The moment that is ‘now’

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Now, at this very moment, is the time that we are most effective...
This means that what we do, what we think about, the decisions we make ~ in other words where we apply our time and energy has the most effect at this very time. This very moment.

I am sure that this is not the first time you have heard this, pondered this, or even attempted to live according to this concept. And although it seems to be a very simple thing ~ it proves to be ever so hard to accomplish...

As a start, in our daily lives we make appointments.
These can be appointments that are work related, arrangements to ‘get stuff done’, or meetings with friends or family. And let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with making those appointments. It is after all something that is done now.
The thing where we leave ‘this moment’ is when we start thinking about previous appointments of a similar nature; about things that went right ~ or worse, ponder the things that perhaps have not worked in the past, while becoming fearful that they may not work again... When we start to worry  about the things that can go wrong. Like being late for a meeting. Or missing an opportunity because we choose to be in one place, rather than being in the other place...

It is a state of mind that can easily run away from us!
Before we know it we are not thinking about what is happening right now ~ we are wondering about past events that already have occurred and future incidents that may or may not occur instead. And these things then occupy our thoughts and our lives ~ taking us away from what is happening right now.
In other words, our focus gets scattered and bit by bit we become less effective in where and how we use our time and energy...

It is something that has become so ‘natural’ to us; it is like second nature to us to keep tabs on everything that is on our minds; to keep all those balls in the air.
No wonder we can feel overwhelmed at times ~ even ‘out of it’.

Out of the moment that is ‘now’.

Without even thinking twice about it, we put our time and energy so far away from our own core ~ from our core needs and desires ~ that we lose the ability to be fully aware of the impact this very moment can have on our lives. To truly live in that moment that is ‘now’...
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Inspired

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Every once in a while we meet people in our lives who inspire us. People who, through their words or actions stir something in us that ‘inspirits’ ~ something that encourages us to connect to our core, our spirit. It brings those things to our attention we have wanted to do for a long time; perhaps even the things we have wanted to accomplish since we were very young ~ the things we have pushed aside because we never thought we could do it.

The reasons why we felt we couldn’t do those things can vary. To some the reason may be a lack of confidence or a sense of not knowing how to go about it. To others it may be because there doesn’t seem to be any way to actually create an income doing those things...
I am certain that there are many more reasons why we don’t follow our core desires, but for one reason or another we end up spending a lot of our lives doing the things that are practical yet uninspiring.

And then there are those for whom the path through life seems to only be guided by their soul’s desires ~ the ones who continuously express the inspiration they receive at that moment; be it through writing, teaching, painting or any other creative endeavor.
Those people who are so clearly ‘inspirited’ that their inspiration becomes a source of stimulation and encouragement for others. An example of how it can work out. How it can be done.
And their stories more often than not are stories of how things come together in a perfect timing. How they were at the right place at the right time ~ and weren’t afraid to to open the door for new things, new opportunities whenever they are presenting themselves...

It brings up another little snag in our wish to live an inspired life.
We commonly feel uncomfortable when things ‘just come together’ without a large amount of effort expended on our part. Without it costing us a lot of time and/or money. Because isn’t it true that money makes the world go around? And could it really be happening that good things happen without having to pay for it? And if good things start happening to us ‘out of the blue’, do we feel we are worth it? Or do we feel guilty about it?
Guilty that we are receiving something we didn’t pay for? Guilty because there is an opportunity coming our way that we didn’t ‘work for’ to make it happen?

It is an interesting conundrum...
When we begin to live a (more) inspired life, chances are that we find ourselves at the right place at the right time more often. We may even find that opportunities start coming our way that we never even dared dream about... Yet the moment we start feeling uncomfortable or guilty about receiving those ‘benefits’ ~ we tend to step out of the flow of inspiration...
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TV

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Have you ever found that ‘there is nothing on TV’ ~ no matter how many channels you have access to? And even ‘while there is nothing on TV’, we seem to be compelled to watch it anyway... Ending up watching whatever it is that is not on...

Seems like an contradiction in terms?
Still it is something that happens often. Leaving us watching anything from daytime TV shows, soaps, documentaries, series... There is always a lot to choose from.

The real issue is that whatever programs are scheduled on any given channel at any given time are or are not interesting to us. When we find the program interesting, we might say that ‘there is something on TV’. When we don’t think the program is interesting, even though it is on ~ to us there is ‘nothing on’. Given that it works this way, I often wonder why we keep watching...

Do we really need a moving picture and a ‘flapping mouth’ in the background of our lives? Are we so afraid of the silence that we feel we are better off watching TV while there is ‘nothing on’ than we are not having the TV on?

