LESSONS FROM A NEW EARTH
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Over the past few weeks, I have felt less ‘gingered’ to write; not necessarily because I didn’t want to, but because I was subconsciously selling it to myself that I didn’t really need to. Earlier this week, I was going through some of my old posts and it struck me that whilst it seemed that I enjoyed writing for others, I also write for myself.
I find myself going back to things I had written for inspiration, learning, and reliving important times in my life, that I never want to forget; and that was all I needed to pick it back up. I think it is important to find a way to capture things happening in our lives, whether it is via pictures, videos, journaling, social media, writing - whatever that looks like for you, we sometimes forget how far we have come and the lessons we have learnt.
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In one of my previous blogposts on dealing with worry, I wrote about how I stumbled on teachings from Eckhart Tolle which were very helpful and decided to read some of his books. I have now read two of Eckhart’s books - A New Earth and the Power of Now and I thought to share some of the lessons I got from those books, first as a summary for people unable to read the entire book, and as a reminder for myself.
Eckhart Tolle is recognized globally as a spiritual teacher and his books are described as spiritual (not religious) books. He makes reference to different religions in his teachings and as a Christian, the books required me to have an open mind and was an entrance into understanding the distinct difference between spirituality and religion.
There were so many important lessons in the book and I will just be highlighting the ones that struck me the most in this post.
Honour the present moment: One of the recurring themes in both books is the importance of being present and honouring the present moment; remembering that this present moment is really all we have. This means acknowledging what is, being thankful for it, and giving each moment full attention.
Most humans are never fully present in the now because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now. - Eckhart Tolle
“Life is always now … there is only ever this moment”. Make the present moment your friend!
Live from a place of abundance: The book spoke a lot about acknowledging the good in your life as a foundation for all abundance; which is the central point of religious teachings - gratitude. The human ego sometimes unconsciously causes us to react to someone else’s success as if that success had taken something away from “me”; however, your resentment of another person’s success curtails your own chances of success. In order to attract success, you need to welcome it wherever you see it.
“If the thought of lack has become part of who you think you are, you will always experience lack because rather than acknowledging the good already in your life, all you see is lack”
All things are transient: The book drives awareness of the fleetingness of every situation in life - good or bad. Nothing is permanent!
When we become aware of the transience of all forms, attachment to them lessens, and we disidentify from them to some extent.
This does not mean not enjoying the good the world has to offer, in fact, you enjoy it more, as you understand the inevitability of change. You can enjoy and honour the things of the world without losing yourself in them or giving them importance and significance they don’t have over you.
“The bad news is nothing is permanent; the good news is nothing is permanent”
Give whatever you seek: The book teaches that whatever you think people are withholding from you - praise, appreciation, care, assistance - give it to them as your outflow determines your inflow. Eckhart teaches that we should ask ourselves often “what can I give here? how can I be of service to this person/ this situation?” It is a universal law that abundance comes to those who already have it.
Like the Bible says - “Give and it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over … Luke 6:38
“If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing.” - Jim Rohn
Everything in life fades in the face of death, so live while you are here: Life isn’t as serious as our mind makes it out to be and everything we chase, want, desire, or identify with, stands ultimately meaningless in proximity to death. This popular Steve Jobs quote summarizes it perfectly:
“Remembering that I'll be dead is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important” - Steve Jobs
Thank you for reading and I hope you have found this post helpful. I would be happy to read your comments if anything resonated with you from the post.
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In other news, I am a few weeks away from launching my podcast. I have always been a big believer in the power of conversations to inspire, enlighten and transform lives and for many years, I have toyed with the idea of starting a podcast.
I am looking forward to having a platform for having open and honest conversations with amazing guests on various life topics; with the desire to inspire, educate, empower and motivate listeners.
Big shoutout to Kay for pushing me to execute this time around.
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Have a great week
This was such a good read. I was just discussing this with my sister earlier this week. Thank you for putting it down so well in writing.
Thank you for this post!!! You’ve shared very deep lessons with us……I’m already motivated to read the book.