Life lessons can come to us in any way we’re receptive, and TV is no exception. Tonight I ran across the ‘Joy of Painting’ with Bob Ross, which I find absolutely engrossing. There’s something about his energy that I just love. There’s actually something almost meditative about watching ‘Joy of Painting’ that’s pretty amazing. Two other shows that I watch regularly also have this same quality: ‘The Dog Whisperer’ with Cesar Milan and, to some extent, ‘Dirty Jobs’ with Mike Rowe.
All three television shows generate such a good and peaceful feeling, I started wondering why – it’s certainly not the show’s topic! I have no talent or interest in painting, I don’t have a dog, and I’m not sure how much I really care about jobs that make you grungy. But what I DO love watching is how comfortable the hosts are and how completely in the now they seem to be.
These are all people I very much look up to. Having the capacity to be so completely dedicated to an activity and so engrossed in single moments is something I need to work on. I’m always thinking about tomorrow, yesterday, an hour from now, 3 years ago… some time that I can’t do anything about or with at the moment. Of course, in doing so, not only am I preventing myself from being 100% dedicated to whatever it is I’m doing, but I’m also scattering my energy to the four winds!
In addition to being in the now, they are all three very much are fully centered and open. What I mean by open is that they’re fully able to move their energy around to help them achieve their goals – and they also seem to have an unending supply of energy! This is especially obvious in ‘The Dog Whisperer’ where Cesar even goes so far as to discuss how he uses his energy to get results.
So, how do we get to that place where we’re in the now and the energy is just flowing? Practice, just like with everything else! Here are some suggestions:
- Meditation – plenty of practice with meditation will help teach you to quiet and focus your mind.
- Minimize distractions – I am guilty of not doing this one! I often will be using the computer, worrying over some problem, and listening to music or watching TV. So for me, this would involve turning everything off unless I’m directly using it (such as when I’m blogging on the computer). For someone else, it may involve finding some non-distracting music to listen to for blocking outside noise.
- Be conscious of your thoughts – Every so often, check in with yourself and see what you’re thinking about. Be more aware of what’s going on in your mind. Are you thinking about what’s in front of you or are you putting your grocery list together?
- Put aside time to focus on activities – instead of allowing everything to run together, schedule in some time to address everything. For instance, have 30 minutes or so every day set aside for just worrying. Balance your checkbook every day after lunch. Visit the grocery regularly and keep a running list.
- Use an alarm clock or timer – to prevent yourself from worrying about your next activity and what time it is, try using an alarm clock or a timer you can set. That way you don’t need to worry about the time because an alarm will sound when it’s time to change activities. You can allow yourself to be fully dedicated to what you’re doing and the time won’t run away from you. If what you’re doing requires transition time, set your alarm or timer for when you’re supposed to start the transition. For instance, if you’re working out, set the timer for when you want to start your cooldown.
Do you have other suggestions on how to be in the now? Please let me know!
