HAYAH Your Way To A Better Life
There’s an ancient Hebrew word that if we master it – or even get moderately good at applying it – our lives will be immeasurably better.
Our relationships will be deeper and stronger.
Our work will be more productive and satisfying.
Our time off more enjoyable and refreshing.
Our thoughts freer and more focused.
Our physical health better.
That word is hayah.
Google it, and you’ll find that literally translated hayah means “be here.” But if you know anything about Hebrew, you know that it’s a picturesque language where single words tell entire stories and paint beautiful, soul-stirring pictures.
And the ancient rabbis tell us that hayah tells a story of PRESENCE; it’s the story of a woman or man fully alive, fully present, fully themselves in each moment of each day of their life.
Hayah means…
Be here…
Now…
In this moment…
With these people.
The space and the ellipses are almost essential to the definition, because they force us to slow down, think differently, and BE HERE.
How much better would our lives be if we learned to hayah? What would happen if we became fully present to ourselves…our families…our coworkers…our lives?
Think about how often we miss out on the moment we’re in because our minds are in the future or the past. Think about the effect this has on the people we love and the work we do.
It’s Friday afternoon, and on her way out the door, the boss says, “I need you in my office first thing Monday morning.” And she doesn’t say whether it’s for something good or something bad. She just walks out the door. So, what do we do?
We spend the whole weekend going through a mental checklist of all the things it could be. Maybe she found out about that thing we said. Or maybe Joe told her how we messed up that order. Or maybe the company’s making cuts, and it’s our job that’s going to be eliminated.
Our minds spin and race and imagine the worst. We spend the whole weekend with our stomach in knots missing out on life. Sure, we’re still there. We’re still physically present. We’re still in the same room with our family or our friends, but we’re not REALLY THERE. Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you ever been there?
Physically present, but emotionally checked out for an entire weekend.
So worried about tomorrow that you mess up relationships today.
You worry and fret and fail to enjoy the people right in front of you…the people most important to you, and then you get to work Monday morning, and all the boss wanted was for you to be part of the Safety Team. Ever been there? I certainly have.
But for me, it’s not always about tomorrow. Sometimes it’s about yesterday.
You see; my brain doesn’t just spin and whirl wondering what might happen tomorrow, trying to figure out what I can do to prevent it or how I’ll pivot if my nightmares come true. No, my brain sometimes spins and whirls and gets stuck on yesterday – the conversation that went sideways, the missed opportunity, the thing I say I’ve forgiven her for that still flashes like a neon arrow every time I hear her name.
So often, my headspace gets taken up with what I regret about yesterday – the work that didn’t get done, the relationship that went south, that thing that left a bad taste in my mouth.
We all do this.
We think and think and worry and worry about tomorrow – the message in the Inbox that has to be handled, the conversation we have to have Tuesday, the presentation we’re giving on Wednesday, the doctor’s appointment on Thursday, the party our kid’s going to on Saturday.
Or we get stuck on yesterday – the conversation that ended with a click instead of an ‘I love you,’ the client who fired us, or the way our daughter told that story in front of the pastor.
How much of our headspace is taken up with what’s coming or what’s already been? How much room do we have left for this moment, for these people, for this situation?
It’s time we learn to hayah – to be here…now…in this moment…with these people.
Fully alive.
Fully present.
Fully ourselves.
That’s what I want for myself and the people I encounter. It’s the value that drives me and the reason I started Hayah Consulting.
I want to be fully present to my clients so they can be fully present to their lives.
© 2021 Hayah Consulting LLC
