meanings! Thank you for sharing!

Abundance always,
Evelyn

Deepsha - November 23, 2011 Reply

hey Evelyn!
yet again you have given some fresh food for thoughts. we often forget to live the present thinking of future, and let the little happy moments slip by from our hands… rather lets gather these dew drops of happiness which life has offered… cheers… and it is great to know about your video interview!!though i could not comment on that post…. my best wishes are with you always… you are my life changer… i will always remember that…

Evelyn Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 7:58 am

Hello Deepsha,

It’s great that my post is timely, offering tips that cause you to reflect on a better way forward.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s readers like you that keeps this site going! I’m happy to know that the posts you have read have been life-changing for you. Your love, support and encouragement is much appreciated.

Jimmy/LifeArchitects - November 23, 2011 Reply

Evelyn,

I like the fact that you encourage us to recognize the signs to seize the moment. One of the greatest problem with us these days is failing to see the signs. When it is right in front of us we refused to trust it because it is so obvious and simple. We like to choose that life is complex. Life is not complex, we are.

Evelyn Reply:
November 23rd, 2011 at 1:40 pm

Hi Jimmy,

I agree about the failure to see the signs. It’s been the same with me too. And so I have been learning not to ignore the signs and to derive meaning from my everyday encounters. It’s also when I realized that these signs have actually been there all along but due to my own emotional clutter, refused to acknowledge them.

All the best to your endeavors!

The Vizier - November 23, 2011 Reply

Hi Evelyn,

All we truly have in this life is moments. Each moment is unique and as different as snowflakes because time keeps flowing forward as everything changes. This is why it is so important to seize the moments especially with people who are dear to us. This is the way to live fully and to make full use of the time we have. You have made many good points about seizing the moments, here are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind as I read through your ideas.

Seizing the moment to act swiftly during challenging periods can often pre-empt disaster. Many things in life are about timing. When faced with a problem, it is usually prudent to nip it as swiftly in the bud as possible before it becomes unmanageable with time.

Doing something for someone else is always a good way to seize moments. As I mentioned earlier, we do not have infinite moments so it is best to make each one count by doing something special when we can. On the one hand, you will have fond memories. On the other hand, you will make the recipient happy.

Every moment presents a unique opportunity. If you are properly aligned with circumstances and can see this opportunity, seize it. You may never have another chance when everything is in place for you to act.

Thank you for showing us how to seize the moments! 🙂

Irving the Vizier

Evelyn Reply:
November 24th, 2011 at 6:05 pm

Hello Irving,

You have raised some very great points. Most certainly, each moment is precious for us to spend it meaningfully. And to spend it with our loved ones is always a great way! It is true that acting swiftly can help prevent disaster from happening.

While no moment is ever the same, I would like to add that it is better than late than never!

Thank you for sharing your comments,

David Stevens - November 23, 2011 Reply

Hi Evelyn,
Life certainly is a series of “now” moments…….don’t pass them up. Thankyou
be good to yourself
David

Love what you said about life being comprised of “now” moments!

marc van der Linden - November 23, 2011 Reply

There are a lot of things we can learn from children. Children don’t have problems to be present and stay in the moment. It is a typical adult thing to see the problems.

Learning to listen to the signals of our emotions and taking the risk to respond on them can indeed help us a lot.

Thanks for sharing

Evelyn Reply:
November 24th, 2011 at 6:09 pm

Hi marc,

Great one about learning from children! Being spontaneous, they certainly have a better ability to live in the moment.

Indeed, our emotions offer great guidance. When we listen to the signals of our emotions, we become aware about how we can shift to more positive feelings.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts,
Evelyn

Angela Artemis/Poweredbyintuition - November 24, 2011 Reply

Yes, Carpe Diem for sure. We only have today. Thank you for reminding me and sharing such wonderful tips Evelyn. I was feeling a bit down today and this was just what I needed to read to perk me up.

Evelyn Reply:
November 24th, 2011 at 6:10 pm

Hello Angela,

It’s great that my post is a timely one for you!

Let me know if I can be of assistance to you.

Take care,
Evelyn

Jeffrey Willius - November 25, 2011 Reply

Hi Evelyn — What a wonderful post! It’s a wise and inspirational take on a subject very close to my heart. If you have a moment free for the seizing, I’d love to hear your impressions of my site, dealing with the same idea from a different angle.
Thanks for your thoughtful writings and links!

Genie @ Healthy Living Now - December 1, 2011 Reply

Nothing makes me happier than to see children happy and having fun. As adults, at times we spend too much time dwelling on things we cannot control. We work, work, work, stress, stress, stress, and worry, worry, worry. I love this article because it is a reminder of the importance of this moment – now!

Thanks for sharing Evelyn – brought a smile to my face 🙂

How to Seize the Moment

Evelyn

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