Listen To This

In The Power of Now Eckart Tolle describes surrender, which he calls the final spiritual step in accepting the present moment, as listening instead of thinking. I believe this is true, and, interestingly, it’s also how I have always described writing. I don’t usually see writing as surrendering because not only is it something I’m doing, it’s also deliberately creative. When I think of surrender, I picture a serene stillness, the absence of any activity. Then again, for many years I also tied it to achievement, which was tied to victory, which seemed like the opposite of surrender.

I should say I believe Tolle described surrender this way because I didn’t technically read it, I had it read to me. Every morning after we meditate, my wife reads aloud from something uplifting. Sometimes, I must admit, my mind is rather active after meditation. Actually, sometimes it’s active during meditation. I do the best I can. And by active, of course, I mean thinking, following thoughts as they appear and begin their little journeys. If I’m honest, it’s how I spend most of my day.

The problem is that if I’m really thinking and my wife is reading, I don’t hear what she says. Our house is otherwise silent, her voice is loud and clear, my ears are working fine, but the words do not penetrate my consciousness. It turns out, I can either think or listen; I can’t do both. I’m pretty sure I was listening when she read that passage about surrender. I’m also pretty sure it immediately got me thinking about writing.

That’s okay. Where listening and thinking overlap is in the choice of thoughts we follow. When I write, I choose which little journey I want to take. This choice is best made in stillness, a state of mind where I can most easily perceive the direction a thought is taking me. That state of mind is surrender, being present without any judgment or objective, only full awareness. That’s the way I want to start every trip. I may not know where I’m going, but I’ll know how I got there when I arrive and how to return home should I want to.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt
You can find William at: williamkenower.com