This is Bliss. Bliss is NOW.

The following is an excerpt from an article by Marcus Buckingham entitled:

What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently

Focus on Moments, More Than Goals, Plans or Dreams
Certain moments in your life create in you strongly positive emotions—let's call these "strong-moments." Not all moments are strong-moments—some moments spark negative emotions, while some don't spark any emotions at all. But when you do experience a strong-moment, it is authentic. It is true, in the sense that the emotions you feel are true. You may not know exactly what you should do with your emotions, or what label you should give each emotion, but you know how a specific moment made you feel. You know this more certainly than you know virtually anything else in your life.

It could be that moment yesterday when, as you again sat hunched over the year-end results, you found a revealing pattern in the financial report you were reading; or the snuggling of your grandson into the crook of your shoulder as you read him the last chapter in The Magic Tree House book, or that glorious sentence you wrote last night on your blog, or the way you managed to calm down your colleague after your boss changed everyone's schedule.

Whatever you are picturing, it will be a vivid, detailed moment, and as you think about it now, you feel yourself change. You are sitting up a little straighter than you were even a minute ago. Your shoulders are back. You've slowed down your breathing just a hair. Perhaps you are smiling. This moment, and the emotions you feel as you relive it in your mind, is you, in truth.

When you commit your life to being true to yourself, you are not committing to some far-flung destiny, some grand dream or some disembodied list of values, no matter how worthy. Instead, you are committing to the truth embodied in this strong-moment, the truth that this specific moment, for no rational reason, energizes you.

I have many strong-moments that I have filed away to draw upon.

My favorite one right now that I use to shift my energetic vibration:

The other morning I was getting in the shower. Ezra came in and started taking off his pajama's and diaper and making indications that he would like to get in the tub. I was feeling rushed. But thankfully my intuition pushed me in the right direction. I let go of my agenda and scooped him up into the shower with me. He quickly realized showers are not nearly as cool as bath's and got very upset about the water pelting him from above. I had not other option but to pick him up and wash myself one-handed-- no small feat! But as I was finishing up I decided to sit down and turn the water to bath mode and just sit Indian style and use my hands to push the water up onto my legs and Ezra's back. I know of no truer more simple joy I have ever felt in my life than that one. Ezra facing me, arms wrapped around the top of my shoulders, head resting on my heart,breathing softly in and out, water droplets on his long eyelashes-- skin to skin. He held perfectly still and seemed to be listening to my heart beat for a good long moment. I said a silent prayer of thank you. Thank you for this moment of pure bliss. This moment that makes every other moment disappear, and that makes me know nothing else really matters but this right now.

What is so amazing is that all I have to do is close my eyes and put myself back there. I make it as real as I can. I imagine the water, the colors in the room, the sound of his breathing, the warm water-- and my whole vibration changes. FOR THE MIND-- It's as if it is happening all over again-- it does not know or care the difference.

That is the essence of following our bliss-- and the power of Now.

Tune in tomorrow for further discussion about why our energetic vibration matters.