The Importance of Our Beliefs

“The distinction between the past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” ~Albert Einstein

I think we all wish that one day, everything will be perfect in our lives.  But that is not the way life works.  There is no such thing as perfect.  Part of our job is to learn from the upsets that we encounter.  Sometimes we come close to a perfect day – days when the events meet our expectations.  The sun is shining brightly, it is nice and warm without being hot, we are with people that we love, and the activities of this day are of the kind that make us lose our sense of time.  Does this work for us everyday?

“Let everything that happens to you, beauty and terror. Just keep going.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Our experience of time is a mixture of experiences that we internalized as a child and lived through as we became an adult interacting with our “world.”  Time is fluid.  It is not just the ticking of the clock.  Watch children at play.  They step out of time and are in an imaginary time and place, allowing joy to flow freely.  But we as adults are constantly thinking about time passing, trying to accomplish all on our list before the day comes to an end.  We feel the pressures of the past and bring memories and expectations from that past time to our present time.  We worry about our future instead of living in the present moment, the NOW of our days.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”~Eleanor Roosevelt

How do we get back to being able to step out of the rat race, stop being the hamster on the wheel, or let go of the past “hit by the bus” experiences and let our days unfold like a flower?

I continue to be amazed at what is offered free on the internet by very wise people sharing their wisdom for free. Just as
I need it!  I would like to share my experience with a recent offering from Oprah and Deepak Chopra.  I signed up for their free 21-day Meditation on Making Every Moment Matter.  For 22 days I received an email with an audio discussion and then a meditation, each session taking approximately twenty minutes.  I had trouble keeping up each day, but replay was available for five days.  The program explored the mysteries of time and body, time and mind, and time and spirit.

 It was a very helpful and practical discussion of the dynamics of our experiences with time and how to get into the “Real Here and Now” of time.  I decided to buy the set of CDs so that I could spend more time exploring the very important topic and share it with others.

It covered topics such as “The Biology of Time” – “Recognizing and Healing Time Dysfunction” – “The Benefits of Present-Moment Awareness” – “Loose Your Beliefs About Time” – “The Mystery of Time Is the Mystery of Spirit.”  The 22 quotes that they presented were very inspiring and insightful.

How does this sentence make you feel?  When I heard Oprah and Deepak say, “The best time of my life is now,” I could say yes, but I also felt like the squeaking of chalk against a black board.  I definitely could embrace the idea, but I was feeling uneasy.  I have more work to do to attain the ability to live in the moment every day.  Yes, no one is perfect!  Sometimes I feel the dysfunction Deepak named “Time Sickness.” I am racing to meet the expectations and deadlines of the day, having heavy feelings, experiencing frustration.

“The here and now is all we have, and if we play it right it’s all we’ll need.”  ~Anne Richards

So what is the solution?

Oprah and Deepak offer these insights.  “By changing our beliefs about time, we gain creative control over time…  Present-moment awareness can inspire us, refresh us, and allow the qualities of our true self – such as love, joy and understanding – to shine through… Time is not a fixed thing outside of us that measures our life, but a malleable experience we create from within our awareness.”

• Be present to receive the gifts of life.                                           
• Stay present because that is where creativity arises.
• Meditate once or twice a day so that you can quiet your mind and hear the messages Spirit is sending you.
• Be in nature; take in the beauty of the sunrise and the brightness of the moon against the dark sky.
• Embrace the idea that time does not run out. We do not die, we change form.
• Let your life flow without resistance or effort – “…living in the flow is a state of consciousness; it is the natural consequence of being self-aware in the moment.”
• Be patient with yourself – awareness is a type of skill; like all skills it takes practice.

“I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh