Real meaning of all

Following up with time management, I would like to tell you that recently, we at last bought a plasma TV.  It's shockingly slim, really, very flat and elegant  And I feel most of our present life is a bit like that: slim (life, not body!), elegant and... flat. At some point I have heard that the present society is a few inches thick and deep.

And the tendency is that things will go even flatter. Well, no problem with THINGS, but what about us? What about me?

I did try to watch House of Lies. As a business consultant, I should feel insulted by the few clips I've watched, but no, I think that is just a reflection of all that is going on around us.

And let's not talk about news in paper, TV, radio, INTERNET...!

So, what about this line of thought: if what all of us do is to spend more and more time, struggling to keep with the pace of situations, and if all situations are lacking of depth, why not associate these two things? Or: if I go deeper and deeper, perhaps I will spend less time and I will struggle less.

That's the essence of living spiritually in today's world. Although some people chose to isolate themselves, most of spiritual people nowadays live a normal life: they have to work hard, they have families to sustain, they reach success and they enjoy material things. Main difference is found in the attitude, as when a person is not working with his or her own spirituality they will do the same, but they will always want more and more. A spiritual person knows limits very well and at the same time, is not limited by anything except that she or he chooses.

Hummm... last phrase turned to be a little zen. Listen, I have been working out my spiritual muscles for 30 years, and I can feel the differences between people with a spiritual approach and people with a non-spiritual approach, and it is not so much visible. It is something invisible that is there, hidden in their eyes and their outlook. It is not their faith, or lack of faith, but it is merged in their actions, you can just feel!

Still zen? Anyway, when you start to realize the meaning of all (and I mean all: job, family, body, habits, desires, etc.), then you will start naturally to manage your time in a different way. It will be natural as you will know the importance of each thing and how much energy you can dedicate to that.

There are several tools for that and you can use them all at the same time, if you need it:

• Talk to someone wiser than you. Part of the path to manage your time includes of acknowledging others' wisdom. Have a nice dialogue with another person, check with him or her, their opinion about you and the way you spend your time. Listen deeply.
• Read books wisely. Most books in my life have taught something because I went after it, even very shallow stories. There is always something to learn if you are wise enough to learn from it.
• Contemplate. There are few experiences in life more gratifying than contemplative moments. And it is so easy, just stare at something and let your mind do the job, detaching you from the present situation and allowing you to merge in that you are looking at (or visualizing), and understanding its depth and significance.
• Meditate. Probably this is a few notches higher than contemplation as it is a deeper experience. Think of contemplation as watching a swimming pool and touching into it with the mind; meditation is jumping on that swimming pool fully with the mind.

Hope that works for you as it works for me. Take care!