“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin-real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”  ~ Alfred D’Souza

Movies and Revelations

Don’t you just love it when a movie hits on a spiritual epiphany?  I was watching a flick called ‘About Time’ when something profound cuffed me upside the head.

It’s actually nothing new — just another perspective of that elusive pot of gold called present moment awareness.

Brain Enemas and Rosy Tinted Specs

I felt like some zesty lemon juice had been poured through every wrinkled crevice of my brain — cleansing out all that old fluff that seemed to be impairing my vision. Most of us are aware of ‘the present’ and just how important it is to stay grounded and supremely concentrated in the moment because this is where our joy lies.

We know now that future yearning (or fretting, as the case may be) and past residues keep us forever longing for our bliss, like a carrot being dangled in front of an ass (yes, deliberate use of ass as I think we can all relate to feeling like one from time to time).

The thing is, we sometimes feel bogged down in this world full of chaos but we can always don our rose-coloured glasses to be able to see the beauty in the maelstrom. But how can we effectively live in the moment?

Living This Day Again

For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, there was a scene where the time-traveling father says to his time-traveling son that the one thing he’d learned about being able to repeat history is going back and living the same day over twice.

Seems pretty strange, doesn’t it?  Who would want to repeat the same day again?

However, his son tried it out and on the first day he hustled and bustled through a typical working day, missing out on all the delights that could have been because he neglected to see that each moment was a gift.

He then went back on the same day and things went differently.

Because he had already lived the day before, he knew that every obstacle or worry in his day would be sorted out so he approached this day with joy and ease.

1. He delighted in his encounters with people.

2. He put people’s minds at rest that everything was going to be alright with resolute authority.

3. He treasured every sacred moment with his wife and family.

4. He had fun.

The scales had dropped from his eyes — the world hadn’t changed, how he experienced in it had.  Life wasn’t about one drama after another, nor was it about worrying and fearing the future — it was about relishing the moment and truly living each day as if it were the last.

To take things as they come and know that all things will pass, so all will be well.

A New Recipe for Life

How many of you stress about death (not just your own but people or animals you love), worry about situations, get anxious over things you need to do?  I’m guessing quite a lot of you. I’ve been having my fair share of problems lately ranging from family to business but the one thing that keeps on boomeranging back to me is just to let it be (thanks to The Beatles for pointing that one out!).

Be in the world, not of it — don’t sweat the small stuff.  The point is: You create your world and a good place to start is to be grounded in each moment. Be present in your life and don’t let events just take place around you. Be the event!

Here is a list of things you may need to allow:

1. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  Alchemize your negative situations by finding the diamond in the rough. Diamonds are produced by coal being under extreme stress — turn your stress into a precious gem.  There’s something in every situation for us to learn and grow by.

2. Accept that which you can’t change by trusting in divine flow. Send love and turn your situation around by visualizing how you would like to see it play out. Keep realigning to your desired outcome through positive affirmation and clear visualizations and you’ll be surprised how things turn out for the better.

3. React if you need to — blow off steam, vent, scream… shout, shout, let it all out (shed your fears through tears — Tears for Fears)!  But then give yourself time and space to clear your mind, meditate and ground yourself. When you are calm and relaxed, solutions tend to rear their heads. Nothing can get through the fog of anger and frustration, so remember to meditate daily.

4. Reality can be harsh but remember that you are spirit having a corporeal experience — learn the art of detachment and you will soar higher than you ever imagined!

After putting this list into practice, I find myself surrendering to the present moment a lot lately and blessing out even amidst the most chaotic of times (once I’ve had a good cry about it, of course!).

Take Back Control

Some things in life can’t be completely controlled but we can sure influence them to our greatest good by taking a leaf out of ‘About Time’s’ script and treasuring peoples company, finding bliss in the mundane and being the still presence that helps other people to be cool, calm and collected.

Why do you think so many people find it hard to be present and engaged in their day to day lives? Why do you think so many people waste their lives sweating the small stuff? You can share your insights by joining the conversation below 🙂

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