Time is rhythm, time is breath, time is here, and now, in the present moment, we live with awareness and participation. How about taking the time to read? After all, it is in this short space that we are empathizing. Begin to pay attention to your breathing and let yourself feel comfortable in the chair on which you are sitting. Please close your eyes and allow yourself a few moments of silence until you feel it expand and envelop you completely.
Then slowly come back here, inside these words and allow them to reach you, trusting the idea that what is right for you will come to you at this very moment. Abandon, if you can, the habit of judgment and the need to rationalize everything. The mind distracts you taking you on logical paths with repeated connections. Stay in the space of the heart that knows how to welcome, that knows how to ‘feel’.
Now imagine walking in a forest; listen to your footsteps on the leaves, and the damp earth sprinkled with pine needles. Feel the scent of resin and moss. Imagine a clear sky with big clouds swollen like a sugar loaf—a beautiful breeze whispering among the foliage. View a creek, the stones shiny in the sun. Trust yourself, let yourself be welcomed by the mountain breeze and get off the path. Let yourself be guided by intuition until you feel a strong emotion: you will have met a tree or a flower, ready for your embrace. They certainly have a message for you: they do not ask permission at the time to exist, to flourish, to face the cold of winter. On the contrary, they are alert and present to the flow of life. They don’t ‘have to do anything; they exist.
This idea of having to do and accomplish makes us anxious about the flow of ‘our’ inner time. You may tell me: “sure…you are speaking nice words, but how about my daily routine, my work, the many commitments, the customers, the obligations… The company, and all that is ‘other’ than my inner feeling?” As if to say: our time depends a lot on what happens out there; there is nothing we can do about it, except try to be as punctual and reliable as possible.
So why not take responsibility for changing this perspective? If you remain anchored to an idea of time that must fit into your strict ‘scheduling’, it means that in some way, you are fighting against it. It isn’t easy, especially when there are mountains of things to attend to, and the urgency increases exponentially even thinking about it. The situation becomes so stressful that you only feel to ‘escape’. And the more you determine to face it, the more tired you are, even postponing the moments that could benefit your relaxation.
In reality, time is neutral. It can be an enemy, and it can be a great ally. It depends on us. Have you ever noticed? When you are happy, it flies; when you are sad, it never goes away. Yes, joy, passion: if you replace the idea of duty with the energy of pleasure, you will immediately perceive a change. And it also applies to household chores, routine errands, even the most terrible bureaucratic and fiscal ones. ‘I dedicate myself to it with the intensity and awareness of the here and now, and I decide to manifest an experience of value for every gesture I make in my daily life. I will do things precisely, on time, with a responsible and passionate attitude.
Speed is considered a factor of excellence in professional relationships, but effectiveness truly matters. So often, if you want to be fast, you become hasty. If, on the contrary, we are centred on ourselves, on our conscious breathing, in a total presencing, we will know how to rely on the right moment. Only then will the synchronicities that we need will be activated. Mind you: sometimes missing a train is a benefit, sometimes even salvation. Do you remember the story of that delightful Italian film called ‘Bread and Tulips’? The protagonist is not on time, and the tour bus leaves without her. But it is time for her to begin her authentic life, among a thousand unknowns. Being determined means creating in our lives and professional relationships the awareness that getting tired to ‘be on time’ takes us away from the beautiful opportunity of ‘being in time’. The right time, wise and, above all, profitable. Only then will previously unthinkable options open up in our lives.