The Art of Being

If you are breathing then you’ve probably asked yourself the question; “why am I here”?

From the outside looking in, this can be a difficult question, I know.

But what about from the inside looking out?

When I was young I would spend hours worrying myself sick about the meaning of it all. Where did I come from, what is infinity anyway, what happens when we die, the list was long and exhausting, especially for a child.

I still ask myself those questions, sometimes I am still gripped with fear over the seemingly unattainable answers, but often times now, after many years of trying to figure it all out, I’m quietly reminded to just simply be.

After all, what have I got to lose? What exactly would happen if I let go of those thoughts and settled into nothing, a blank space, a blank canvas… even better.

You see, there is an art to just being. I use the word art on purpose, because most art comes from a place within. It is a talent normally that we have been gifted with, not something we’ve forced into being or created on our own. Art comes from flow, an innate gift or talent and we simply choose whether to accept and embrace it, act upon it, or not. If not we just go about our days, getting on with our busy lives. If we choose to embrace this gift it is not without an awareness of choice and that there is a discipline to it. A conscious decision to align and yes, there is even work. Long hours, days, months, even years of work. But ask any artist if, when he is in the flow, he feels like he’s actually working.

Have you ever stopped to notice what happens when you stop all the noise rumbling inside your head and just get still? Meditation may be difficult for some people to master, but there must be a reason millions of people from all over the globe for thousands of years have made this a daily discipline. Magic happens when we get still.

Ever find that your best ideas come when you least expect them? The shower is mentioned too many times to count by creative types that say this is where they get many inspired ideas. Why is that? Could it be the simple act of the routine? That the ritual and the water naturally settle us down and before we know it creativity begins to also flow? That just for a few moments we let go. We just allow. After all, other than rinse and repeat there really is no “to do” list in the shower.

What would life look like if we took a Soul Centered approach to it? A view from the inside, not the outside? If we are spiritual beings having a human experience, is there really any other way?

The truth of the matter is this. Our lives are an illusion. There is nothing that we experience in the world that we haven’t processed through our unique thought. Unique because our thoughts belong to no one else. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve know someone, if you are soulmates or you’ve been together for 60 years, it is not possible to actually think or know their thoughts. Therefore, you may be in the same place, witnessing the same event and yet your experience will be entirely different. Why, because it’s been run through your personal filter.

There are too many experts, gurus, sages in the world teaching this to count and yet I am surprised at how many people have never even heard of, let alone embraced, such a concept. Michael Neill teaches about The Three Principles in his book the Inside Out Revolution. Byron Katie talks about questioning our thoughts in Loving What Is. Wayne Dyer spoke of life as having no beginning and no end and put it beautifully when he said "we come from no where to now here."

Here’s the beautiful thing. We are created by love. Mind, Universe, Creative Energy, Source…..God. All the same…all pure love. Co-creating and then sending us to earth to learn our lessons in love. Will life be hard? Yes, sometimes. Michael Neill says that “live is a contact sport”. We can’t avoid that. What we can do though is learn to be. Return to the you that arrived here perfectly well, innately happy, full of love, joy and light. Curious, hungry for knowledge and ready to go, to experience all that life had to offer. And experience it from the inside. Instead of why is this happening to me, why not how can I experience this, live this, feel this and what can I learn from this? Ask anyone who’s suffered from heartbreak, loss, betrayal, illness, there is always a lesson and always a gift. Always. Even if the gift is a shift in priorities or perspective. It may be simple but it is always profound.

Like art, take time to embrace your life. To accept it as a gift and savor it slowly. When you create, work slowly and lovingly create. When you relax, take a deep breath and really relax. Take time to quiet your mind and simply be.

Being requires you to do nothing.

Master the Art of Being, it is a purpose that belongs to us all.