Live in the power of now! Ideas from Tolle

Live in the power of now!

What I do matters now. It is only now that I have the power to change. I can change in the present. This leads to changes in the future. I cannot alter the past.

What matters is now for it is all I have.  Five years time, five hundred years time or five million years time. They are not as real to me. I cannot make decisions about them now. I can only decide what to do now.

Why lose my temper now and spoil today over what will not matter tomorrow? If I lose my precious car today, will I care in a few years? No. It doesn't matter today if I will care tomorrow. I will not hurt somebody today over something that one day will not matter any more! I will not demean myself by acting as if it will always matter!

Try this exercise often. You cannot do it all the time but do it often. Enjoy the present moment by cutting off all attachment to the past and the present. In other words, do not think but just observe. If thoughts come let them flow but do not consent to them. Do not force them to go away. That way I experience the now fully. This is mindfulness. It helps train me to stop letting my thoughts provoke bad or unhelpful feelings in me. As Tolle said, live in the power of now. The present is what is real now. It is what matters. Living in the power of now may seem hard to some. Even if it is, the fact remains that it is correct philosophy. The notion of God and prayer and religion are not important. The power of now is. The notion of God and prayer and religion stand in criticism of the truth. By the power of now, you become your own God.

My system of philosophy can seem to be opposed to religion. It is not about opposing religion but removing the obstacles to personal power and becoming a masterpiece of goodness and benevolence. My intention is not to criticise but to heal.

There are no basics in my system. To become a powerhouse of self-esteem and benevolent power, I have to alone be my God. To support anything that puts me down is harmful even if it seems small. It is affirming, "I am not worth giving my all to being a person who is happy with me and who radiates that happiness into the lives of all who I encounter". I will get improvements yes but will they last with a damaging attitude like that?

If I want a God who is not me and who is outside of me, I fail to see that I alone am the GOD of MY present moment. The present moment is mine alone to do with as I will. I have my will. If I just experience the present moment, if I am mindful, I am not thinking of God but am being my own God.

I will live in the power of now when I can and I will always have a place to go inside myself to find peace. The more I do it the more effective it will be.

We all need to see that what matters is now. Don't see the present moment as a means to an end. See it as an end in itself. That matters. Prayer does not. Prayer is a denial that the present moment is enough.