I’ve made a serious, conscious effort to work in my business and live more of my life from an “in the now” perspective and, since doing so, some days I’m literally overwhelmed with the fullness and richness of my life…. An abundance of love, money, laughter, friends, and experiences that I never dreamed would flow to me this easily. I’ve also noticed when I become lazy about my courage and commitment to live my life from this platform, that abundant flow stops… just as immediately. If I let it (which I won’t!), it could almost be disconcerting that I’ve wasted so many years thrashing around in relative misery when really it could have always been this easy and immediate all along.
It is a diligent practice I’ve embarked upon to live and work this way, and, in the effort, I’ve discovered a couple of amazing things and have a few tips to share with all of you to practice this week:
- Tap in. Over and over. We really do have a true north internal guidance (I think someone may have once called it The Lioness Principle?) that is infallible, and the more you listen and courageously make decisions from it, the easier it gets to operate fully and quickly from it. It’s always right. You can count on it.
- Notice your language. It will tell you exactly if you are in or out of the “now” and off your path. I promise we are off that path when we hear:
- I don’t want to do this, but I have to.
- I should have already finished this.
- I hate doing this.
- I have to do this.
- It shouldn’t be this way.
- Feel good. Seriously. Try it. Keep coming back to it. What feels good? What projects? What decisions? Living this way is about asking this question: What am I being pulled to do, say, or be that feels good? Stop worrying about what others think you should do… have the courage to stay with what you want.
- Be fully present … even in the future. Committing to living your life fully in the present doesn’t mean you never set goals, make plans, or think about the future. Quite the contrary, my dreams and aspirations have exploded since improving this practice. But now, when I dream and set goals, I’m fully IN IT. I truly enjoy the process of planning and exploring possibilities, but I don’t spend much time worrying about it. I have fun planning and putting new ideas into motion, and then I release it, knowing that all I’ve really done is launch a balloon into the sky of life, and it will change direction in ways I could never have dreamed, and it will be a terrific ride. I don’t hold on to the tether anymore and struggle to force it to go where I originally intended.
- Be easy about it. Be easy about you and your life. Get rid of all the “should” or “should nots.” You’re the only one who’s keeping that score, and it’s your life, and it’s now. Right now.
- Trust the future. Hasn’t it always worked out over time? And can we really change it anyway? Here’s what I know for sure: If I wake up and all I have left are the clothes on my back, I’ll make it. Actually, more than “make it,” I’ll thrive. When we detach from the “stuff” we think defines us and shift to a definition of ourselves that centers on what makes us happy and feels great… our lives are much more simple… and the abundance flows.
“You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.”
~ Indira Gandhi