A New Earth By Eckhart Tolle

I have read the entire book and I wanted to reach out and get other peoples opinions on it. I recomend it.

Here is mine:

In itself I agree with the concept. It's not new and I was expecting some sort of "new enlightenment" and I was a bit disappointed when I realized there was none. At least not for me. I do feel it is a path to calmness and serenity especially for those that do not have the key to get there on their own. But reading it and "getting it" I am not sure go hand in hand. I think that "getting it" is a journey in ones self. If it was as easy as reading a book everyone could do it.

In my teens, 20's and early 30's I could never understand the "don't sweat the small stuff" concept. My mentor even gave me the book of the same title. For the life of me I couldn't "get it". I now get it. I get the living in the "now".

What is your struggle?

What I have always struggled with is "NOW I am pissed, angry, upset etc" I think what I have learned over the years and its been a lifetime for sure is there will always be circumstances that put me a place of anger or being upset, disappointed etc. No matter how many books you read nothing will "make you" or get you to the point of not being bothered by circumstances that are out of your control. For me the key has been to recognize that, ok... it happened but how do I react to it?  I can still get mad or upset but now I hold on to that for MUCH LESS time than before. In years past I could hang on to anger for weeks, months, years. Now, it is minutes or hours. I do find now that sometimes things happen and I can pretty much give it no reaction at all.  The funny thing about my non-re-activeness to circumstances is that some people view it as NOT CARING. That is not the case. I do still care but I just don't see the point in investing so much energy in "reacting" to what happened.

How long is the journey?

This has been a journey. No amount of people in my life that already "got it" and those telling me about it, trying to get me to "get it" or reading any book helped. It is a place I traveled to and arrived at. It is a shame that I couldn't read a book and whola! It would have been nice to be "fixed" along time ago. But it's been a 40 year journey. Why are some people's journeys longer than others? Is it maturity? Just growing up? If it was as easy as reading a book why don't we hand them out in kindergarten, "See Jane not get mad, See Jane live in the NOW." Why are these concepts not universally taught at a young age?  Would it matter? Would the human experience be different? Would there still be people that get it and people that don't or wont or can't?  

How do you handle "problems" in business?

I truly focus on the solutions to problems when they occur. If a setback happens in business I know many people that bitch, gripe, moan and complain about what happened instead of just saying, "OK this is what happened, it doesn't matter whose fault it was, let's just find the solution." 

I have been lucky in business in the fact that I have always loved what I did for a living.  I have been successful in the results aspect of whatever it was I was doing. This doesn't mean that I have not had to work for complete lunatics along the way that absolutely held me back with their neuroses and caused me great pain personally. Believe me they did. But I was still able to get "results".  But it took its toll on my personally.  I "survived" and I can now appreciate the circumstances because it actually made me a better person.

NOW I ONLY focus on the positive; I don't allow others to pull me down worrying about what may happen etc. I just move forward with my own agenda and the world moves with me. In business it has been natural and a place where I have always excelled.

Living in the NOW is personal...

In my personal life I pretty much am the same way, NOW. One of the hardest parts of life is if your personal circle of people is not on the same mode of thinking as you.  If your spouse doesn't "get it" it can prove difficult. They either counter act what you are doing by their negativity they pull you in the wrong direction or they counter act it and you stay still. I practice the law of attraction and my spouse is what he calls a "realist" he wont get excited about something until he knows it is happening. I get excited in order to make it happen.  When I am in my excited mode and he is not I tell him he is screwing up my "secret".  If he would be on the get excited band wagon with me we would accomplish more much faster. I NOW can love someone for who they are even if they don't have the same beliefs. I have faith that they too will learn to live in the NOW.

How does this apply to your kids?

If I could only get the teenager to get into the NOW and being positive.  That would be a modern day miracle. I can't write much about this subject. It is difficult at best.

ALL in ALL

I truly hope this book can be used as a "revelation" for those that need it and are open to it.  I think this is another "tool" that will help people get to the end result of their own personal journeys. Many times in my life I have made HUGE changes as fast as turning on a light switch and I KNOW that is how fast change can happen. But it doesn't always.

I have noticed that NOW is part of KNOW. Getting to the NOW and KNOWING is the journey. The journey can be a lifetime or it can happen in an instant.