Personally, I like the silence. I like to hear my on thoughts; that quiet voice that lets me know the things I need to know right at that moment ~ that little voice we call intuition...
It might be a good thing to take some time to ponder why we turn the TV on, even when there is nothing we really want to watch...

I know that there are people who have such an active mind that creating a diversion provides a point of rest. That, of course, can be a good reason to grab the remote no matter what kind of program is on...
Or is it because we are bored. We feel tired. Don’t feel like we have anything better to do.

Another part of it can be that as long as the TV is on and we are watching whatever is on ~ it will hold our attention. And as long as we are focussed on something, there is no need for us to figure out what potential we have, what we feel passionate about, what we want to get out of our lives ~ and how we can express these things.
In a sense TV is an easy way out. Because when we are done watching it, there is no time left to do something productive; something exciting; something that helps us express our unique potential.

Perhaps, the next time ‘there is nothing on TV’ we may experience a lot of fun discovering what it is we really want to be doing...
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When Opportunity Knocks

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Although we may be a little wary about being called opportunistic ~ the exploitation of chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle ~ nature doesn’t have the same qualms about it. In nature, when opportunity knocks it is invited in really quickly!

When the circumstances are right, seeds germinate, plants grow. And before you know it, those same plants are flowering and creating seeds of their own in order to perpetuate their cycle of life. And plants do so with vigorous vitality.
The same is true for animals. As soon as their food supply reaches a certain levels of abundance, their babies get born... Something that we ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ about when it is about horses, deer, or pretty much any kind of birds... It is something we are not quite as fond of when the same thing happens to pesky critters like mice or rats.

Yet the principle remains the same; when the circumstances become (more) beneficial, in other words when opportunity knocks ~ it is invited in.
Nature has no problem being called opportunistic ~ in nature making the most of opportunities that present themselves is an asset that can greatly benefit the species.

So what makes us so cautious about opportunities? Almost like any opportunity coming our way is too good to be true. There has to be a catch... Something like that never happens to me... And pretty soon we have made enough excuses to not make use of the opportunity that came knocking ~ and rather than opening the door and inviting opportunity in, we just glance at it carefully opening the door just a crack before slamming it shut again.

It is a curious thing.
Why not make use of an opportunity when it is coming our way; just like nature does?

Part of the answer to that question may be that we are ‘programmed’ that we need to work hard to get where we want to go. As they would say in my native language; only the sun rises for free ~ implying that anything else in life costs you money, or at least is something you need to put time and effort into. And an attitude like that can make you distrust anything that comes into your life effortlessly.
There has to be a catch...

Looking at the opportunistic way nature makes use of the resources available, this doesn’t seem to be true. At least not always. Often when opportunity knocks, it is just that: an opportunity coming your way.
Or, from a more spiritual perspective, perhaps it is the universe trying to help you along on your path...
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Energy Imprints, again...

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Just as the earth can be imprinted with a specific energy, so too can we be imprinted; or should I say ‘are we imprinted’?

Like the earth, we as humans have a tendency to gather and store the energy and information we are subjected to ~ often resulting in attitudinal and emotional imprints. Imprints that we may not even be aware of we have... After all, most of these imprints happen when we are very young, and like our parents before us we may be raised with a perspective on things, a world view, or even an attitude that has been passed down for generations.
It is not automatically a bad thing ~ what has been imprinted on us can be a ‘can-do attitude’ and therefore something that can help us a great deal throughout our lives. By the same token it can be an attitude that says ‘everybody is out to get me’ in which case one might benefit from re-evaluating or even releasing the attitude in order to enhance the ability to be more open to new experiences...

But where in the earth the energy imprints seem to be locked in the memory of a specific place or area ~ for us humans those energy imprints are stored as feelings or emotions. And in this form we can carry them with us for a long time often to be triggered unexpectedly.
This can happen because something happens to us that touches on that specific (energy) imprint. It can  also happen because we visit a place ~ perhaps while sightseeing on vacation ~ that makes us feel a certain way. It can be that we somehow feel right at home, even though we have never been there before in our lives. Yet it can also be a sense of discomfort, or even a sense of impending danger.

There is always the chance that what we are picking up on in a situation like that is the energy imprint in the earth in that place. In many cases it is likely that the energy imprint in the earth triggers the imprint in us. The memory of what has been in that place can bring feelings or emotions to the surface in us that have no conscious origin in our lives. This means that we cannot link them to something that has actually happened to us ~ and yet the feelings or emotions are really there...

As in the earth, when the energy imprints from long ago are brought to the surface and released; so too is it a good idea to release these old unbidden feelings and emotions ~ now that we have become aware of them.
As in the earth, as the old is released it gives us a chance to start fresh. To be open to new interactions, new experiences ~ and maybe even a new imprint or two...
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