Friday, October 16, 2009

1001 Ways to Live in the Moment

by Barbara Ann Kipfer. It's the title of a new book I have found. I thought I would love to share bits and pieces as I get to them. In the introduction it talks about what living in the now is (and isn't). I love the description it gives; "Living in the now, for a mature being, is about appreciating the passing moment as a fundamental of existence, accepting whatever comes our way, whatever we cannot change-including our own aging."
It also goes on to say it's not about our possessions, people, habits or past times. The writer also says that it's about being positive, not about living in the past (or being overwhelmed by nostalgia or regrets is how it is put in this book) or having delusional hopes or anxieties.
It also talks about 'Clock Time'. If you have read 'The Power of Now' you will be familiar with this phrase. Clock time , Barbara says, is an artificial order which we have put on the organic flow of experience. As we all know, 'Clock Time' can rule our lives, if we allow it. In coaching, something people often seek is 'Time Management' skills. Some find Time Management is important however sometimes with strict time management, we lose our freedom. The freedom to 'be' ourselves. Isn't that what being totally present is all about. Just being?
Take some time out for yourself today to just 'be'. Rest not rust! How can you change your busy schedule today to fit in 5 or 10 minutes of 'being'? If you are out and about in the car today, stop off at a park or the beach or some other place you love and just 'be'. If you are working in retail or in an office, maybe it might be on the way home from work this afternoon or during your lunch break. Kids at home today? Maybe they could practice 'being' with you. They are sometimes experts at 'being'. Maybe tonight when you get home you can go outside and lie down in your backyard and look up at the stars and just 'be'. There are lots of simple ways to 'be'. Grab yourself 5 or 10 minutes and love what you get from that time. In a busy world, often it's the simple things that make our day peaceful and calm.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks Jill - a wonderful post once again! Learning to just 'be' is amazing and we can jsut 'be' in so many different ways... It's limitless... Thanks for the post and the book recommendation!

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  2. Thank you Tabra. I wanted to follow your fantastic blog. Couldn't find how to do that. Will add it to my favourites.

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