The Past Impacts the Present… Just Be Present…

I am writing this post today because there has been a common trend in many of those around me lately. Many people in my life, in the past few days, have been talking about the past creeping up on them. Some are even re-living the the past.

I want to share what I have learned from my readings in The Fifth Agreement and The Law of Attraction as it seems to help me live in the present and create my beautiful dream.

If we are truly living in the moment and experiencing only what is happening here and now, what is life like?

Each time we look into the past and relive the memories of the past that are negative, we are not serving ourself to the best of our abilities and we are not moving forward. We go back and we feel regret, blame, shame, anger, disappointment, sadness, hurt, remorse, PAIN. The list goes on and on… In order to find our best selves and to best share that with others, we cannot continue to live in the past. We do not need to re-experience these feelings over and over again. We need to move forward.

Once we can accept that the negative past need not be the future we can learn from our experiences and really enjoy the moment and life. We can really be one with the universe and find true happiness. We can act and react out of love.

The more we practice these acts, the easier it becomes, the better our lives are and the stronger our force becomes to create the beautiful life and dream we choose. The more present in our own lives we become.

Now, you don’t have to believe this, in fact, as Don Miguel Ruiz does, I encourage you to “listen but be skeptical”. If this is what makes sense to you, then give it a try.

Be Present, Right Here, Right Now…

 

A new place

It seems so that today I am compelled to write further on being in a new place. It is interesting because when look at the world with the best intentions, it is easier to enjoy each moment as it passes and each person for what they have to offer. I want to take a moment to mention a book that I have enjoyed many times and have shared with countless friends. Don Miguel Ruiz- The Four Agreements.

It is a book that is so simple, yet so effective in living the best life you possibly can. You only get once chance at each moment, make them all count. Here is one of the tools I rely on. Whenever I am in a place in which I feel myself shift into negativity, I refer to these agreements. I try to catch myself before breaking these agreements, it is a lifelong practice, but I am working hard to live true to them.

agreement 1

Be impeccable with your word – “Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”

agreement 2

Don’t take anything personally – “Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.”

agreement 3

Don’t make assumptions – “Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.”

agreement 4

Always do your best – “Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.”

It is pretty hard to argue these words. If you can move through life with these agreements made with yourself, you will be the best person that you can be. That won’t just be for you or those around you, but for the world and the greater good.

Don Miguel Ruiz has another book out called the Fifth Agreement, which takes having an agreement with yourself to a whole new level. I have been reading and re-reading and contemplating with this book for about 2 months now. The message is more vague than the first four and certainly more difficult to balance.

agreement 5

Be skeptical, but learn to listen – “Since we have been conditioned, most of what we hear is not the truth. The truth is within each one of us, but we have forgotten what that truth is. We must learn to listen, but recognize that what we hear is only a piece of the truth, someone else’s truth; and may not be true for us at all.”

This agreement seems to really resonate with my last post about opening and releasing. The words are different but conceptually, the thoughts are similar. It is always important to listen and be respectful of where the person speaking is at, in their lives in that moment. It doesn’t mean you must take your thoughts and beliefs and throw them out the window. But we can certainly consider that each being has a reason for where they are. We don’t know any one’s story but our own. In order to create balance in the world, we must first be willing to listen, not just to what the words are but what is behind the words or what comes with the words.

I felt today, like adding in the sound of bamboo wind chimes, it was calling to me. When I searched for videos of bamboo wind chimes, there were not many. This one is the best I could find. Maybe you’d welcome a little meditation around the agreements with wind chimes in the background! A perfect way to end a Sunday night and prepare for the week ahead, in my opinion, a new and improved place to grow from!