“I want to make this moment last forever”. We’ve all said that. And some of us can often feel joy long after a celebration. Others take that moment and allow the feeling to pass by quickly. Why is this? It’s because people subconsciously imprint their feelings based on our past experiences of that feeling and others allow the negative parts of life become their pattern of imprint. So, if we do this on a subconscious level, How can we make a moment last forever on a conscious level?
Why Imprint a Feeling? It’s important to know that we can consciously accept our emotions and change them as need be. To change them, we need to go within to find a new meaning and feeling for that emotion of the moment. If we have not taken the time to imprint an emotion, then we can not access it. If we have taken the time, then we can access that imprinted feeling when we are experiencing that emotion again and shift it to the positive feeling you have created around it. Then, you can make any moment last forever by accessing that feeling
I’m in the Crowd there with a full spectrum of emotions ~making the moment last forever.
Last week, I had the awe-amazing experience of running in a race. It raised awareness for the invisible wounds of war. I was scared. I hadn’t run in years, had trained some but knew I was physically not ready. What I discovered simply by entering Fenway Park and in the initial moments of the opening ceremony of Run to Home Base was this. It was never about me. It would not be about me. And it would never be about me. I was overwhelmed with great pride for the service men we send to war, humbled to be with them that day and what wounds they came home with. THIS is the feeling I wanted imprinted ~ not whether I could do it or not.
So, How can you change a moment around and make it last forever? Sink into that emotion allow the goodness of it ~ not the evil ~ surround you.
To Imprint a Feeling, you simply SIT with the EMOTION and create a meaning around it. Take some time and think about all the emotions you have experienced. One by one sit with that emotion, what it means and how it feels. If it feels yicky, then shift it into a softer feeling. (For example, I lost a community member to the invisible wounds of war and have felt deep sorrow. I went within, felt that emotion, and shifted it into gratitude for having them in our life and the joy that they brought to everyone in the community. Sit with the New Feeling and imprint the feeling into yourself. Since I have been doing this for awhile in all aspects of my life, the shift was almost immediate.) Do this ~ over time ~ with as many emotions as you can think of. The spectrum goes from love and joy to pain and sorrow and everything in between.
How do you access a Feeling that you have Imprinted and want to use to make a moment last forever? You do it by sitting still and going within to find the imprinted feeling. when you do that the experiential feeling is shifted to your imprinted feeling. The more you practice this, the more you can easily and sometimes effortlessly change your emotions.
I’ll give you three examples:
1) You are at a wedding where you have encountered true bliss. That night you take time to imprint this feeling of utter joy and love into your being. Then, when you want to experience it again, you can switch a joyless experience into joyful by accessing that imprinted feeling.
2) The weather is drizzly and dreary and you feel lonely and sad. You take a moment and go within and accept this feeling and shift it into a time of connecting with self and shift the lonely feeling to one of knowing that you always have your best friend (you) by your side. Then, when lonely and sad affect you again, you can go within and connect with self and support by your side.
3) You are at an event that could bring you to tears but you really want to remember all the good about it. (A memorial service or, in my case, a fundraising event like the Run to Home Base) You take a moment and move from loss to discovering what lessons and legacy the individual has left behind or what amazing feats can be accomplished by a group of people coming together to support a cause they believe deeply in)
I don’t know about you but I will take love over lonely, sad and feeling of loss any day! I choose to take those feelings and make them ‘softer’ at any given time. I also like taking that Joyful time and taking it to a higher level. You can do this by simply Imprinting a Positive Feeling around all the experiences you have. This is how you make a moment last forever. Because, I was able to fully take in the experience of what this day meant, I could bring that feeling forward~ support in a community coming together, appreciation for my personal courage in doing this event, love for the soldiers there and around the world and a feeling of pride in this country. I was able to grab onto this feeling (instead of the oh ugh, I can hardly breathe at mile 5 😉 and use it to Make the Moment Last Forever!
Joy ~ in the faces of the soldiers that serve making their moment last forever.
You can learn to do this too. To create a moment that will last forever. To create a moment that can become part of you so that you can go out and shine your light on the world in a way that is meaningful for you. One that can become part of you so that you can experience more joy at any given moment than you thought was possible.
Have you ever tried this? What ONE feeling would you like to start with to see how to Imprint a Feeling?
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Laura, what a beautiful post. I will use this in my work at Fort Hood…it’s sometimes so sad to hear the war experiences, but there is beauty in each individual I listen to. Thank you!
[Reply]
Laura Clark Reply:
May 16th, 2013 at 9:22 am
If I can be the catalyst to someone in your work, I’d be delighted! I’m so glad I’ve taken the time to learn to do this in my own life and teach it to my clients. It makes a world of difference. You should check out the Home Base Program out of Mass General Hospital as well. They are doing great GREAT work for Vet’s with ptsd and brain injuries and their families and are branching out into the on-line world as well!
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Comment by Sandi — May 16, 2013 @ 8:30 am
I love this Laura.
Firstly, congratulations on completing Run to Home Base – I know what a big deal this was for you. Second, thanks so much for sharing this. There are many wonderful moments that I would like to imprint in my memory, but I tend to move past them to the mundane, day-to-day things so quickly, that I forget. I think that now I will take the time to imprint these moments, and I know that my life will be all the richer for it.
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Laura Clark Reply:
May 20th, 2013 at 10:44 am
Thanks, Sarada! It was such an amazing accomplishment for me personally but I never knew how many other lessons I would learn.
I’m so glad that I learned how to savor the moments that you love ~ hope this helps you 🙂
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Comment by Sarada — May 20, 2013 @ 8:46 am
Such a beautiful concept and so eloquently written, Laura. Congratulations on your Run to Homebase. What a spectacular accomplishment, and so meaningful. As for what emotions I’d like to shift; it’s the feeling of being less joyful and optimistic on cloudy, rainy days. I don’t like the idea of something external and arbitrary controlling my mood – and now, with your advice, I’ll shift to an imprinted feeling instead. xoxo
[Reply]
Comment by Lori Nash Byron — May 20, 2013 @ 9:34 pm