Being in Time: An Introduction
Happy Truth Thursday Friends,
A few days ago, I learnt that I had not been accepted for the PhD program to which I had applied. What followed was an immediate feeling of dread - what is going to happen now? I was a bit worried, maybe more than a bit anxious, and just before I spiralled into a long train of unproductive and miserable thoughts, I caught myself.
The truth of the matter is that for whatever reason, I am not suitable for the position, or the position at that particular institution, is not suitable for me. So, it would be unwise to give this school full responsibility over the success of my career, as I had done in the past with other job/school applications. What I mean is that I can’t define my success on the basis of my acceptance or rejection to a position, because in that case, I have no control over what is successful and what is not successful in my life and am thus unable to take full responsibility for it.
I had to remember that my career is my doing and not theirs. So, it would be most unproductive of me to start blaming this or that or wallowing in self-pity. I am doing my best to stop wondering how I will ever get into a program like that because I understand that I create my future and I do not want to create the future I most fear by dwelling on it. Finally, I am reminding myself that this is not the end of the road, just a tiny stone that I need to ignore and keep moving along my way, or perhaps even a guide to the path that is most suitable for me. I quickly forgot about the rejection, even though I had prayed for this offer for months. I have decided to put my energy into focusing on what is in front of me right now – finishing my last semester at school, and preparing myself for that opportunity that is truly mine.
In the past, this would not have been the case. I would have sulked and lamented for days, wasting the precious energy I needed to face my current responsibilities. I would have thought about how much I had failed myself by not being good enough for the role. I would have identified myself with that failure and begun a cycle of self-pity and stagnation, making me even less prepared for the other opportunities that would have eventually come my way. And the cycle would have continued, as it has for many years in my life. But now, I have learnt about responsibility, fearlessness and consistency and for the first time I am focusing on being, that is, consciously taking the actions that are driven by who I am, or who I want to be.
If you adopt this approach, the next time you face a disappointment or stumbling block, or things just do not go in the exact way you want or planned for them to go, you will be able to control your reactions in such a way that reminds the universe, and yourself, of who you are, where you are going, and the fact that you are still making your way towards that destination. You will be able to focus on being who you are, regardless of the regrets of your past, the fears of your future and the difficulties and distractions in the present moment. In essence, you will have learnt how to Be In Time.
Being in Time is a way of being that will take us all on the journey to becoming our true selves - free of baggage, worry, fear and full of love, clarity and purpose. This is not about helping you to set goals or telling you what to do with your life. It is an offer, a suggestion of a guide to being.
This is what Being In Time is exactly:
BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR MY PAST
BEING FEARLESS ABOUT MY FUTURE
BEING CONSISTENT IN MY PRESENT
We will walk together on this journey, not with any prior knowledge or experience, but with faith, trust and obedience to the guide within each and every one of us.
In the course of the next month, we will talk about these three fundamental ways of being - what they are, why they are important and how they all come together to form a purposeful way of life.
You can expect that, if you remain committed to Being in Time, you will have a new take on life that is more true to yourself and more conducive to your progress as a human being.
We will start this first month by explaining what these three ways of Being in Time mean. More specifically:
· Next week, February 7, we will discuss Being responsible for my past
· February 14: Being fearless of my future
· February 21: Being Consistent in my present
· February 28: Tying it all together
I will draw examples from my experience and that of others I have come across, with the hope that you will identify with the concepts better. In subsequent months, I will go deeper into each of these three ways of being, with further explanations, illustrations and exercises to help us practice this new consciousness.
I have a desire to make this blog more interactive, engaging and community-based. So that is another thing in the works. In the meantime, I encourage you to mail me by responding to the mail (if this comes to your inbox) or going to the contact page of this website. I am excited that the blog is slowly beginning to evolve and welcome all suggestions.
I really hope you participate in this and benefit from it, as I plan to. Even if you don’t start with us today, the knowledge will always be here and available for you to come to in the future.
I am excited about this journey beginning. It is my prayer that, at some level, it is found useful and impactful even beyond this blog i.e. you are able to practice these things and pass along to others.
Next week, we start with “Being Responsible for my past”
Until then, think about what these ways of being mean to you.
Please email me your responses as soon as you can!
Love,
O.F.P.
P.S. YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS WEEK IS TO WRITE DOWN AND, IF YOU WANT, EMAIL ME WHAT BEING IN TIME MEANS TO YOU, GIVEN THE THREE WAYS OF BEING BRIEFLY INTRODUCED ABOVE. I LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR RESPONSES!
Pps: It has been over a year since I wrote this post and I am happy to say that being responsible, fearless and consistent paid off. A few months ago, I got accepted into Princeton for my PhD. I could not have dreamed up a better program if I tried. Generous funding, and full flexibility to do whatever I want to do … look at God :D