We’re celebrating Too Much on Her Plate Week from November 14-November 21, 2011. In honor of you, I’ve asked some of my favorite experts to donate gifts and giveaways designed to help you take charge of overwhelm, overload, and overeating AND help you create more ease, joy, and success in your life. Today’s guest post is by Paula Eder. To claim her free gift and choose from almost 20 others, go to http://TooMuchonHerPlateWeek.com between November 14-21, 2011.
Have you ever heard of strong time? It’s a powerful (and empowering) way of looking at time that the philosopher Mircea Eliade describes in his landmark book The Sacred and the Profane. He divides our experience of time into sacred and profane time and explores the profound transformation that occurs when people experience and embrace sacred time – or strong time – as he also calls it.
He calls strong time more “real” than profane time, though there is nothing wrong with profane time. It is linear and geared to practical problem solving. It’s well suited to many life tasks but it does not and cannot provide the experience of depth and meaning that is offered through the experience of strong time.
So, time management skills that increase your efficiency and help you attain your goals operate in the realm of profane time. Heart-based time management embraces those practical tools AND offers a path to an ever deepening experience of each moment, opening doors to strong time in your life.
Imagine giving yourself the gift of the time and space you need to expand, deepen, and recharge your energy? What if you gave that to yourself each and every day? Can you picture the powerful impact it would have?
Heart-based time management’s deepest and most powerful promises are tapped by opening to the vistas of your own unexplored potential. And you may be very surprised at how little time it actually takes to open yourself and experience your connection to strong time.
What is needed is your choice to take a moment and set down the daily demands that can be so all-consuming. Then take the brave and gentle risk of stopping, turning toward yourself for a moment, and stepping onto unfamiliar ground.
How?
Here are 3 Heart-Based Secrets to Creating Strong Time …
1. Create a vivid mental picture of what your best and deepest experience of time feels like.
Sharpen your image with these three questions:
• What moments fill my heart with wonder and appreciation?
• When do I feel both deeply rooted and free to explore?
• When do I embrace solitude yet feel deeply connected with others?
Whenever you fully immerse yourself in your present moment, you are giving yourself an opportunity to connect with strong time – the deepest experience of integration and renewal. Anyone and everyone can experience this wonderful depth and expansiveness.
2. Identify what activities help move you along the path of strong time.
Strong time is not about duration but about depth. You will find your own path into your own strong time. These ideas and activities can help you open the door to strong time:
• Turn inward to deeply relax.
• Let compassion soften and broaden your perspective.
• Actively appreciate yourself and others, simply for being.
How you do this is very personal. Some might restore themselves through deep quiet. Others access strong time while swimming, running, playing music, creating art or during moments of profound connection with nature. There is no right path – the key is to find your path.
3. Schedule time and space for strong time in your day.
Finding time is always a challenge. That’s why it’s so important to schedule this time – and then stick to your schedule. You might try creating a personal ritual to invite strong time into your life on a daily basis.
Remember, it’s not about the duration but the depth. Stopping to hear the wind moving through the trees can open you to strong time. And whenever you open to strong time, you are expanding your experience of time, of yourself … of everything that touches this moment in time.
So, how can you schedule strong time today to start exploring this heart-based path and letting yourself feel your deepest personal power?
