Inspired Leap - You are far more brilliant than you think you are!

• Quotes of the Month
• Upcoming Speaking Engagements
• The Only Time That Matters Is Now
• The Wisdom of Forest: What's Done Is Done—Live In the Moment
• The Wisdom of Forest: Forgiveness Isn't Necessary When You Accept What Is
• It All Starts In Your Head
• Final Thoughts on the Power of the Present Moment

This past week I had a painful lesson in what can happen when you are not fully present in the moment—when you are lost in thoughts about the upcoming day or other future events or caught in rehashing the past. My beloved dog, Forest, lost the tip of his tail and had to have surgery to repair his new tail "tip" because I wasn't paying attention and accidentally closed the car door on his beautiful tail.

To say I was upset with myself and filled with remorse is an understatement. However, the lessons learned from the experience and from witnessing Forest's behavior are already helping me to see the blessings from this accident. May this tale (ha-ha) remind you to do your best to stay present and focused on the moment at hand. Read on to be inspired to keep your mind and energy in the NOW.

Work Less: Accomplish More: April 26, 2007, 9:00am to 3:30pm at The Crossings in Austin, TX (Visit Inspired Leap to sign up.) I'm thrilled to be collaborating with a powerful, creative woman, Misha Thomas, on this workshop and a four-day retreat in Sedona in October, 2007.
Envision 2007 & Beyond: What Will You Create For Your Business, Career, and Life?: TELE-SEMINAR VERSION, May 9, 2007, 8:00pm Central, 9:00pm Eastern, and 6:00pm Pacific. (Visit Inspired Leap to sign up.)
Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: eWomen Network Luncheon presentation on May 23, 2007.

When I look back on my behavior early last Thursday morning, I realize that I wasn't quite awake and was thinking about my plans for the day (the future) when I accidentally slammed the car door on my dog Forest's tail.

If I had been focused on the activity of the moment—loading Forest in the car to head to the park—I would have seen that he'd stopped part way in the car to rearrange the towels on the car seat and would have waited a few precious seconds before closing the car door. But, like many other people that day and every day, I wasn't paying close attention to what I was doing. As Mark Doty pointed out in his delightful poem, I was either "sunk in the past" or "off in some fog concerning tomorrow."

Yet, as Eckhart Tolle points out in his profound book, The Power of Now, all of our power is in the present moment—in the "now." When you pause to think about this, it's so obvious, isn't it? There is absolutely nothing that can be done about experiences from the past and the future. In fact, the only moment that truly exists for us is the moment we're in right now. So, why is it so hard to stay there? What is it that calls us out of the present and distracts us?

Tolle points out that our over-identification with, or addiction to, our minds—to our thinking—causes us to spend so much time in our heads. While consciously using our mind to visualize a future the way we want it is a powerful way to create our world and thinking enables us to build things and function in the world, we get into trouble when we allow our mind to run the show.

Thinking and consciousness are not synonymous. Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought. [p. 19, The Power of Now]

Tolle reminds us that there is someone noticing the thoughts running through our heads and it's not our minds. Whether or not you call it your soul, spirit, connection to Source, or higher self, you are not that brilliant brain of yours! Yet, most of us spend no time trying to control and manage our thoughts. We allow our minds to think thousands of random and mostly negative thoughts all day long.

My dog may not be as smart as me or able to visualize what he wants; however, after observing Forest the past few days, I think you and I can learn something from our pets. We may have the phenomenal ability to think, create, and visualize, but if we forget the power of the present moment, our lives will lack the joy that I witness in Forest.

Forest knows all about the blessings of living in the present moment. He's a smart dog and can remember exactly where I've hidden a tennis ball days or weeks later (what could be more important?), but his focus is on the moment at hand. His ability to stay present seems to work for him, as I can only aspire to enjoy life as much as he does.

Forest was over the injury moments after it happened. There was no agonizing over the past. He was fully present in the moment and quickly went about taking care of himself. I, on the other hand, kept wishing I could rewind the clock and do those moments over again. I couldn't stop berating myself for my carelessness. Finally, I realized that my emotions were making it difficult for him to stay quiet and keep his tail from moving, so I concentrated on the mundane tasks at hand.

By focusing my attention on checking on him and cleaning up the car, I calmed down, helped Forest to stay calm, and kept my energy in the present moment. Other than meditation designed to quiet the mind, focusing intensely on the activity at hand is a beautiful way to quiet your random thoughts. Whether it's washing dishes, working on a spreadsheet, writing a book, or preparing a presentation, give it your undivided attention. Set a timer if you need to in order to allow your mind to focus completely. Know that you'll be reminded of the next appointment or next activity by the timer.

How might your life be different if you lived it like Forest does? What if you immediately accepted what was happening moment-by-moment and put your full energy and attention on taking care of what ever came your way each and every moment? Imagine the extra time and energy you would have if you didn't spend so much time looking back at what could have been done differently or looking forward to what could go wrong.

One of my favorite bumper stickers is "God, help me to be the person my dog thinks I am." That's another blessing of staying in the present moment—no blame, grudges, or resentment.

Forest didn't need to forgive me. He accepted the situation and was happy to get back to playing ball. Other than not wanting to be around me when I was upset about the accident, he didn't change his behavior toward me one bit. Imagine—no energy spent on bitterness, anger, hate, or feeling like a victim. No wonder I can still call him my "joy boy." There's no energy lost in blaming me or anyone else for what happened to him, so there's also no need for forgiveness.

Think back to a challenging situation when someone hurt you by their behavior or actions. What if you could simply accept that they were doing the best they could in the moment, that "what happened, just happened" and move on? How much of your precious energy would be freed up by accepting the situation and moving forward into this moment right now?

Author and Chiropractor, Joe Dispenza (featured in the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know!?), shares compelling research in his fascinating new book, Evolve Your Brain, about how important it is to become aware of the nature of your thoughts. Positive thoughts release chemicals in the brain that lead to positive feelings in your body. Your brain then "reads" the positive feelings and thinks new, positive thoughts, thus creating more positive feelings that literally make your body feel better.

Unfortunately, the opposite of this cycle is true too. Your negative thoughts lead to negative feelings and more negative thoughts which have a negative impact on your body.

The great news is that when you start to pay attention to the thoughts you're thinking and the way you're feeling, you can't help but pull yourself out of the cycle of unconscious thinking. As you observe yourself, you are naturally in the present moment. And, in that moment of your true power, you can consciously acknowledge that the harmful thought you were thinking about yourself or others is simply not true. Now that's power!

Each day tell yourself that just for today, you'll bring your thoughts back to the present moment whenever you start to stray into the past or the future. Allocate specific times for ruminating on the past or envisioning the future. Then spend the rest of the day in the now. Notice how this process affects your energy and the energy of the people and things around you.

Like viewing a television program in HDTV for the first time, I think you'll see things clearer. You'll also notice the rest of your senses heightened. Pay attention to how your thinking improves. Studies show that we're not the multi-taskers we think we are. Something gets lost when our heads are trying to be in the past, present, and future all at the same time. When you start to fall back into old habits, think of the tale of Forest and bring yourself right back to the power and joy of the moment.

If your company needs help with inspiring employees to reach new heights in productivity, creativity, morale, and integrity, please contact us at inspiredleap.com or 512-236-0090. If you need some more inspiration or more regular nudging to practice these steps, check out our website to see what's new to inspire you (a visit to The Quiet Room may be just what you need!).