Being is the New Doing

Do you ever feel like you're stuck on a never-ending hamster wheel, spinning around and around but going nowhere? I find it easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of doing and accomplishing - ticking things off my to-do list, feeling like I could be successful if I just made it through the list.

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But the list never ends. And more and more, I'm discovering that what feels good for me is being, instead of doing.

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My list is still there … I still enjoy setting goals and accomplishing "things". I like the feeling of moving forward - it can be very addictive. But as I take time to practice yoga and meditation, and as those ways of living permeate into the rest of my life, what has become sacred to me is the time I take for being - it is where I find the most joy.

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I walked along a beach recently and let myself linger… warm sand, icy waves, bright sun. And I felt joy and love , in a way that I never feel from completing tasks. Not just from being on the beach - city walks, when taken with the same sense of awareness and appreciation, bring equal joy. It's the sense of presence and feeling that get me there.

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So I'm taking more time for being - shortening my to-do list, aiming to sift through all the possible and potential things and focus on a just a few important ones; incorporating even just a couple short moments of being into my day. The result? More joy … more peace… more love.

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Photo by Ali Schilling Photography