Plumbing and Power

Yesterday I met with two different contractors after work–a plumber and an electrician. I pulled into home and before I could get out of my car the electrician was pulling in behind me. Truth be told, I actually forgot that I scheduled the appointment with the electrician. The plumber wasn’t supposed to be there until 5:00 so when someone was pulling in at 4:30 I just assumed the plumber was early. Thankfully I’m building right behind our current house otherwise I wonder how many other appointments I would miss. 🙂

The thing I love about consciously being in the present moment is no matter what I’m doing I can be engaged. There is never any time for boredom when I’m in the present. When I ended one of my previous posts talking about the NOW, it reminded me of picking up a book I read a few years back by Eckhart Tolle called, The Power of Now. The principles in this book have an epic effect on you if they’re applied.

Seems how I’m in the middle of building a house, browsing through The Power of Now has served as a great reminder (being in the Mysterious Flow works like that). Tolle says, “If you set yourself a goal and work toward it, you are using clock time. You are aware of where you want to go, but you honor and give your fullest attention to the step that you are taking at this moment. If you then become excessively focused on the goal, perhaps because you are seeking happiness, fulfillment, or a more complete sense of self in it, the Now is no longer honored. It becomes reduced to a mere stepping stone to the future, with no intrinsic value. Clock time then turns into psychological time. Your life’s journey is no longer an adventure, just an obsessive need to arrive, to attain, to ‘make it.’ You no longer see or smell the flowers by the wayside either, nor are you aware of the beauty and the miracle of life that unfolds all around you when you are present in the Now.”

Some people have a difficult time adjusting their schedule if they forget they had an appointment. Having the unexpected meeting with the electrician wasn’t stressful for me at all. I told him I would set my stuff down and be right out. We got right down to business walking through rooms and talking about outlets and lights and ceiling fans. Even though I was talking and planning for the future, being in the Now was a very comfortable place to be. Things could have turned a little stressful when the plumber showed up before the electrician left but no big deal. I just told the plumber I would be with him in a few minutes and he was welcome to go explore the place.

Have you ever been around someone who quite often says they are worried about something? Are you someone that worries a lot? Or do you know someone who can’t seem to let go of the past or says they are still hurt by something that happened years ago? Tolle continues, “All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry–all forms of fear–are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence. Most people find it difficult to believe that a state of consciousness totally free of all negativity is possible. And yet this is the liberated state to which all spiritual teachings point. It is the promise of salvation, not in an illusory future but right here and now.”

I know sometimes I read things too fast and don’t totally comprehend what I just read so if I do that I have to believe you are capable of doing that too. So, please go back and REREAD THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH. If you grasp what he is saying it can change your life. There is never any reason you need to live in the past or worry about the future again. That huge lie you told was in the past. The abortion you had was in your past. The relationship you messed up was in the past. On the other hand, stressing about a speech you have to give is in the future. Worrying about getting the plumbing installed before the dry-waller gets there is in the future. Don’t get me wrong, I can focus on the plumbing and strive to get it complete before it is time for drywall, but worrying about it won’t help. “Worrying is a lot like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” (my favorite quote from one of my favorite comedies, Van Wilder)

Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that living in the Now is the place to be. I can’t promise that you won’t still have heartache or difficult times, but I can promise that you will be able to let go of the unnecessary burdens you are carrying around. The freedom you will encounter will be refreshing and your outlook on life will drastically change. Now is more powerful than you can imagine!

Give it a try!

~Travis