The most common complaints I hear from the people I meet and coach is that they don’t have enough time. They may lack the time to take care of themselves, to meditate or to pursue their passions and goals. It really doesn’t matter what they don’t have time for, the end result is the same: They spend their days caught up in the mundane matters of their lives feeling like it’s difficult to find a moment for themselves and their needs and desires.
I can’t say that I don’t often feel the same way. In fact, over the last few years, I’ve done little else but work. And if you asked me why I don’t exercise, meditate, write more books, pursue my hobbies…I’d answer, “I don’t have time.”
Forgetting Yourself
Lately, I’ve been making time. I’ve been sneaking in time to read, to exercise, to learn, to pray, and to meditate. I don’t manage all of these things every day, but I’m trying to at least get one or two into each day. Why? Because I realized that by not doing so, I lose touch with the core of who I am.
In fact, I had lost touch with myself. I’d forgotten my essence and the fact that I am a transcendental soul cloaked in a physical body. All I could see was my physical self stuck with a to-do list a mile long.
When I remembered, when I got in touch with my soul, I realized the only way for me to be happy and productive was to stay in touch with that spark of Divinity within, the part of me that is created in God’s Image.
I had to make a change.I had to make time to remember myself.
Curing Spiritual Amnesia
The Hasidic masters taught that to achieve our unique mission on earth, we must remember who we are—spiritual beings having a human experience. Jesus taught a similar lesson: Be in the world but not of it. If we forget who we are by getting too caught up in day-to-day physical life, we lose our sense of purpose and move through life in a type of spiritual amnesia.
The way to avoid this, or to cure it, is to rest and rejuvenate yourself. You have to take time out of your schedule to care for your body, which houses your soul during this lifetime; to stimulate your mind, which help you stay interested and enthusiastic about life; and to reconnect with your spiritual nature, which allows you to tap into the energy of the universe.
Making Time Gives You More Time
In my experience, when I do these three things, I become grounded in my own authentic nature. Then it becomes easier to move through my day and to do my work and to connect with others. Yes, it takes time, but it’s time well spent, and I always seem to get more done when I have fit these activities into my day. The practice of allowing myself the time to connect with myself and to care for myself allows me to function at a higher level because I am coming from a place of authenticity and inspired action.
Thus, I get more done. I don’t “lose” time to these activities but rather gain time because I’ve focused upon them.
The Best Time to Connect
I’ve recently listened to several people talk about their morning routines. I agree that exercise, prayer and meditation and even reading or studying first thing in the morning can set the tone for your day. However, not all of us have the ability to do these things—or all of them—when we first arise. I try to do them as a morning routine, but I don’t always manage to do so. When I don’t, I make time later in the day.
No matter when you do these activities, or for what amount of time, do them. See if it makes a difference in your life.
I’d love to hear about the practices you use to remember yourself and the difference that makes in your life. Tell me in a comment below.
