Stepping out of the ordinary
Phil’s story
01
F
or me, one of the biggest learning moments
of being on The Happiness Lab was to do
with the challenge to slow down a little
and appreciate what is going on around me. I feel
that the last ten years have flown by, and although
there have been some very good times in my life,
I am not sure that I have enjoyed or savoured
them as much as I could have. In being married
with a family and being busy running a business
it is easy to be caught up in what happens next
rather than lingering a little longer in the good
that is happening now. One of the experiences
that brought this home to me happened when I
was doing some chores at home. For a very brief
moment in time, I managed to step out of the
ordinary events of my day, turn the radio off and
spend five minutes focussing on the washing-up. As
I was drawn in to what I was doing, I could feel the
soap and the heat of the water on the plates. That
simple act of focussing in on what I was doing took
me out of the busyness of the day and probably
relaxed me for about five to seven minutes. After
I had finished the washing-up, I dried my hands
– by which time the phone was ringing and I was
11
back in the hustle and bustle of the day. But that
little bit of total downtime as I concentrated on the
washing-up reorientated me to be more aware of
what was going on right there and then, rather than
being caught up in the many tasks that constantly
call for my attention.