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Time Travelling and The Present

So you think there is a future and it is real. That is why we all seem to be travelling in time going from the past, to the present and into the future. Everyone seems to be rushing, rising in the morning, going to work or study, coming home in the evening, looking after other chores, and then going to bed. Even when reading, watching TV or listening to the radio we seem to be constantly travelling in time. We hardly sit still in the present. The entertainment we have devised is basically all designed to make us escape from reality, yes escaping from the present. So, whether we like it or not we are all caught in the web of time and thus have become time travelers.

To break free of the time and discover the timeless dimension we have to understand our thinking process, that is, how we think. We have to understand what the past, the present and the future means and the conditioning effect of time.

Now when one looks at the past, one can see that it is only a memory. It is no longer real. One cannot touch it. One cannot change it. It is now unreal.

The present of course is always real. We can talk to each other, touch each other, enjoy each other’s company etc. Do you know that in the present lies the magic moment? Each time you blink there is a picture of reality displayed in front of you and at the same time that moment is turning into past. But no one seems to be appreciating this magic moment because we are constantly travelling in time as if there is a real future ahead. We fill our mind with inane chatter, with words, words and words.

So what is future? Future is anything that can happen ahead in time. Now nobody knows what lies ahead. If you are worried about tomorrow, what is the point? Anything can happen tomorrow. Tomorrow an atomic bomb might explode, or a tsunami might come and we might all be gone. But the fact is it has not happened. Tomorrow does not exist. It is unreal and only exists in our imagination. So if the future like the past is unreal, how do we create our future?

It is quite simple. If you have not already realized it, you will appreciate the fact that we are all dreamers. Our desires make us dream. We are constantly dreaming. We plan. So for example if you want to build a house in the future, we dream. We design and plan where the kitchen, the bathroom and bedrooms etc. will be.

However, if we keep dreaming and do not take any action in the present, our present becomes our future, no house.

So to create that house we desire in the future, we have to take action in present that is, buy a block of land, hire an architect etc.; otherwise our present becomes our future. So you see in reality there is no such thing as future. You have to take action in the present to create your own future.

Hence if you have a problem that is getting you down, you have to take action in the present to solve that problem, otherwise your present becomes your future, more problems. Positive action creates a positive future. Negative action will create a negative future. Such is the law of the mind.

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Self Marketing and Events – How to Present Yourself In Meet and Greets, Career Fairs and Workshops

For the sake of example, let’s use someone who provides services of designing smart phone applications. It is very in demand; however you have just started in business and desperately need clients. Believe it or not, your first step is designing business cards. Yes, those old fashioned, 8 track, analog seeming, physical business cards. Here’s why: sometimes your encounters with potential clients are so brief that you do not have time to take out smartphones and exchange web pages or phone numbers. Even though our sample entrepreneur provides a very high tech service, if his encounter is too brief, he needs to leave the potential customer something with his phone number. It’s a common mistake that some make; they think that people don’t like those clunky space consuming business cards in this modern age. Even if they don’t, when your service offered is something they want bad enough, they WILL save your card and call you back.

The second step in the situation of an entrepreneur is confidence. It can sometimes be very difficult when you are bleeding revenue, are in the red, or maybe do not have a single client yet. If the bills are going unpaid, if your life is falling apart, and the stress is eating you up; you’re going to have to suppress it. After reading around the web a lot we have found that one of the easiest ways to do this is when you are talking to a new person who may be a potential client, pretend that they have already paid you and you are thanking them. Everything is great, your smart phone apps are the best in the business, and you are getting ready to go cash their check. If you don’t, they will see your insecurity and may not be willing to hire you. It’s a vicious environment out there, and no matter how friendly people may seem on the surface, they are inwardly judging you at every second. Instead of saying “I really need the work, I hope you contact me”, try saying, “Excellent, I do believe that I am free, hope to hear from you soon”. Desperation is sensed, and fighting the urge to look desperate at the workshop or meet and greet is going to be your biggest asset in the battle of selling your own business.

