I picked up the book, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle about a year and a half ago. The story of how I found it and why I grabbed a copy is a long one. But guess what, I’ll share it with you.
Everything Came Together
In May of 2008 things seemed to be going great, I had a beautiful girlfriend, I was running a successful company (profits and revenue up 100% over the previous year and we were managing the largest staff we have had to date – 14), I was living with my girlfriend in a nice home, and had a great office. But, something was missing. Around this time we had just signed on a new client, Panache Desai, who was a known as a spiritual teacher, I had heard him mention the name “Eckhart Tolle” a few times. Later on, I was working with a close friend and client on her website, when she too mentioned Eckhart Tolle. I still had no idea what these people were saying, if they were talking giberish or had been suddenly taken over by demons. Regardless, I didn’t think twice about this. Unfortunately, my world was spiraling down around me, I was drinking and eating too much, my relationship had gone to shit, my weight had ballooned and I was completely miserable. It felt like, in a way, I had made it, but there was nothing left. Get married, have kids, go through the motions, and move on.
Next came a call from my father who after reading a book by “Ed Toll” thought he would take it upon himself to tell me everything that was wrong with me. I didn’t want to hear it.
My World Collapsed
Then it came:
- My relationship, with the woman I thought I would marry, collapsed and my world fell down.
- My business lost our office, because the company we were leasing from went out of business.
- Our company’s biggest client, left us for a competitor.
- All of our employees were leaving because of family matters (babies and spiritual issues)
- I found myself, for the first time, living truly alone (not just by myself, but with no significant other).
- My grandfather, one of the closest men I had in my life was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and would be dead within a year.
After hearing “The Power of Now” and “Eckhart Tolle” mentioned one final time by my grandparents, I decided that I needed to check it out.
Now, keep in mind I love reading. I have always loved reading. I go through spurts throughout the years, where I devour books, and then don’t pick one up for months or a year, but in all the books I have purchased, in all the books I have read, I had NEVER considered purchasing a spiritual or “religious” book. But, I took all of this as a sign on multiple levels. I didn’t quite no what it meant, these names being repeated, and me hitting rock bottom on so many levels, but I walked into Barnes and Noble one afternoon and took the plunge. I hesitantly searched for the book using a kiosk and casually meandered over to right where I knew I needed to be. I grabbed the blue-green cover from the bottom shelf, sat down and started reading.
A Life Altering Experience… If You Can Listen
The book immediately spoke to me. My mind had been racing, particularly over my failed relationship…”what could I have done? what did I do? how was she? who was she with?”… and it immediately addresses this.
I don’t want to go into too much detail here, but I wanted to share a few things. First, the book is in a question/answer format, so it’s as if you are sitting in a chair adjacent to Mr. Tolle and asking him questions. They are logical, and honestly were things I would have asked. In a sense it’s like a massive psychologist session. As if you are sitting in a chair, addressing your problems to the psychologist and he is answering back. But, the questions are answered more on spiritual level.
My favorite quote that I think sums the book up is:
Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time – past and future – the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.
Why is it the most precious thing? Firstly because it is the only thing. It’s all there is. The eternal present is the space within which your whole life unfolds, the one factor that remains constant. Life is now. There was never a time your life was not now, nor will there ever be. Secondly the Now is the only point that can take you beyond the limited confines of the mind. It is your only point of access into the timeless and formless realm of Being.
I stared at my watch, when I first read this, watching the second hand tick. And I realized my life was truly unfolding. And we experience everything RIGHT NOW! End of story.
I have since purchased the book 3 times (after giving it away twice) and am reading it for the 4th time. I highly recommend checking it out.
