“Be careful not to let the pursuit of a better future distract you from developing the skill of being in the present. A better life doesn’t mean much if you don’t know how to be there for it.”
— Cory Muscara
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John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when we’re busy making other plans.”
I love that; I use it a lot when I’m teaching.
It wakes people up, it puts things in perspective. It reminds us that we make too many plans and apply ourselves to the act of living so little.
We get so busy trying to make life better – and rightfully so, growing and moving forward is a fine thing …
But we do it to the loss of what’s happening right in front of us.
Life is a precious thing, but we kinda assume we’ll live forever. We think we’ll always have more time to get around to the business of truly living.
We think we can get to the end of this thing and the other thing, and then we’ll be good to go.
Don’t do that. Don't wait. Let this be your reminder, a wake up call.
Don’t be all admin of living and chasing the next thing and too little of the full enjoyment of what’s in front of you.
You have to begin with what you have, not “I’ll be happy when …”.
That just means you’re never happy, not really. There’s always something else. And/or, your happiness is dependent on something external, something which is out of your control.
Okay?
Those of you who have gotten “There” and scratched your heads because it didn’t provide you with the satisfaction you thought it might; those of you who have thought, “Is this it? There must be something else?” … you already suspect there’s another dimension to this game of life, and you’d be right.
I used a quote from author Anna Quindlen in my book, Chasing More and Finding Enough, and it’s perfect for what we’re talking about:
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“People don’t talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a résumé than to craft a spirit. But a résumé is cold comfort on a winter night, or when you’re sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you’ve gotten back the chest X-ray and it doesn’t look so good, or when the doctor writes ‘prognosis, poor’ … You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are.”
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Find the joy of living, the beauty of existence, the simple presence of ordinary moments. The spiritual realm is a necessary part of living a Good life.
This doesn't involve a lifetime of monk mode. It doesn’t mean jettisoning your goals and ambitions and desires – on the contrary, it provides the framework for the achieving and enjoying of them.
You can have both, you deserve both, it's necessary to have both.
Have an explore and see what you find. Alrighty?
Let me know how you get on, I’d love to help if I can.
And consider learning Ascension. It’s the greatest tool I’ve ever found for living fully, making the most of each and every moment.
Next course is this weekend (we start Friday 7pm) and after that it’s not til 25-27 October, so let me know if you’d like a seat.
Go well,
Arjuna
PS.
If you’re in and about Richmond, North Yorkshire, I have two meditation and mindfulness workshops in July.
All proceeds are going to charity – so if you feel to, help me spread the word.
Comment “Interested” or message me and I’ll get all the details out to you.