The Power of Now

I used to think that one day, when I got a certain amount of money, fame, and power that I’d be satisfied. I’d be OK. I thought that I’d graduate from college, get a good job for about 5 or 6 years, start my own business, make lots of money and be happy.   Whatever sacrifices I made along the way didn’t matter.  I didn’t care about joy or peace now.  I didn’t care that I wasn’t enjoying life now because money would take care of all that when I acquired a lot of it.

According to The Power of Now I wasn’t alone in that way of thinking. Eckhart Tolle says that

Most people pursue physical pleasures or various forms of psychological gratification because they believe that those things will make them happy or free them from a feeling of fear or lack

Later in the book he tears down that way of thinking by saying

Nothing out there will ever satisfy you except temporarily and superficially, but you may need to experience many disillusionments before you realize the truth.

That hit me pretty hard, but I knew it was true. Nothing I’ve ever accomplished or possessed has kept me or anyone else happy.  Happiness comes along, then that feeling wears off.  That realization forced me to re-evaluate my thoughts about reality.  What would be the purpose of striving towards this imaginary point where I have lots of money, fame and power if the feeling is just going to wear off anyway?  What is that feeling that I don’t want to wear off?  What do I really want?  The answer was joy and happiness.  The problem before was that I thought money, fame and power were prerequisites to joy and happiness, but this wasn’t accurate.  The Power of Now made me aware that the only way I could experience true joy was Now. Now is all that exists.  The future and the past exist in the mind, but in reality all there is is the present moment.  Thanks to this book, I view life as a journey that should be enjoyed now.  Instead of working hard, sacrificing and suffering now for a better future tomorrow, I’m shifting my life to satisfy different requirements.  I’m in the process of creating a life where I’m enjoying what I do now, receiving an income, having a positive impact on those around me while being free from the burden of a job.  This lifestyle takes a little more thought, calls on creativity, and requires me to overcome fear, but to get there it seems to require less effort, time, and stress.  The reason I say it takes less effort is because the effort doesn’t feel like effort or “work”.  Just by me starting this website, reading and growing I’ve already satisfied the “enjoying what I do now” and “having a positive impact on those around me”  requirements.  People have been asking me things like “How do I get organized?” “How can I start my own website?” “How can I start my own business?”.  Even if they don’t ask me questions, they appear to become motivated to take action just by hearing and seeing me take action.  This is so much more rewarding than the old way of life I was working towards. I’m enjoying the ride, and overall the experience has been fun because there’s so much optimism, excitement, and happiness in the present moment.   Creating the life I want for myself is a like a fun challenge. It’s a problem for me to solve.

The Power of Now’s subtitle is “A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment”.  Before I read this book, I wasn’t a spiritual guy at all. When someone started talking about God and spirit, it would be hard for me to relate to them because I would never fully understand how I could get in touch with my spirit or God.  Reading this raised my awareness and allowed me to examine some inconsistencies with what I had been taught about God in various baptist churches. This book definitely addressed some of the reasons why the whole concept of God seemed so fuzzy to me.

Reading and utilizing this book has been a tremendous growth experience in itself.  Understanding and appreciating the present moment is invaluable.

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