‘One doesn’t recognize the really important moments in one’s life until it’s too late’
Agatha Christie
In life, certain moments stick out, moments out of the ordinary, Their import more evident as our lives progress., and we look back to notice how much things have changed.
Pivotal moments are those special moments where your life turns and faces another direction, moments of particular poignancy.
Here are ten moments where we awaken to the world around us, wake up to reality from the illusions that bind us, and move in new directions.
Awaken to suffering
In these moments, we see how much we suffer. We can dismiss our feelings too often and too quickly, distracted by vices and busy work. However, this time the pain is too great and persistent to ignore.
We think we had it all figured out, but here the scales fall from your eyes, and you see, you understand. Things fall into place.
It may be a feeling of loneliness, worthlessness, shame or guilt, or a physical ailment severe enough it affects how we live. Such suffering is a wake-up call to take care of ourselves better.
Awaken to passion
Here in these moments, we connect to passion long-buried, perhaps from childhood. Values unexpressed or unlived are remembered. You feel your life can’t be complete unless you have it. The desire now becomes part of your new purpose.
Such passion, desire drives us forwards into new possibilities and new ventures.
Awaken to possibility
Here we see how our life could be. Our horizons expand, potential futures, and opportunities become visible. Where once you thought nothing could change, now there are options.
You learn that nothing is holding you back except yourself.
The future awaits you.
Such opportunities you can make yourself or they’re offered by others. The key point is whether or not to accept them. Awaken to the truth, clarity
Awaken to ignorance
We often get upset when our endeavours don’t work out, blaming others or ourselves for mistakes. But it’s here we can see how ignorant we are.
You see the lies, the falsehoods that lead you astray, see the difference between reality and your perception of reality. Sudden moments of clarity where you see the illusion, a shift in perspective.
We perceive our shortcomings, knowledge, skills. You see now what you need to learn and perhaps a little of what—steps to take, habits to form. You realise just how much there is to learn.
Awaken to connection
We often feel alone, yet in these moments, we see the people in our lives. You care about them, and they about you. You realise that you have made an impact in their lives, perhaps more than you thought before. You may see that making a difference in other people’s lives is what matters the most.
There is a moment when you feel connected to life, the world, others, or yourself, a better understanding of who you are, and that you’re not alone.
Awaken to Liberation and acceptance
We decide to stop fighting what we can’t change: suffering, death, imperfections, and the frustration we feel towards life. You choose this time to accept them instead of rejecting them.
Your heart opens here to the richness of life, the highs and the lows.
A release from prison you once thought inescapable, even unnoticed, as you stopped rejecting life and embraced it.
Awaken to power
Here we notice what we are capable of; success finds us. We can change the world far more than you first imagined. We can make a difference in life and the lives of others.
We’re not just spectators but players, even if in a small way. We do exist and can change the world for the better.
Awaken to change
You notice that something is different than it was before—a sense of loss or gain.
Most changes happen in tiny steps. We fail to notice. But here, you pick up on what has changed these past days, months, years—something outside, your circumstances, or something inside. You are no longer the same person you once were.
Awaken to action
After reading all the books, watching the videos. After mulling it over and procrastinating for weeks, months, if not years. You realise that nothing will change unless you take that first step. To sign onto that course, make that appointment, ask them out. Because without action, your idea will never take shape in your life.
All these moments are essential in our lives. We will encounter all of these moments. They can be both the result of change or the catalyst to it. Because of this, they are special moments, Pivotal Moments.
Change takes place all the time, not just at those moments in our personal history when we feel it the most. In a sense, every moment is Pivotal.
Change and growth can be defined by turning points. Without them, we can feel our lives are empty and meaningless. These moments will be the milestones that measure how far we’ve come when we look back.
To this end, seeking change, making things happen will give us the growth we need.
These moments then become the memoirs we can write for others to enjoy.
These moments don’t have to be the obvious ones, the holiday, the new job, a new romance.
Often they’re internal. One of my greatest moments was understanding how much my desperation for answers caused my suffering, Getting me to strive after solutions that weren’t there. See ‘There is no secret ingredient LINK
Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. – Zen Proverb
Life can be thought of as moments or turning points. Moments like these and others are interwoven together to make up the tapestry of our lives.
It shows that enlightenment is not a place we arrive at but a path we tread.
It’s in these moments that change is both seen and felt.
Fears weaken and wither, new ideas arise, illusions perceived, passions grow, opportunity multiply, skills develop, intuitions become sharper.
You feel different, and you want other things now. You see yourself in a new way and the world. It all happened bit by bit, through moments, both large and small.
The path is what matters.
What moments of awareness have you had recently?
How has it affected you?
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