Enjoy!

Enjoy vs. Consume.

I am drinking a cup of coffee. Am I enjoying it? Or simply consuming it?

How many times have I have finished a drink, a meal, a conversation, or an entire day...

Only to realize I can barely remember a single sip, bite, or moment?

Slow my pace.
Quiet my mind.
Appreciate this moment.
Enjoy with all my heart.

These four phrases have instructed me (with varying success) for more than a decade.

Why?

Because I naturally do the opposite.

Left unchecked, I will:

Hurry my pace.
Busy my mind.
Consume my time.
Resent my life.

Because of this framework, I have come to believe that the primary indicator of my own mental health is--am I enjoying?

Or am I simply consuming?

When I am on stage for a keynote--am I enjoying? Or simply trying to be polished?

When I am with my wife--am I savoring our love and conversation? Or is my mind busy with other thoughts?

When I am writing--am I engaging deeply with the words, or simply trying to finish the email or post?

For many years, as an evangelical pastor and bible scholar, I focused on spiritual disciplines--and right living.

Then, Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" revealed that the goal of being disciplined and responsible is... wait for it... JOY.

As an Enneagram One, I naturally overemphasize responsibility and doing the right thing.

On my good days, though.
I enjoy.
I play.
I savor.
I practice the lessons that my friend, Dr. Dave Johnson, has taught me about being mindful.

Consuming and an overemphasis on responsibility drive me to obsession and fear.

Enjoyment and play drive me to... well, actually loving life and not being such a tool.

Not everything can be enjoyed, of course.
But what if our life's litmus test was our response to this question:
"What have I enjoyed today?"