Is Being Different Than Doing?

You Betcha!
There’s something really interesting that happens when you work on being present.  You start to get joy from the simple things in life.  I’ve noticed it recently when I’m not working, I’ll wander into the backyard or sit in my favorite armchair and for no apparent reason I’m filled with glee.  I don’t look for things to fill my time, I simply let myself love my life exactly as it is in that moment.  I look around, I tune into my body, and I appreciate the simple act of being.  It’s effortless, there’s nothing you actually have to do to exist, (besides eating and sleeping but you know what I mean), nothing is required of you to simply be.  It’s become so noticeable, and frequent, lately that I sparked up a conversation with my friend and tried to convey how happy I was just being.  I explained that I love reading a good book or catching up on a show on Netflix, but when I’m doing those things I’m doing.  I’m filling my time.  And while I might be filling my time with pleasant activities, it’s a different feeling than being.  After trying a few different ways of saying it I finally ended up with a statement I felt encompassed the essence of what I was trying to get across.  “There’s something so fulfilling when you stop doing and start being”.

Now I don’t know if it was the fact that my friend was slightly tipsy, but after a few seconds of pondering my statement I got a reply that shows how rare it is for us to allow ourselves to just be.  That reply was, “I don’t know if I’ve ever allowed myself to just be.  If I have, I don’t think I had a conscious awareness of it.  I always feel like I have to have a purpose or I’m not using my time well enough.”  And this was coming from somebody who’s sole Sunday plans was to lie in bed and watch tv.  No judgement, sometimes those days are just what the doctor ordered, and they definitely serve a purpose.  But it really got me to thinking, we humans are always looking for something to do.  We feel like we have to be doing something, productive or otherwise, to fill our time.  And noticing the difference recently in how I feel when I’m doing versus when I’m being, I can’t help but wonder if that mentality doesn’t just not serve us but if it is actually doing us a disservice.
 
Ironically it Takes Work
Now don’t get me twisted, this ability to simply be is a relatively new thing for me outside of meditation.  Sure, I’ve appreciated a moment just for the fact that it is here and there, but to sit and just appreciate the state of being isn’t a skill that came naturally to me after 40 years of merely surviving life.  It’s definitely something that I’ve cultivated, mostly subconsciously, the past couple years as I decided to start loving my life.  I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have sat down and thought, “wow this is a beautiful day”, then immediately picked up my phone and started scrolling through social media or reading.  If I had to pinpoint what made getting to this state possible, I’d probably have to attribute it to three things.  Meditation, Present Moment awareness, and a deep desire to feel my connection to source energy and the universe in general.  I think that’s probably the trifecta.

Seriously, think about it.  Allowing thought to slow down, connecting to stillness and silence, letting go of the past and future and focusing on the now, and really allowing yourself to feel the energy that runs through every living being and connects us.  How could you do anything other than be in those moments?  It’s a little awe inspiring, definitely joy inducing, with a touch of calm and balance thrown in the mix.  To throw away all the weights, worries, stressors, doubts, and fear is freeing.  For that moment, however long it lasts, you can simply feel joy, appreciation, satisfaction, gratitude, love, and bliss.  Because being, without all the drama and contrast we throw into it, is honestly pretty exhilarating.  I find myself nodding my head a lot in those moments.  As if on some level a part of me is saying, “yep this is what it’s all about and how lucky am I to be so blessed”.
 
Every Man for Himself! Kinda.
Getting to that moment reminds me of listening to my mentor, davidji, when he guides a meditation and says, “notice how the swirl inside of you and the swirl outside of you are slowing down”.  I feel like the vibration of source energy at large and my own bit of it that I have wrapped up in my flesh are in sync, resonating in such a way that it’s impossible to not love simply being alive in that moment.  Now that I’m aware of it I’m able to tap into that feeling at a moment’s notice with very little effort.  And I’ve seen some pretty awesome side effects of doing so.  I’m able to catch myself the moment my energy, moods, feelings, thoughts, and emotions veer into the realm of negativity much sooner than I ever have before.  Which then allows me to stop that momentum and get back to the good feeling thoughts, to get back into alignment and that higher vibration, and to get back to enjoying simply being.

I wish this was an epic blog post where I could tell you exactly how to get to that point, it’s not.  This is a state of being that each person has to cultivate on their own and in their own time.  There’s no quick fix, no instant gratification with this one my friend.  But, I will tell you what you can do to speed up the process, the things that can only aid you in getting there.  Meditate in whatever fashion you enjoy the most, practice present moment of awareness, and dive deep and learn who your authentic self is.  Allow following joy to be your priority and allow yourself to find joy in the smallest and simplest of things.  Let go of the need to do and start practicing the art of being, even in small little bursts.  Play around with it, have fun with it, get excited that you will get to that point.  Before you know it, there you’ll be.

PS. If you want to really dive deep into this stuff and want some help, maybe this is your sign that it’s time to email me and set up the call that just might change your life.  Or, if you just want a little inspo and motivation, follow me on TT or IG.