Categories: awareness, forgiveness, relax

A few years ago, at the advice of my coach, I began studying Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. Essentially he puts a framework on meditation that is more pedestrian than many other meditation processes. In a phrase, in the present moment - there is nothing wrong. Wrong exists in our judgment of the past or future. How can we say that right now is wrong?

Is reading my blog wrong? After all, that’s what you’re doing right now, isn’t it?

Ok, I admit that perhaps you could be cleaning your bathroom or preparing a healthy dinner instead of reading my blog. Perhaps you’re beginning to add to the list of other things you should be doing right now. Is that wrong? No, because that’s the present moment. It’s not wrong to have that expectation. I do coach people with how to handle expectations and shift them so they are less frequent and have less power - that’s a separate discussion.

What do you think would happen if you no longer judged things as right and wrong. When I practice releasing my judgements, I get to see more, hear more, feel more, and accomplish more. Instead of getting caught up in how things should be, I get to enjoy them just as they are right now.

So, there’s lots of ways to practice this. Eckhart Tolle recommends a meditation in which you become an observer of your own life - step “outside” and watch your behavior and just look. Compassion, trust, and forgiveness are excellent skills to practice when you begin to focus on the present moment.

Homework:

For the next week, be aware of any area where resistance comes up. The loud car driving by, the crying child in the restaurant, your boss ignores you all day, it rains instead of shines. Recognize your judgement and just notice it. Ask yourself how that judgement is supporting you. If it’s not supporting you, move on and notice the next thing. If you wnat to vent about it, put it in the comment box below or email me. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Truly Yours,

Joseph Lyons, CFLC PC, MBA

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