“Centered and uncentered are useful words that conjure a way of dividing our experiences into the kinds that we want to nurture and the kinds that we hope to avoid. We prefer to feel less scattered, chaotic, distracted, anxious, nervous, irritable, and unsettled. We would like to marshal our inner resources, focus our attention, make strong decisions, and act when action is required.”
Eric Maisel, author of “Ten Zen Seconds”
If you’ve participated in one of my workshops or had me in your home as a Feng Shui practitioner or organizer, you have heard me talk about the importance of centering within your space. You have heard me use words like “awareness,” “mindfulness,” and “intention.” And you’ve been encouraged to see yourself as an intrinsic part of the equation when taking any action to create a more centered – and centering – home or workplace.
When you are not centered, you do not get to be part of the equation. Everything and everyone else does!
On Wednesday, May, 16 – coincidentally the center of the week – Dr. Eric Maisel will be visiting my blog to answer questions about his new book, Ten Zen Seconds, in which he offers simple yet powerful approaches to centering.
Simple approaches. Nothing mysterious. Nothing high-maintenance. And yet …
“Most people don’t know how to center themselves and simply hope and pray their anxiety, agitation, and confusion will pass of its own accord.” E.M.,“Ten Zen Seconds”
Pass of its own accord? We all know a little about how well that approach works.
“A large majority of people do not even recognize they’re uncentered; they either accept their rushed, harried, fractured state as the norm or misname their uncenteredness as personal style. They think of themselves as “just anxious,” “overly sensitive,” “obsessive-compulsive,” “a worrier,”… not realizing that their uncenteredness is a state and not a trait.” E.M.,“Ten Zen Seconds”
A state and not a trait? Well put! Wish I had said that.
“Some try to alter their state of uncenteredness chemically, risking addiction and achieving something very different from the experience of centeredness.” E.M.,“Ten Zen Seconds”
Been there, too. And before you skip to the next paragraph, thinking this one doesn’t apply to you, don’t forget food, shopping, and chocolate in excess are chemically altering experiences that can come with some pretty unsettling consequences. Nothing like the adrenaline rush gotten from a trunk full of yard sale or thrift store bargains – until you get home and have no place to put it all. (That’s where the chocolate comes in – and a cup of coffee while you figure out how you are going to hide your stash from me when I come over to help you get organized.)
Nuff said? Come back on Wednesday, May 16th and pick up some valuable tips while Eric focuses on mindfulness techniques for those of us going through life transitions such as separation, divorce, career changes – and offer some insights on how to inspire more passion and creativity in your life. See you Zen!
