THERE’S NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW
We seem to get a lot smarter as we get older. That’s what my kids tell me. We’ve made our share of mistakes and hopefully we’ve learned from them. We wouldn’t be who we are today without them. That includes the disappointments, heartbreaks, and the good times that we’ve enjoyed. They’re all part of the human experience.
When we find that our present circumstances are not as we would like them to be, it’s usually because our beliefs about the possibilities in our life seem limited by these past experiences. Our identification with these limiting beliefs, are the filters through which we see the world. If you want to see life differently you need to change your filter.
That’s the challenge. What made the biggest difference for me was meditation. Through regular practice I was able to separate who I was in the world of form from who I was as a spiritual being. Inner peace didn’t depend on what was going on in my life.
Meditation isn’t the only practice that enables you to transcend thought and reach these deeper levels of being. What all of these practices have in common is that through them you are able to experience a stillness in the gap between thoughts.
This is easier said than done. What makes this particularly challenging is that it’s difficult to still the mind. We’re always thinking about the past or the future. Time becomes an obsession and an illusion. There are two myths that need to be dispelled. The first is that we don’t have enough time and the second is that something or someone in the future will make our experience of life better. With this mindset you’ll never to be able to enjoy the present moment.
Let’s talk about the myth of not having enough time. How you begin your day sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you race out of the house in a hurry you’ll be playing catch up. You’ll feel that you don’t have enough time to get it all done. Think about some of the conversations that you have. “I don’t have time to get together with you. “I’ve been overwhelmed at work–I’m too tired.” Do any of these seem familiar? You think this will change sometime in the future, but it doesn’t unless you change this pattern, which is not so easy.
Imagine what your life would be like if you couldn’t use as an excuse, “I don’t have enough time?” You would have to become clear as to what your priorities are. You would then have to take responsibility whether you really want to do something. It might be uncomfortable at first. It would involve saying “No” which most people feel uncomfortable saying. You might be saying “No” to a relationship you really don’t want or a “dead-end career.” It would involve leaving the familiar to enter the world of the unknown. It is in this world of the unknown where real opportunity and adventure is found.
Lets talk about the second myth. “When this happens real life will begin.” You know that one. It’s an illusion that our minds have created. My son, Josh, is graduating from college this month. I am reminded of how anxious I was to get out of high school, get away from home and begin college.
I believed college would be the answer to my problems. For a brief period of time it was but soon my focus soon shifted to the future, which was getting into law school. And of course once in law school my new focus was graduating and passing the bar so “real life” could begin. And what I called “real life” began. I was out of school, making my own money and involved in an intense love affair.
But after a while financial realities set in and I began to struggle. I believed that when business picked up and I met “the one,” I could enjoy life again. I was repeating the familiar pattern of making an unknown future better than the present moment. For many of us this is a never ending pattern.
It was for me until I had an experience which changed that.
I’ve always been a firm believer in synchronicity–those chance encounters that change your life–those remarkable meetings. When I was a young lawyer a
friend told me of a magical swimming hole along a river in Humboldt County. Off I went with my guitar, my dog and sleeping bag and drove North arriving at the river just as the sun was setting. In the morning I awoke at the crack of dawn in search of the swimming hole. I knew that if I hiked upstream I would get there. I continued on my way until a camper offered me some food and coffee. Although I found myself getting hungry and a little bit tired, I said, “No thanks” to the kind invitation— “I want to get to the swimming hole.” After another twenty yards I turned around and said, “That coffee sounds good.” It was what the camper said in the next few moments that has perhaps made the greatest impact in my life.
“Hey, the journey you take is probably more important than your destination. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy the journey.” I enjoyed my breakfast, enjoyed the rest of the hike and of course the swimming hole was fabulous.
Since that meeting I have taken his advice to heart. It has affected every aspect of my life. Imagine your life from this new perspective. Instead of waiting for that ideal relationship to happen you enjoy life exactly as it is. Instead of feeling despair about finding meaning and purpose you’re enjoying the inquiry. Instead of waiting for that big opportunity you are enjoying exactly what you’re doing. Instead of waiting for something to change you are enjoying what is.
Life will be what you say it is. When you say to yourself that life is an adventure, it becomes an adventure. You focus on the possibility rather than the struggle. This is the way it is when you’re living an inspired life.
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JOURNEY ON
MARK
JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow,JD, is an Executive and Life Coach, who inspires others to believe in themselves. A former successful trial attorney for 30 years and musician, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com