My Path to Love This Moment
Hi, my name's Lisa Frost and I'm the creator of Love This Moment.
I spent many years searching for my path in life. I went to University, worked in the IT industry, travelled, worked for my parents in their retail business, spent some time just faffing around trying to work it out until my money ran out, then ended up working in a photo lab, which I'm still doing a couple of days a week.
I fully expected that one day I'd suddenly know what my path was
– that clarity and knowledge would come quickly and easily. Maybe that's how it works for some people, but it certainly didn't work that way for me!
It happened gradually, bit by bit, piece by piece, until one day I looked around and realised that somehow I'd ended up on my path without even realising it. Now I look back and realise that I was actually on my path all along – how can any of us ever be otherwise? – for all that came before was perfect for me to be where I am today.
In truth it did come easily once I stopped struggling to find it and just allowed myself to do what I most enjoyed. Writing has always been a love of mine. All through high-school I fully expected I would be a writer one day. The only thing was I thought that meant writing a novel, so I thought I needed to wait until I found the necessary attention span (I still haven't found it!)
But I've always written little philosophical thoughts in journals and notebooks for myself – it just took me a while to realise they could have value for people other than myself.
And I've loved landscape photography for about 10 years now, but it wasn't until I put my photos together with my writing that I saw it as anything more than a hobby.
So why Love This Moment?
If you've read my book Love This Moment you'll already know the story I'm about to tell. If not I'd really love to share it with you. While there were many things that led to me writing the poem Love This Moment, and hence everything else you can find here, it was the event I share below – which was like being hit over the head with a sledgehammer (something I clearly needed!) – that was a major turning point in my life and the primary inspiration behind the poem. Many of the perspectives I now have on Life that greatly serve me came from this incident, which I share in the hope it can make a difference.
So, from my book...
Love This Moment was created as an inspirational reminder to embrace the present, as this moment is the only moment we ever really have. It asks us to choose the view we have of the world, to see the beauty that is all around us that we so often overlook. It invites us to live from the heart a life that we love with all our soul.
Life is now. When you are present in the moment you are aware that neither the past nor the future exist except as constructs of the mind. All that truly exists is exactly what is right now. When you are present you can look past the voice in your head of ego and fear and be aware of the truth of your heart, the truth of your soul, the truth of your self.
Some people spend most of their lives ignoring their truth then wonder why they are not happy, fulfilled, at peace. For others something happens that awakens them to the fact that the secret to life is simply being present in the moment, being true to who they really are.
For me this awakening was caused by an event that was one of the most painful of my life. It was early March 2006 when Greg, one of my closest friends, died. There was no warning, he was simply gone.
I last saw Greg more than four months before he died. Not because I didn't want to, but because we both listened to the voice of ego and fear and kept faith in there being a tomorrow that never came. You see something happened and Greg stopped talking to me. I took Greg's silence to mean he didn't really care about our friendship, didn't really care about me. I wondered if we'd ever be friends again.
As time passed my hurt grew and with it so did my anger. I was angry at how he was treating me, angry at the pain I allowed it to cause me and angry at the power his silence held over me, as it seemed there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. In truth that last was what I was truly angry about - I was angry that I was powerless. So I gave up.
Just before Christmas Greg wrote to me saying he'd come to realise two things: "Life is too short to wallow in self pity... and good friends are too hard to come by to throw away at the first sign of trouble." He asked me to forgive him.
When I received that email I was over-joyed. I cried. I was happy. My heart said to write back and say, "Of course I forgive you!" My heart just wanted to see him again and have fun. My heart had already forgotten the last two months ever happened.
But I didn't listen to my heart. I listened instead to my self-righteous head that said he'd hurt me so he couldn't be let off lightly. I listened to my ego that said he needed to understand exactly how much pain he'd caused me. It was over 2 weeks before I replied and forgave him with a lecture.
To my pompous reply he generously wrote, "A second chance is probably more than I deserve but I am going to take it anyway. I have missed you." To which my heart shouted out, "I've missed you too!"
But I didn't listen.
A week later it was my Birthday, and when I thought to invite him my heart cried, "Yes!"
