We went for our daily dog walk early this morning and truly enjoyed the beauty of a gorgeous spring day. The air was rich with the fresh, moist smell of ocean and the sound of birds chirping cut through the silence of the dawn. Everywhere you looked spring was evident. Buds in multitude sprang forth from trees, bushes and flowers, waiting patiently for the heat of the Sun. It's days like these I am so thrilled to be alive. Nature has a way of making you conscious of the Now, of making you slow down and just Be. In the Now, in the absence of time, all your problems dissolve.
Almost everyone lives in an insanely complex world of conflict and problems. One of the reasons why, is we find it difficult to stop the chatter of constant thoughts, preventing us from finding the inner stillness that separates us from Being. "Being" is your own deepest self, your true nature which you can only know when your mind is still, when your full attention is intensely in the NOW.
You would be surprised how we go from moment to moment living in our minds, doing task after task without paying attention to what we're doing. Sort of like autopilot. Our Ego has much to do with this. Think of your ego as your false self. To the Ego the present moment hardly exists. Only the past and future are important. As long as your ego is running your life you cannot be fulfilled or at peace, except briefly when you get what you want. Who you are is not your social status, the work you do, who your family is, your race or your religion. Your appearance isn't who you are, or your education or talent. You are not your past failures or your future successes. The present moment is the only one with true power.
Stress is caused by being "here" but wanting to be "there" or being in the Present but wanting to be in the Future. Nothing ever happened in the past, it happened in the Now. Nothing will happen in the future, it will happen in the Now. The more you focus on time, past and future, the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is!! Erase your personal history! The past has no power to stop you from being present Now. Only the baggage of old thought and emotion can!
Negativity is caused by denial of the present. Anxiety, tension, stress, worry. These are all forms of FEAR and are caused by thinking too much of the FUTURE! Guilt, resentment, regret, grievances, sadness, bitterness. These are all caused by thinking too much in the PAST.
Wherever you are, BE there totally! If you find your "here" is intolerable and it makes you unhappy you have three options: Remove yourself from the situation, change it or accept it totally. If you find you cannot do anything about your situation, Surrender to it. Yield to it, instead of Opposing. This doesn't mean you cannot take action and change a situation. In fact, it isn't the overall situation that you need to accept when you surrender but just the Now. Look at the situation and ask yourself, "Is there anything I can do to change the situation, improve it or remove myself from it?" If so, take the appropriate action. But do not focus on the 100 things you will or may have to do in the future, but the one thing you can do now.
It's amazing what happens when you give all your attention to what you're doing in the moment. Just try it. Take in the details. Be aware every second. Give your entire attention to what you're doing, whether it be washing the dishes, driving, going for a walk, helping a client or customer. Be in that moment. It's amazing what you'll find. We do so many things without really "being". We go through the motions but our minds are lost in the past or thinking of the future.
True wealth is the radiant joy of Being and the deep unshakable peace that comes with it!
