Reflection On The Self-Help Book “The Power Of Now” By Eckhart Tolle
For my learning activity, I read one of the most inspirational self-help books, “The Power of Now”. It is written by Eckhart Tolle and published in 2004. This book had made a major effect on my outlook with life. It shifted my thoughts to become more positive and taught me mindfulness on the current moment. This book taught me how to move past pain, stress, anxiety, and to become more spiritually balanced. The first thing I’ve learned about this book is that the past and future does not matter. There is the only the present moment. Living in the past or thinking about the future may only cause anxiety and pain when the now is all you have for the current moment. I am usually one who overthinks everything and causes a lot of inner anxiety for myself. That statement taught me to dwell less and to not cause unnecessary pain for things that have not happened yet.
The second thing I’ve learned are emotional pain-bodies. A pain-body are the negative emotions people carry when they are unhappy. Anything that resonates with pain or anger can trigger it. I’ve been more aware of my pain-bodys are more conscientious about the way I feel. The third thing I’ve learned is acceptance. I’ve learned to let go of things or people who are no longer in my life and to work with my emotions. The fourth thing I discovered is that the more I am trapped in the past, the more I become negative. The methods in this book taught me to put the past behind and to appreciate how I feel in the present moment. Lastly, the fifth thing I’ve learned are to not repeat the same mistakes. The solution is to set goals and work towards them to become a better version of myself. It is to use the current moment to acknowledge where I want to move forward.
The main principle of this book taught me that there is only the now, no past, or future. My first initial reaction to this was “How am I supposed to not think about my future or my past?” This book had brought me new teachings that I was not used to. The lesson taught was that the past and futures are the illusions we create for ourselves. The thought of anything other than the now only causes an impact to our thinking because we are hyper focused on the past and future. I used to dwell on the past frequently and hold onto moments that were non-existence and planned out my future the way I expect it to be. It caused me to have unnecessary anxiety and stress on a daily basis.
After reading this book, I’ve had a major shift within my thinking. I became more aware of the current moment, my thoughts, and negatives that can cause pain. I live life more positively, in only the presence. The concepts helped me understand my downfalls and gave me solutions to be at peace. This relates to my personal life significantly because it impacted my life causing me to live by these principles every day. I have become more lighthearted and have continued a path to my own enlightenment.
The methods in the book relate to psychology because it teaches mindfulness. A majority of people over analyze their problems and become trapped within their thoughts. This blinds us from being mindful of current moment. The Power of Now is a meditative approach to practice in our everyday lives to create an absence of negativity.
