NOWWhy "NOW", instead of "Today"?You may have heard the saying:
It is a beautiful, powerful message that has been around for a long time, with different versions said by several people. What does "NOW" really mean?Eckhart Tolle not only describes the NOW but also explains many of the amazing benefits from being in the NOW, like not being run by your thoughts, or other people's thoughts. If you watch it (hint)m you may not need to read the rest of this page! :)
Several years prior to watching the above video, I read one of my all-time favorites, The Power of NOW (amazon) by Eckhart Tolle, I started thinking in terms of "Now" instead of "Today", as it really speaks to the moment-to-moment life we actually live. "Today" includes what has already happened today, and what might happen later today. The truth is we don't have "Today", we only have this breath, this moment, this "Now". This "Now" is amazing. It is the gift. What is that "gift"?We start out as infants, and we have little or no concept of time. If you are lucky enough to observe an infant, it seems as if they are just staring, looking, taking in all that they see. Except for hunger, dirty diaper, or some medical need, there is little to be concerned. Try to see what they see, consider looking into their eyes. There is a sense of peace, love, and joy. At one time, you were that infant, and you still have it in you. What happens?Then other humans introduce "thought" into our minds, and we take it in. This is right, this is wrong, this is dangerous, we have deadlines (time), this is how you must live, are just a few of the piles of examples. When people don't follow those "rules", we may have judgments or stew over what someone else said or did. I'm not saying that this "education" of thoughts is all wrong. However, it can dominate our thoughts, causing stress, unhappiness, and all fear. Could it, at times, feel like living in "hell" instead of this amazing gift? Eckhart Tolle describes how many people live their lives, "trapped" in thought or controlled by thought. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (amazon), gives a good glimpse of what happens as "thoughts" consume our mind. "We live in a fog that is not even real." This can cause us to forget what is "real" in each moment of our lives. See also Tom Brady and "The Four Agreements" (youtube) and Don Miguel Ruiz: How to Not Take Things Personally | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network (youtube). What is "real"?What is truth and "real" is that you are breathing, you are alive, and you are a miracle. Humans live on an unfathomable, perfect, breathtaking, everlasting, life creating, and self-sustaining amazing planet! All past and future is based on time. If you are able to stop "thinking" for just a moment, and experience and "feel" life, what you will see and once again experience is what is "real". Just like an infant experiences. Stare at a beautiful flower, it is real. Watch nature continuously create more life, it is real. If you stare at a flower you may experience the loss of time, the beauty of "being". A greater feeling of joy and/or peace for what is happening right NOW. Could it be called "heaven"? The Power of NOW (amazon) is truly a gift that explains this gift. What can I do?Throughout human civilization, there are scores of people that have written tools to help us to remember what may have been covered up by our "fog" of thoughts of past and/or future. Read to learn, for example, how to be mindful if your thoughts. This is useful if they start to stray from the "Now". Besides the previously mentioned books, I also equally recommend what I would call the sequel to The Power of NOW, Practicing the Power of NOW (amazon), by Eckhart Tolle. Eckhart also has tons of excellent youtube videos. I can't say enough about A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (amazon) by Tolle, an excellent, maybe top choice. I enjoyed the audio version. Also consider inspirational resources such as This will make you HAPPY (watch ASAP) (youtube), See also: Being honest with YOURSELF, Life Changing Tools, and Listen to Your Heart. Yesterday is history.
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