Clarity of Vision

This morning I read an article by John Canzano, sportswriter for the Oregonian, Portland’s daily newspaper. The article was an update to a Christmas day column he wrote about 24-year old Katie Shearer, who died Sunday after a lengthy battle with melanoma.

By the end of the article, tears were pouring down my face. Here was a young woman who was at peace with her death because she had already lived a full life. The lesson Katie shared is that we are all mortal. In fact, she had thought about having a tattoo with “Memento Mori” (remember you are mortal) lasered onto her wrist. Katie understood what life is about… evolving, learning, looking at life as the journey, rather than death as the destination; enjoying each moment that remained and living life to the fullest.

What would you do if you knew you had a week to live?

Most of us trudge through life looking more critically at what we haven’t accomplished than what we have, at what might not happen instead of what is happening right now. What a way to live life. I know, I’ve done it. Katie’s story reminded me that the present is really what it’s all about. Each moment is full of joy, if we embrace it. Instead, we regret the past and fear the future. In the meantime, we miss what’s happening right now.

If you knew in this moment that the next moment would be the end of your life, what would you do? Would you be worried about the economic uncertainty in the world? Would you treat people with more respect? Would you laugh until your ribs hurt? Would you revel in all you have done in your life? Would you by happy or sad? Would you just be in that moment?

What would you do with this moment if you knew you it was your last?

Why wait?

“The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself” ~ F.D.R.

I made the mistake this morning of reading the newspaper. Waking up with enthusiasm and energy for new ideas for my business, I read the gloom and doom, the predictions of scarcity, and felt myself beginning to question my ideas for changing course in these “uncertain” times.

Ironically, the energy from the collective fear is creating the very outcome that we fear! Reactionary response is causing chaos. The more we follow the illusion that’s being created by others, instead of looking at what we are capable of creating, the closer we get to falling into the abyss, along with everyone else.

If you find yourself anxious and stressed, here are some tips for surviving these “Uncertain” times:

1. Seek support from like-minded people. Not those who are tied into the fear, but those who are looking at a bigger vision, who are working for positive change, who are willing to create something that will empower others, and in the end empower themselves.

2. Look forward, not back. A large part of human suffering stems from our unwillingness to accept what is. What has happened has happened. You can’t change it, so focus your energy on what CAN be done. Find ways to move forward into a new reality, even if you don’t like it. The faster we adapt, the faster we reduce suffering.

3. Channel your fear. If you are overwhelmed by your emotions, express them. Find good support through friends, family, and community. Instead of being fearful, focus on what you can do to change outcomes, yours, your community’s, your country’s.

4. Learn stress management techniques. Read a book, take yoga, learn meditation or breathing techniques, whatever helps you from storing the energy in your body and creating more reasons for stress. Think as it as preemptively keeping you in a good space to handle whatever is on the horizon.

5. Focus on the moment. How do you know you are living in fear? If you are regretting the past or anxious about the future, you are not in the moment, and that means you are in a place of fear. Joy can only be felt in the present. Outside of the moment, and, I guarantee, you are in a place of fear.

6. Stop Reading/Watching the News! Feel your energy when you watch or read about what’s going on in the world. If you believe in the law of attraction, the energy you are feeling is what you will bring more of into your life. This isn’t doing anyone any good, not for you, not for your family, not for the world. Put down the paper, shut off the T.V., and step away!

7. Go Back to the Basics. Everything that I’ve suggested is very simple. What is happening in the world is a wake-up call. We must begin to ask ourselves, what is important? All the money in the world won’t give us true happiness. It’s the simplest things that bring the greatest joy. Do what comes natural and free of fear, and you will find the riches you seek.

The first advice I give potential writers is the most simple, and quite often the most difficult. And that is, to expect to write. And I mean write. You can’t just talk or read about it. The more you write, the freer you become. Nothing I say in my classes and writing programs works unless you write. And write. And write.

Whether you are writing for the web, writing a book, or writing on a blog, expect to write—a lot. And to rewrite, then write some more. I call it diving for pearls. Some days you will write 10 pages and come up with one sentence worth keeping. Other days you’ll write two pages and every word is perfect.

Recently, I went to a book signing by Ursula Le Guin for her new novel, Lavinia. When an audience member asked Le Guin what her writing process was, her reply was that the real work was not the writing, but the refining process. What makes a work stand out is how it’s polished, how the words are shaped and formed. Writing rarely means one draft and you’re done. Sometimes, to truly get the full impact, it may take a dozen rewrites.

There is a story that Earnest Hemingway rewrote one sentence of the Fisherman and the Sea 100 times! He wanted to get it perfect.

Your writing probably won’t take 100 times to get right. However, you can expect that it will take more than one go at it to get it right.

Look closely at the layers of paint that make up some of the great works of master painters. Those layers cover up creative attempts that didn’t work. And this is sometimes after years of study and effort. Nobody becomes a master without traveling the path of learning and trial and error. To become a truly great writer, you will need to write!

Have you been watching the online show with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle discussing his book, A New Earth? The main theme he writes about is how the ego mind works in our lives. This is a topic that comes up frequently for myself and my clients in regards to the writing process. To really get into the creative flow, it is necessary to set aside the ego (I encourage a visualization of seeing the ego as a person and you are asking him or her to step outside the room before you start to write). When you can truly do this, you will find yourself in the present moment, because the ego only exists when your mind is either in the past or the future. When you have no thought of the past or future, you are completely connected with self, with source, and have now stepped into the flow. The more you write, the more you’ll experience this state, and you’ll start to find yourself able to do it in daily activities as well.

To do this when you are writing, allow the words to flow in a stream of consciousness. What the ego thrives on is fears, judgments, anxiety, and regrets you cling to in your thoughts. What stops people from truly sharing their emotions, experiences, and their true self is either a fear of the future or a regret about the past. In either case, you are no longer in the moment and you will experience struggle. This is the ego mind in control.

One tip that helped me when I was first understanding this concept years ago was to say the phrase, “I am claiming the moment” 500 times a day. To that point, I had not been a believer in affirmations, but a spiritual teacher recommended I try this every day. It took about three weeks and one day I realized that I was truly in the moment. It felt so freeing and blissful, I wanted to never let go of that moment, which immediately took me out of the present! Now, when I realize my thoughts are in the past or the future, I take a deep breath, let go of the thought, and come back to whatever it is I’m doing in that moment. The enjoyment returns, and I express my gratitude, which further expands my positive feeling. When writing, that allows me to access what is immediately in front of me and the struggle disappears.

I’d love to hear your own experiences with claiming the moment! I welcome your comments!