But I didn't listen.
Soon it was Australia Day and my heart suggested, "Meet up for a drink."
But I didn't listen.
Instead I listened to my head that said he should be the one to initiate our first meeting since he was the one to make the break. Instead I listened to my fear that said it would be difficult so I'd better wait until I'm ready.
As the weeks went by I gradually began to hear the words of my heart, and so realised how utterly stupid I was being. Finally I decided to organise to see him.
My self-righteousness was conquered but not my fear, so instead of picking up the phone I sent him an email. It was too little, too late, and two days later I found out Greg died before he ever read that email. My regrets almost killed me too.
"We do not regret the things we do; we regret the things we do not do." Like the saying, it was all the things I hadn't done that I regretted. All the little things that so often get over-looked and go unappreciated, yet in reality are the things bringing colour to life, making it so beautiful.
I regretted all the things I'd gathered to tell him, that now I never would. They weren't important in the larger sense, but they were the things friendships are built on. I regretted I hadn't heard him laugh one last time. And of course I regretted I'd never told him just how much I cared.
I realise now what I truly regret is not each specific action or inaction. What I truly regret is every time I shut out my heart's desire, listening instead to the voice in my head that kept on telling me what I should do, what was "right", not what I truly wanted. What I truly regret is letting fear, not my heart, control my life.
Shakespeare wrote, "To thine own self be true", and this simple phrase is the key to life's ultimate joy. It is by not being true to my self that suffering has come into my life, not all the outside circumstances and people I have so often blamed.
I now know that the only real power we have is in honouring our own true self right now. Everything else is an illusion, as this moment is all we ever have, the only time we actually can live.
My wish is to simply share this experience in the hope that it makes a difference.
I know I have a lot more to learn in this life, though some of the things I've already worked out have made a huge difference to me – the top three being...
- The time to be happy is now.
- The key to happiness is being true to yourself – following your heart and doing what you love.
- Trust that somehow everything is perfect. It may look like a complete mess now, but one day it will all make perfect sense. Have the faith to surrender to the perfection of what is.
I also know the messages I create aren't telling anyone anything they don't already know. They are simply reminders of those simple, yet hugely important things in life, because I know just how forgetful I am, and I know that's a trait that I share with much of the Human race.
At the moment I'm living in the beautiful Hinterland of the Gold Coast, Australia. Many people see the Gold Coast as a tourist spot lacking on soul, but I see it as a place surrounded by gorgeous green National Parks, miles of sparkling white beaches next to a turquoise ocean and a community becoming more conscious and soulful every day.
There are Farmers Markets springing up all over the place, community gardens, hidden gems of musical venues (there's quite the musical community here), a suprising amount of culture as well as industry committed to organic, sustainable and healthful produce.
I get to live on an acre and a half that I share with all sorts of wildlife, in a place of warm weather and much sunshine, while only being 10 mins drive from the largest shopping centre on the Coast and 20 mins drive to the mountains in one direction and various beaches in another. It's the best of both worlds and I count myself very lucky!
Above everything else it's my wish that you'll love this moment, whatever it holds for you. I certainly hope you enjoy it here, and if you'd like to get in contact with me I'd love to hear from you!
With love,
Our vision is a world full of people who love their life. A world where every human being on this planet lives an abundant life in all areas of their life.
How spectacular would that be!?
Our mission is to create beautiful, simple and powerful messages reminding people what's really important in life and inspiring them to live the life their heart desires;
whilst contributing to people living in poverty, empowering them and providing the means for them to create the life they want.
Our purpose is to Love This Moment! Living our dreams in such a way as to transform the lives of others.
We're proud supporters of Opportunity International
– a non-profit organisation which uses a business approach to solve the problem of poverty. Rather than a hand-out, they provide people living in poverty with access to microfinance services, 
including small loans, savings accounts, insurance and business training, to help them start or grow their own small business.
As each business grows, loans are paid back and lent out again. With 97% of loans repaid, the cycle of help continues, year after year. Each successful business feeds a family, employs more people and eventually helps to empower and transform an entire community, so creating a sustainable solution to poverty.
