Summer Reading – The Power Of Now – Eckhardt Tolle
Over the summer holidays, I read quite a few books that I will comment on in the upcoming weeks. I really enjoyed “The Power of Now” by Eckardt Tolle. My favorite part of the book included the idea that there is no problem in the now. We only create problems in the past and in the future. I have found myself approaching a number of issues from that perspective lately and finding them simplified. What I found, is that when we get down to basics, there aren’t many problems in the now. While I was out training for potentially another marathon, I found myself coaching others on this topic. When I found myself running too hard or noticing that I wanted the run to end sooner rather than later, it was a clue for me that I was running too hard and needed to slow down. This is a great metaphor for life. Sometimes we get caught up chasing other people’s dreams or lifestyles. We start to compare ourselves to others and find that we are no longer happy. That’s a clue for us to get back on track to what is important to our own true selves. As for running, I found that if I was trying to keep up with another runner, I no longer enjoyed the experience of running. When I regained my focus, which included my own purpose for running, chose my own speed, and started to look around and enjoy the scenery, I found I was able to enjoy the run. The problem, being too tired, ceased to exist. So I guess I have a slight disagreement with Eckardt. There are problems in the now, that I can identify by my body’s responses. However, they are very easily solved once identified. The solutions are much easier to find when dealing with the now and not complicating it with the past and future.
Belinda Kissack M.A. is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and offers counselling to individuals and couples in Duncan, British Columbia. When she is away from the office, she can be found riding the country roads of the Cowichan Valley, contemplating her next physical challenge.
