The Power of Now: Wherever You Are, Be There Totally

Our generation has never been distracted and impatient like no other generation. We live in a culture of instant gratification -- instant noodle, instant coffee, instant delivery -- then complains when things don't measure up to our expectations as if the world owes us everything. 

This instant gratification leads to impatience and makes us dissatisfied of the present. Distractions takes us away from the now. Personally, I often caught my mind racing to the future only to pick up worries and anxiety. Other times I enjoy lingering on my past, then unconsciously harbor resentment and regret. 

The following excerpts from the book, "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle, is a perfect reminder for us to acknowledge the present and stay there. Be in the moment, because the present is the only thing that we have, it is the only tangible entity that is guaranteed.

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To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself into a victim. When you speak out, you are in your power. So change the situation by taking action or by speaking out if necessary or possible; leave the situation or accept it.

Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and not intolerable and it makes you unhappy you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of these three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences. No excuses. No negativity. No psychic pollution. Keep your inner space clear.

Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.

If there is truly nothing that you can do to change your here and now, and you can't remove yourself from the situation, then accept your here and now totally by dropping all inner resistance. The false, unhappy self that loves feeling miserable, resentful, or sorry for itself can then no longer survive. This is called surrender. Surrender is not weakness. There is great strength in it. Only a surrendered person has spiritual power. Through surrender, you will be free internally of the situation. You may then find that the situation changes without any effort on your part. In any case, you are free.

Die to the past every moment. You don't need it. Only refer to it when it is absolutely relevant to the present. Feel the power of this moment and the fullness of Being. Feel your presence.

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