I recently finished reading the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and there were a lot of things I learned in this book that I would like to share and just overall things it opened my eyes on. This book overall has had such a huge impact on many lives around the world due to its ability to identify with the reader of the different ways in which we don’t stay in the present and appreciate the importance of just accepting the now. The author began by talking about going through hard times of misery and times of struggle but one day he came to a realization and was tired and couldn’t live with himself any longer. He woke up the next day fully embracing everything he saw around him and that led to peace. He realized that “nothing he ever did could possibly add anything to what he already had”.
This shift impacted him greatly and he focused on the I AM. The author talked about a beggar sitting by the side of the road for over 30 years and asking for some change. One day someone asked him about what he was sitting on and it was an old box. Asked if he had ever looked inside, the beggar said no because there was no point and there was nothing inside. The person insisted that the beggar look inside and he opened it and the box was filled with gold. The author used this to tell us that all the answers we look for are found inside ourselves and we don’t need to look anywhere else. He explains that the word enlightenment is our natural state of oneness with being. Enlightenment he says is not seen as the end of suffering but the end of the enslavement to incessant thinking. We overthink too much sometimes and overthinking is sometimes what holds us back. This happens when things get out of balance .
The mind used in the right way is something that can take us to a lot of different places. Freeing our minds is true freedom and the first step has to do with listening to the voice inside of our head and to excessive negative thinking that keeps us stuck. One thing the author continues to emphasize is being present in the now and our daily activities like when we’re walking up and down the stairs. We can pay close attention to the steps, the movement and our breathing. Being present makes us aware of everything we have around us and how much that pertains to obtaining peace. Another thing that is illustrated in the book is how much the author talks about the now and how much nothing outside of the now exists or matters. The now is the one thing that is precious and focusing on the past and future will keep us from the now.
Another thing talked about is the importance of us being in the present and taking in and experiencing what is going on with us at this moment. Right now what are you thinking about? Is it the past or future? Is it something you have control over?. It is emphasized in the book to just sit still for a moment and observe exactly how you’re feeling now. Are you happy? Are you okay? Are you content with what you are doing right now? These are all important questions in which we may be able to answer for ourselves if we are in the now. There are a lot of other things I could go into about this book with how much of an impact it has had on me and just overall the shift it has made when it comes to me being present in this exact moment but that would take all day. It is well worth checking out and I’ll drop a link for anyone interested.
Comments