If your life sucks right now, you may feel a little unsettled at the title of this blog. Like most of you reading this, I’ve heard the phrase: Be Here Now echoed by many spiritual teachers. Ekhart Tolle wrote a best-selling book called: The Power of Now. So, before you lose all hope of having a better life, I want to share with you a quote I recently came across by Danish teacher, Mateo Tabatabai that took this concept to another level for me.
Being aware of the present moment simply means you never believe the illusion that the future is going to be better than what is going on right now.”
How many times have we heard that external things can’t make us happy? And yet so many of us, myself included, keep dreaming, scheming, and planning how to make something manifest in our future. Whether it’s a loving partner, a Mercedes Benz, a thin body, or more money, we still think that our capacity for happiness and joy is dependent on getting these things. We hear it all the time with Abraham followers: Where’s my stuff?
Whether your life sucks or, like me, you get a lot of pleasure thinking about what you want to create in your future, what Mateo is saying is that there’s no harm in wanting things, but don’t be under any illusion that your future is going to be better than what’s happening at this moment. Don’t squander the present moment thinking it’s lesser than what’s to come in our future.
Why?
Because all thoughts – including joyful thoughts - are available to us right now. We have the capacity for feeling joy right now if we give ourselves permission to think that way not what's manifesting.
I’ve just come to the end of creating an online video program for coaches – I’ve been working on it for the past nine months. And during that time I’ve had so many thoughts about how wonderful it’s going to be when people actually buy it when I see incoming revenue in my bank balance when it’s finally out there in the world seen and appreciated. That future date – whenever that happens – will be the day I will feel elated and happy.
But in all honesty, even if I don’t make one cent, if no one buys it or no one sees it, it really won’t matter to me. Yes, I’ll have a moment of disappointment because it’s an amazing program that I know coaches are going to love.
But the joy I’ve experienced getting up each day to work on it has been something I’ve never experienced before. For the past nine months, I’ve been conscious every day of how I’m creating, writing, and expanding my skill sets to complete the project. There were also many difficult days when I couldn't get going. It’s been an amazing journey.
If I had been future-focused believing that my joy would come only when I’d finished, I would have missed out on the joy at that moment. I would have missed all of it. And I think this is what Mateo is trying to tell us.
Whether I make money on this program or not, whether you lose weight or not, or get the great partner or not, or get the Mercedes Benz – none of it matters, because that’s not what causes you to feel joy.
Our capacity for joy is exactly the same right now whether I have a program that won’t sell or with a program that sells out. Your capacity for joy is exactly the same whether you’ve lost ten pounds or not. The only reason we are ever feeling joy is that we’ve given ourselves permission to feel joy at that moment regardless of what’s going on.
You can make a lot of money and still not give yourself permission to feel joy. I remember being a size six and not feeling joy. The moment you are experiencing right now is the most precious moment even if you are planning for your future.
Anything I’ve ever manifested in my life has never ever come about when I’m hankering or for it or when I’m trying to escape the present moment. Things have come to me when I’m in a place of peace with what is in the moment.
Joy is not a successful business, a thin body, or an amazing relationship. But oddly, we seem to get our stuff when we finally get it that they are not the cause of joy. It's a big irony.
I’m going to keep on dreaming and creating stuff because I love creating, dreaming, and planning things, but I’m not going to be under any illusion that my future manifestations are where all the joy is - if we can just understand this beautiful truth and master it – there will be an endless supply of joy, and all because we've given ourselves permission.
Get your FREE copy of my new guide: The 7 Deadly Sins that Kill Your Confidence - CLICK HERE