What I am about to share with you may feel contrary to all that you know. All that society has taught you. However, what follows can bring you more peace than all your seeking put together. We are conditioned to think that we are not enough, that we have to change in some way to become something better; to do more and if we do, our reward of a better life, peace, and happiness will come.

Have you ever wondered what makes us think this way?

When in fact, what we seek we already have, but we cannot see it because of all our conditioning, busyness, and misguided thinking.

All the searching you have done, even all the letting go, and healing has not led you to the place you seek.  Has it? There always seems to be more letting go, healing and seeking to do on your spiritual path and in this life.

So what is the answer? First, begin the New Year by setting aside some time to be quiet. I know that many of you find this hard to do because you think that you must stop all thought to meditate, to be quiet. However, this is not true. You do not have to quit thinking, just let your thoughts be. Do not follow your thoughts; let them float by without attachment. Can you become the watcher of your thoughts, rather than the thinker? This may seem like an unusual request but try it.

Remember that when you were born, you had to learn to walk. You did not come out of the womb wearing track shoes and running. Therefore, be patient with yourself because you will attach to the thoughts that say you are not doing it right, you do not know how or that you do not understand.

These are the thoughts you want to watch float by, by becoming the watcher. From this place and with practice you will begin to reconnect with the real you — the one that lies beneath all the conditioning, beliefs, and ideas that you have accumulated over the years. This is who you have become, and it is not who you are; it is not the real you.

In addition, throughout your day be with what is. Do not wish things to be different. Do not try to make them different, become the watcher. This may not be easy at first for some of you, but I can assure you, this intention to breathe the life of each moment just as it is has what you seek already in it.

If you find yourself getting frustrated, notice that you are no longer watching and that you have started running with your thoughts again. Take a breath, reset your intention and become the watcher. Every time you notice that your thoughts have carried you away, bring yourself back. It is natural at the beginning for your thoughts and habits to take you elsewhere. So be gentle with yourself when this happens to you, take a deep breath and become the watcher.

Remember, you are not your thoughts or habits, and they are not in charge of you. Bring yourself back to the calm and peaceful being that you are deep within and feel the presence of the real you once again. This ongoing, even intermittent practice and experience with presence is all that is needed to feel and experience this higher truth for yourself.

I want you to experience this for yourself because this is the only way it becomes real for you. Books and teachers can only point the way you must allow peace back into your life, and no one can do that for you. You must have a desire to experience it for yourself and be willing to practice. You cannot fail when you remain steadfast to your unbending intention to experience more peace in your life and to live in the now, to live life with presence.

If you have questions, please contact me, you are not alone, and I am here to help in any way I can. May the New Year bring you peace. In Love and light – Tim