大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Steve Taylor

Good Morning

About ten years ago I attended my PhD graduation ceremony with my family. It was a bright summer鈥檚 day in Liverpool, and it felt wonderful to share such a beautiful occasion with my loved ones. Midway through the ceremony I started thinking about my life, and the journey that had led me to a PhD. For a moment, I felt a sense of pride, which somehow diluted the purity of the occasion, bringing a sense of heaviness. I felt the past intruding, taking me away from the present.

So I decided I was going to leave the past to one side, to forget my story, and give my whole attention to the present. In doing so, I felt a sense of lightness and freedom.

Of course, it鈥檚 fine to feel a sense of achievement, and to congratulate ourselves for attaining our goals. But we shouldn鈥檛 become so immersed in our stories that we lose touch with the present.

What is your story? Perhaps you carry a story of success and think of yourself as a significant and special person. Or perhaps your story is a negative one, full of disappointment and discord. Perhaps this negative story makes you feel frustrated, or brings low self-esteem.

But ask yourself: where is my story right now? Where are my achievements? Where is my success and status? Where are my failures and disappointments? Where are my painful memories? Where are my ambitions for the future?

None of them are here. All that exists right now is your experience of the present moment, independent of the past and future.

So today, leave your story to one side. Step out of the past, into the present. Let go of your story as you would let go of a dream, when you know it鈥檚 time to wake up.

Blessings.

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