Be present to win

It’s important to take time to listen to your intuition – your inner wisdom or “inner ding” as Louise Hay would say.

There are many ways to perceive that inner voice, and meditation is one tool in my arsenal.

Although I’m a practicing Buddhist, my tradition does not involve meditation. When I feel it’s time to be still and listen, I pull out an old CD – Jack Kornfield’s Meditation for Beginners. I enjoy his combination of teaching, encouragement and guided practice.

A few statements always stand out. One is:

Love in the past is simply memory, and love in the future is fantasy. To be really alive, love, or any other experience, must take place in the present.

He puts it more simply with the familiar admonition:

 Must be present to win.

Meditation teaches me to experience a moment as it is and as it happens. I can discover the truth of a moment, or access divine wisdom to the degree I am tuned in.

If I’m purposely distracted or mindlessly engaged in an activity, I’m not truly plugged into the encounter. As such, I can’t witness it properly. I can’t, then, place it in the proper context. I can’t hear my own voice telling me to keep going, screaming at me to stop, or nudging me to make a small change.

It’s been over two years since I’ve practiced the art of inner listening. This week I’ve refreshed my connection to the silence. It’s time to be more present. It’s time to win.

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