Staying still and Moving Forward (Stress-free productivity)
I came into the understanding of something powerful last week. I had read Deepak Chopra’s “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success”. It is a deeply profound and powerful book which I will blog about later this week. One theme I picked up is that in nature, things move naturally and with ease. Things just do what they are supposed to do, without strain or stress. Trees do not struggle to grow, they just do. The sun doesn’t struggle to shine, neither does the earth struggle to rotate and revolve around the sun. They just simple be and they simply do.
This is not our experience as humans though. We do SOME things with relative ease or even no effort, but it is all the subconscious stuff. We grow effortlessly. I don’t know anyone who sits down focusing on their body parts growing. Our body systems work and perform their duties without our conscious help or effort. Yes, we do maintain optimum conditions of nutrition, exercise and so on with some effort. But the growth or progression is naturally effortless.
Now how do we apply this principle of least effort to our lives. It seems like attaining our desires normally requires a lot of stress, worry, friction, resistance and effort. In work, in studies, in life, we run around helter skelter most of the time. Many of us get to the point where we are now addicted to the stress and cannot function without having it. We feel like we are really hitting our stride when we are juggling 15 different activities and can brag about how tired and stressed and busy we are. We even have quotes and entire philosophies built up around the travelling the hard road to success. These are perfectly fine, but there is an extra dimension to it.
It doesn’t need to be so though. Success demands effort and hard work, but it does not demand stress. I understand now that it is possible to be completely productive, completely engaged and be stress free. To do so, is to understand universal principles and how they apply to the microcosm of our daily lives. There are a number of supporting insights that help one live this sort of life. At its core though, is the paradox of standing still and moving furiously. This is the core paradox of the universe, of God, that which is always changing, always moving and yet is eternally still and unchanged. This is how the earth’s surface perpetually transforms, hills become valleys, valleys become hills, soil becomes metal, organic materials become oils and plastics. Alchemy happens on so many levels, but still the fundamental chemical elements remain the same. The only thing that changes is orientation and arrangement.
To stand still means to be anchored in eternal truth. It means growing in knowledge of who you are, and staying in continual communion with the Source. It means knowing you are eternal, that you have never ‘not being’ and you always will be. It is having in mind, the big picture of the universe and our journey through it. In stillness you remember that this life is but a dream. Standing still means that you don’t take anything personally. It means that you do not relive the past or worry about the future, but u remain firmly in the moment. It means you know who you are, what you want, what is ultimately important and what you choose to create. You cultivate stillness via the rituals and practices of prayer, meditation, and concentration. Any practice that helps you quiet the noise, slow down the chaos and connect with the eternal. As you do this more and more, your life takes on fresh purpose and you possess clarity of thought and intent.
Moving dynamically means that you take required action to create that which you have chosen. You are absorbed in the moment and give yourself completely to what activity you are engaged in. You enjoy being and doing without attachment to results and outcomes. You complete a task and move on to the next. You stay focused. You may have to work ‘hard’, but you bless the moment, and lose yourself in the work. In that way, even things that are tedious and difficult become easy and engaging as you stay in the state of ‘flow’. In your stillness you remain settled, aware and open to change. In your movement, you are dynamic, responding to the moment, meeting challenges and pursuing your goal flexibly.
As you practice this daily, you will approach a state of daily bliss and joy, steadily achieving your goals while remaining fulfilled and at peace. This is daily practice, this is the path of the enlightened.
