The Power of Now still matters
I recently revisited an author who has seemed to have resurfaced and is making the rounds in this anxiety-ridden and stress-filled life we have gotten ourselves into. Eckhart Tolle wrote “The Power of Now” in 1997, and a companion piece, “Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises " in 2001. I remember reading The Power of Now in the early 2000’s and losing touch with the guidance Tolle tried to impart to me, as well as to thousands of others. I felt compelled to look him up again about a month ago and found in the companion piece in my local library.
My takeaway at this point in my life is that ‘we’ spend too much time thinking about the past (perhaps with regret) and planning (hence anxiety) for a future or path that may or may not happen. The hard part is to stay in the moment.
Tolle writes: ”Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life. Whereas before you dwelt in time and paid brief visits to the Now, have your dwelling place in the Now and pay brief visits to past and future when required to deal with the practical aspects of your life situations. Always say yes to present moments.”
Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But if you are anything like me, when I try to be still, there are so many items that bombard me: my own thoughts about what I need to do tomorrow, a week from now, or whenever! Maybe the phone rings, and I don’t have the willpower to just let it go to voicemail. Maybe my dog Callie is barking and I “need” to see what the commotion is, so I lose the presence of myself.
A solution to this dilemma, per Tolle is: Use your senses fully. Be where you are. Look around. Just look, don’t interpret. See the light, shapes, colors, and textures. Be aware of the silent presence of each thing. Be aware of the space that allows everything to be. Listen to sounds; don’t judge them. Listen to silence underneath the sounds. Touch something - anything- and feel and acknowledge its Being. Observe the rhythm of your breathing, feel the air flowing in and out, feel the life energy inside your body. Allow everything to be, within and without. Allow the “isness” of all things. Move deeply into the Now.
This paragraph really grounded me to be cognizant to stop and smell the roses, or even to stop and hear the roses! What I mean by that is even though Im writing this experience in the Spring of 2026, I'm listening to the wind pick up outside, I’m focused on the furnace making heating sounds, and I can even drill down to listening to my cat Luna purr. All surprisingly simple exercises, but also surprisingly bringing me to the present, the Now. When I'm focused on these sights, sounds, touch (Luna wants to be petted!), it is a peaceful, thoughtful experience.
My suggestion to you is to find some of the books by Eckhart Tolle and see if being in the Now can assist with your mind racing and hopefully reduce some of your anxiety. Start with as few as 5 minutes (set a timer) and just stop, listen, and observe the moment you are in. Let me know if Tolle’s guidance has assisted you. I'm going to continue Now observations as well.
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