As eager as you are to tell people that you create the coolest smartphone apps on the market, remember it is also key to listen. The bubbliest of personalities can really shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to presentation. If you know that the person you are speaking with at the workshop or expo is potentially one of the biggest purchasers of your apps that you make in the state; don’t bombard them; it is more important than ever to let them speak about what they want to speak about first, even if it is their vacation to Idaho to see potato fields. Then after some obligatory listening, you can let them know that you just launched your app creating venture. The client you want to land most may take some time, it will be important to have smaller jobs to tide you over. This is a very difficult time of any business, as some of the smaller clients may literally treat you worse and with less respect than the big fish you are after. You just have to handle these situations with grace, and you WILL know when it’s time to cut them loose. However they are invaluable to pay the bills on your way up.

If you are a job hunter seeking an hourly wage job in the world out there, no matter what anyone says, it is still like walking in a field full of landmines. One good word of advice is that even though we hate to say it; these days if an employer is just desperate to sign you up and have you start tomorrow; they may not be telling you what the job entails. Right now employers get their pick of talent no matter what the media tells you, and if they are hurriedly filling a position, it may be getting ready to be outsourced soon or simply be a very toxic environment.

Another thing to know is that we have been told over the last month that some employers are now taking their applicants through as many as SIX interviews, when the standard used to be 2 or 3. Yes, this can be very demoralizing; and you also have to answer questions from multiple people firing them at you. It is best as always to just be yourself, as cliché as that may sound. The main thing that your objective to let employers know about you is that you are going to help save them money. They do not care about your violin lesson teaching on the side, or softball league through church. It’s only the bottom line, and it will be this way for quite a few more years. As far as the current climate, without trying to sugarcoat anything; another tactic is that when the interview is over and the hr manager is thanking you for your time; you can always say outright, “Well I am interested in the position; is there any way to move things forward at all?” what happens is that when the interview is over, the applicant leaves, and sometimes the hiring manager has no idea if the applicant really wants the job. We live in a world where everything in life is full of headgames; swashbuckling your way through them is really more of a battle than doing the job every day once you land it.

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Staying Present When Things Are Going Well

It might not seem like such a big deal–staying present when things are going well. I mean, easy, right? Maybe and maybe not.

“The tension was mounting on the teebox at the par-5 eighth hole at Conway Farms,” PGATour.com reported on Sept. 14, just before Jim Furyk became the sixth player in PGA Tour history to break 60. [The 8th was his 17th hole that day].

As a budding golfer married to one who’s been playing his entire life, I often see glimpses of exceptional play, but the magnitude of Mr. Furyk’s score of 59 for 18 holes was very rare and earned him membership in an exclusive club formed in 1977, when Al Geiberger became the first to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour.

Staying Present

The technical ability necessary to achieve such a score is high, but what struck me most was the focus and presence of mind required to manage the pressure Mr. Furyk must have felt as he made his way toward one of golf’s most elusive goals.

If you know my work in the world, you know I help people regain power under pressure. Usually, we’re looking at situations where things are going badly: conflict, stress, and relationship struggles with employees, partners, and family members. But what about when things are going well–I mean really well? Might it be even more challenging to stay in the moment when we are courting the possibility of perfection?

As a rank beginner, I’m just trying to keep the ball in the air. But experienced golfers often speak of how hard it is to keep it going when they’re playing at their best. The better the round goes, the more the prospect of “the choke” threatens. Suddenly you’re not thinking about the shot you’re playing but of what could go wrong. The better things get, the harder it is to stay focused.

Other sports have similar elusive goals and clutch moments. In baseball everyone, including the fans, feels the tension mounting, inning by inning and out by out, as their pitcher strives for the no-hitter or–even more rare–the perfect game.

When Life Is Good

What about when life is going well? Do you have difficulty enjoying the flow state, knowing that, inevitably, things will change? Are there moments when you find yourself waiting for what might go wrong? I’ve written about the challenges of being “publicly happy.” Maybe one reason is that we fear we might choke and ruin it all by talking about it.

Mr. Furyk said that to stay present that day “was a mental battle and a mental grind.” To take the pressure off, he talked with fellow golfer Gary Woodland, who joked about football. Laughter and the easy banter lightened the moment, and Furyk was able to stay loose and remain focused.

Can we apply the same technique to life–not take things so seriously, but rather be aware and grateful for what’s happening now? When conflict and problems arise, and they will, they invite us to appreciate even more the days when energy flows freely.

Don’t think about the next shot. Stay present to this one. Live, laugh, and let yourself be here now, in this ki moment. It’s the only one you really have.

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