Self Managing Emotions Using The “Power of Now”
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to exercise freedom of choice in my emotions over a fried but still under warranty laptop.
In a sense it was a good time to incorporate what Eckhart Tolle calls being in the NOW from his book “The Power of Now”. 
Experience is a wonderful teacher and I had learned that Plan B in the form of an external hard drive that automatically backed up all my data everyday to this “safe place” was good data management practice. Clever me or so I thought.
So on the Thursday when the laptop decided to suddenly die (as in not boot up), I was only mildly concerned.
Still under warranty-check, got external hard drive back up-check, got great service support from Chris and the crew at Compnow-check.
On Friday afternoon, I picked up my laptop complete with new hard drive replacement, went home to migrate my data back onto it.
This is where it got interesting; it stalled and duly informed me that there was NO external hard drive recognized.
It was one of those surreal moments where I could see all the data I had painstakingly accumulated (personal and professional) disappearing into cyberspace never to be seen again.
I did a mental calculation of the amount of time it would have had to take me to put together the digital files again-a month (if I worked on it 3 hours a day) for information that existed as hard copies.
More worryingly was the rest of the data that could not be replaced the word “priceless” came to mind).
A flurry of phone calls to Chris at Compnow and arrangements were made to have the external HD and laptop back with them first thing Monday morning to remedy the situation, provided the external HD had not been corrupted.
That left me with an entire weekend to contemplate my navel or play over and over again the worse case scenarios. Neither was palatable.
Instead, each time my thoughts turned to the dreaded “what if I have lost all my data” situation, I remembered that I had in each moment a choice.
I could either work myself up into a state of anxiety or breathe deeply and ask, “How am I feeling at the moment-has the sky fallen in?; am I still walking and talking?”
I firmly believe that where our attention goes, our energy flows.
I had a choice of whether I would to use my energy to feed my sense of well being, gratitude for what I already have and therefore lift my emotional and psychological state or direct my energy towards the highly unproductive doldrums and remain mired in the mud.
I had ALL weekend to do this, to practice conscious awareness of every moment of my day. Yeah, thank you Universe!
So, whenever I was reminded that my laptop was flat lining, I made the conscious decision to enjoy the moments of a work related dinner filled with interesting conversation with people from other cultures on that Friday evening.
Saturday morning-I made a conscious decision to have a relaxing coffee at my favorite local place, and really tasting the flavor of a well made coffee.
This was after the usual weekend grocery shopping expedition, but this time, I marveled and gave thanks that I had the financial means to shop and that there was a variety of fresh fruit and produce available.
And rather than go through the motions of loading up my trolley with the usual grocery items and in a sense sleep walk through the whole process I gave thanks and expressed gratitude for each moment.
Sunday was filled with much laughter and lunch with my retired folks who were heading off on their annual overseas holiday because I made a conscious decision to be present physically, mentally and emotionally to my folks.
Monday morning- bright and early at Compnow and a mildly tense wait to see if in fact the situation could be remedied or that it was off to the nearest pub to drown my sorrows.
Wonders of technology in the able hands of Chris meant that all was well and I left a happy and relieved customer. Data transfer complete and intact!
This was a lesson that was made available to me and it was that I had a choice as to how I wanted to respond in every minute. Powerful realization.
In the final analysis, this means that whichever situation we find ourselves especially those we consider negative or bad, we have the power of now.
For every human being there’s a freedom of choice. However, the more challenging a certain situation becomes, the more inner silence we need to preserve in order to realize, that we have the freedom to choose how to respond to a certain situation.
The author didn’t choose to become frustrated and dwell in angriness. Actually, there was much to worry about; not only a device that had broken down, but also an eventually loss of data, and the hours involved to rebuild them in case of definitive loss.
Instead of getting stuck in negative emotions, the author made a responsible choice to live in the moment. To live in the moment, means to have the ability to tap into the power of now. You will feel inner silence, inner peace, and gratitude; you will realize that things are as they are. The ancient Chinese Taoists called this “wu wei”. I inserted the explanation of wu wei below.
(Chinese: “nonaction”), in Chinese Taoism, the principle of yielding to others as the most effective response to the problems of human existence. Wu-wei does not mean total passivity. Rather, it is natural, nonaggressive behaviour that compels others (through shame, if for no other reason) to desist voluntarily from violence or overly aggressive conduct. Taoism, therefore, is not indifferent to violence, for it counters violence in its own paradoxical way. Ideally, Taoists do not argue or debate. They rely on proper timing to set forth what they believe to be true, and they speak out against unseemly conduct only when their words are likely to be heeded. Taoists view laws and controls as undesirable repressions of human nature. For them a society with the fewest controls governs itself best. Wu-wei is thus regarded as the secret to human happiness, for through “nonaction” all things can be accomplished.
In other words, it’s not appropriate to panic and stress out. Stay calm, and in the state of calmness you will feel gratefulness, and you will be aware of the options available to solve any problem as well.
“Reflect each day on all you have to be grateful for and
you will receive more to be grateful for.” – Chuck Danes
Well said!