I Can't Wait

(From the Archive Sept. '08)
I wouldn't imagine there are too many people around who have not heard the phrase, "I can't wait," uttered many times in their life by others, if not themselves. Of course it is usually followed by a certain event or circumstance.
"I can't wait until I get my raise."
"I can't wait to get out of debt."
"I can't wait to get you home tonight."
You get the picture.

The funny thing is, if you ever really gave any attention to the validity of this phrase, you could almost laugh at how popular it is. If you really observe it, you will realize that the only thing the person expressing the phrase, will do, ... is wait. They are actually waiting as they are verbally saying that they can't.

'I can't wait' is more accurately expressed as, 'I don't want to wait.'
'I don't want to wait' is more accurately expressed as 'I don't want the present moment. I don't want right now. I don't accept this reality; I want that one.' This is why people do not enjoy being anxious.

Anxiety is a form of resistance to what is. It is a denial of circumstances. It is a rejection of the present. It is self inflicted stress. It is not a favorable feeling.

The good news is; it is completely avoidable. The only reason that a person feels that they ‘can't wait’ is the attachment to an idea of how they want things to be.

If you can stop thinking about how you want it and enjoy the gift that the present truly is, the anxiety is gone.

Enjoy Your Day

Have you ever noticed that in order to enjoy anything, you have to be in the present moment? Can you remember a time in your life when you truly enjoyed anything that was not going on in the present? Sure it is possible to not enjoy things that you like because your attention was not fully in the moment, but never the other way around. How can you enjoy something you like without giving your attention to it?

To be in a state of joy is a higher form of acceptance. If a person is in resistance to something, a form of stress is experienced as opposed to joy. The easiest way to be in acceptance as opposed to resistance is to be without ego fueled thoughts. Focusing your attention into the present moment and not anticipating the future or regretting the past literally slows down stressful thinking and can help bring about a state of acceptance. Contentment may be experienced. If there is something you really like going on, joy will be experienced. (See "I Can't Wait")

Stay in the moment and enjoy your day!

For more ways on how to become aware of the present moment, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a virtue? Why? Who ever got ahead of the game by waiting? What's so virtuous about letting time slip by? "Patience is a virtue," is another one of those sayings of everyday wisdom. Let's explore why.

Have you ever been tired of waiting? Do you get bored to the point of hating having to stand on line or get to your destination? Of course, you are not alone. Most people have this issue. It goes much deeper than most people realize. A lot of people are really uncomfortable with everyday life because they want to get to a "more desirable" stage of their lives. It is really a low level of background stress. All stress is resistance to what is.

People who can't wait are actually causing themselves undue stress. There have been many others before myself who have spoken of this state of mind and have come up with solutions for it. Buddha, Ram Dass, Petter Russell, and Eckhart Tolle; just to name a few. This information is far from new. It is simply overlooked most of the time.

Being impatient is actually a resistance and denial of what is going on right now. It is taking the current moment as a means to an end. When you stop and look at life though, you must realize that all power and the way you experience and interpret life is always in the present moment. (Aha!) So naturally, it does not feel good to be in resistance to what is going on.

The solution to this "problem" is to be as present in the here and now as much as possible. This may sound harder for some than others; but it is something that any and everyone can do. It really requires learning how to shut off the automatic thought stream of the mind and appreciating the stillness and aliveness of the present. It literally transforms the meaning of the moment from a means to an end to the gift that is the present.

The benefits of this are an elimination of stress or anxiety. You feel better. Time actually seems to move faster; and your life is enriched as a result. This is the virtuous aspect of patience. I like to break down the word patience as: "pace your self with the essence." It is literally a shifting of perspective from the NO of resistance of what is to the YES of acceptance and adapting to what is.

For more on how to achieve this rewarding perspective, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

I Can't Wait

I wouldn't imagine there are too many people around who have not heard the phrase, "I can't wait," uttered many times in their life by others, if not themselves. Of course it is usually followed by a certain event or circumstance.
"I can't wait until I get my raise."
"I can't wait to get out of debt."
"I can't wait to get you home tonight."
You get the picture.

The funny thing is, if you ever really gave any attention to the validity of this phrase, you could almost laugh at how popular it is. If you really observe it, you will realize that the only thing the person expressing the phrase, will do, ... is wait. They are actually waiting as they are verbally saying that they can't.

'I can't wait' is more accurately expressed as, 'I don't want to wait.'
'I don't want to wait' is more accurately expressed as 'I don't want the present moment. I don't want right now. I don't accept this reality; I want that one.' This is why people do not enjoy being anxious.

Anxiety is a form of resistance to what is. It is a denial of circumstances. It is a rejection of the present. It is self inflicted stress. It is not a favorable feeling.

The good news is; it is completely avoidable. The only reason that a person feels that they ‘can't wait’ is the attachment to an idea of how they want things to be.

If you can stop thinking about how you want it and enjoy the gift that the present truly is, the anxiety is gone.


Much more on this in later posts and in the book, "What Is Really Good?"