You are right where you need to be

What if your purpose was to be right here, right now, doing exactly what you are doing?

I invite you to close your eyes, take a nice deep inhale, long slow exhale, repeat that question and notice what comes up for you.

For me, it was a sense of peace. It felt like someone removed the 20-pound sandbag that’s been sitting on my shoulders. It took the pressure off. The pressure that I put on myself to have everything figured out. The pressure I feel to look or be a certain way. The pressure I put on myself to be a perfect human, doing all of the things that I’m supposed to be doing.

I often remind myself. We are human beings, not human doings. We are meant to be ourselves and enjoy the present moment. We don’t actually have to do all of the things that society tells us to do. In fact, most of the time, it would be better if we didn’t.

Here’s a little excerpt from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

“Carl Jung tells in one of his books of a conversation he had with a Native American chief who pointed out to him that in his perception most white people have tense faces, staring eyes, and a cruel demeanor. He said: ‘They are always seeking something. What are they seeking? The whites always want something. They are always uneasy and restless.’ . . .

So how can we be free of this affliction?

Make it conscious. Observe the many ways in which unease, discontent, and tension arise within you through unnecessary judgement, resistance to what is, and denial of the Now. Anything unconscious dissolves when you shine the light of consciousness on it.”

Eckhart goes on to recommend monitoring your mental-emotional state to uncover the moments when you feel uneasy or restless. Encouraging us to look inside and see what we are avoiding, resisting, or denying in the present moment.

With that in mind, let’s revisit the initial question one more time.

What if your purpose was to be right here, right now, doing exactly what you are doing?

What would it feel like if you didn’t have to strive or prove or fit in or stand out? What if you didn’t have to figure everything out and you could be present with the lessons you are currently learning? Not judging them as good or bad. Simply observing them as human experiences to learn a little bit more about your true self.

I invite you to take that one step further and consider what would you do differently, right now in this very moment if you didn’t have to worry about the future or the past?

Give yourself permission to fully experience the person you are today. Not the person you have been and not the person you are going to be. Focus on the person sitting here right now, reading this article.

What is she like?

What does she feel?

What does she appreciate?

What is she craving?

What is she learning about herself?

I also invite you to take a moment and send your love and gratitude to this amazing being. The one who has been through so much. The lessons learned. The celebrations and the failures. Everything that has led you to becoming the beautiful human that you are right now in this very moment.

Here are two integration practices for incorporating this perspective into your daily life.

Turn it into a mantra or affirmation. Write the words “I am right where I need to be” in a place that you will see them regularly. If those words don’t resonate with you, choose the phrase that does. Repeat the phrase internally or out loud whenever you begin to sense that feeling of discomfort or unease.

You can also practice sitting with the mantra. Say the words internally or out loud and notice how your body responds. Notice the thoughts that arise. Notice the messages that appear in the world around you. Begin keeping track of the physical, mental and emotional responses in a journal. After you have accumulated a number of entries, go back and revisit your notes to see if there are any trends or shifts.

You are allowed to grow. You are also allowed to rest and let go. Find what you need by listening to your heart and trust that you will always be right where you need to be, doing exactly what you need to be doing. There is no wrong way to be a human. There are a countless number of paths in the human experience, but they will all lead you home to your true self.