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Last
week, I received a response to a request I had made
for an endorsement of The Power of Time. It was a very
polite rejection in which I was thanked and wished success
with my book. (Don't worry, we writers are accustomed
to rejection--sniff, sniff--just kidding!) The main
reason for the rejection, they explained, was that the
company was being restructured so as to "take him
to the next level." Now he is well known
for his wealth and business success, already a millionaire
many times over, and so the idea of "taking him
to the next level" got me to thinking of something
I had been wondering more and more about lately. (I
know, you probably think that it doesn't take much to
get me thinking... but that's just what I do!)
Going
to the next level... hmmm... this seems to be a very
popular concept these days! But, just how many levels
are there? How many times over the span of life must
a person pull it together and charge ahead towards another
lofty self defining goal? Then it occurred to me that
if Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow,
when do we ever get to enjoy our accomplishments?
This
might seem like a strange question coming from an astrologer-numerologist,
however those who are familiar with my approach are
well aware that I make use of future trends insofar
as they have a bearing on decisions that are made now.
Naturally, a certain amount of planning for the future
is beneficial, and even necessary. If you want to have
a career as an engineer, you will need to plan to go
to school. But planning is not only for faraway, long
term goals. Just getting yourself to work every morning
requires some basic planning, like making certain you
have the right clothes to wear, coffee for your brain,
gas in the car... basic things that you no doubt take
for granted. Nor do these activities need to get in
the way of anything going on in your immediate surroundings,
like your daughter's cry for help because her sister
has "stolen" her favourite pair of jeans,
or your cat's incessant request for kibbles. The purpose
of basic planning is not only to make life easier, but
more importantly, to help you focus on the present moment.
But
what happens when the future becomes your primary focus?
Some people seem to be forever reaching for that illusive
next level. In their quest, they become blind
to the present... never for a moment considering that
today is the day they aspired to so many years ago.
Today is the day it all comes together. Today is the
day you put into practice everything you worked for
and learned yesterday. Tomorrow does not exist any more
than does yesterday. Of course, it is most beneficial
to learn from yesterday, and plan for tomorrow, but
the wise person knows that you only live now.
Some
people focus on the future as a way of running from
the present. By doing so, they miss valuable opportunities
for learning and for healing. Others believe that it
is important to always reach for more, and more and
more. These people never fully appreciate what they
have, and therefore cannot truly be happy. If your happiness
and peace of mind depend on something that may or may
not happen in the future, you are not living in the
moment, in fact, you are not living. Why not
be present to the moment, take advantage of those opportunities
for learning, those opportunities that will facilitate
reaching those long term goals.
It
might be a helpful exercise to ask yourself a few questions:
- What
is my next level?
-
If the next level involves the acquisition of material
things, ask yourself: How much stuff do I really need?
- Do
I really believe that things will give me peace?
- Did
material success bring me peace in the past?
- What
is my present level?
- What
is wrong with it? Why am I not at peace?
- Could
I experience greater peace now?
Perhaps
by altering, and yes, even lowering or abandoning althgether,
your expectations, you might uncover a great secret:
peace lies within. It is not something that comes from
without. Nor is it something that belongs in the future.
It is an experience that is devoid of lack, of wanting
or of desire. It is an experience that can only be had
in the present, something that the great sages of the
past knew very well. Peace is for today, peace is for
right now.
Now,
ask yourself again, What really is my next level?
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