“Do one thing at a Time, and while doing it put your whole Soul into it to the exclusion of all else.”
– Swami Vivekananda
How many of us can say that we do one thing at a time?
Perhaps this is the essence of life.
I don’t mean that you do one actual thing i.e. wash the dishes. I mean you invest your physical, emotional and spiritual self in the one thing you’re doing right now, even if that is nothing.
Let’s face it, even when we’re doing one thing, we are only interested in the result, not the doing/non-doing.
Also, we’re consumed by thoughts… which endlessly take us somewhere else.
Our culture has changed beyond all recognition in the last 50 years. The quickening pace of life has affected us in so many ways. In fact, if we’re not running hot in everything we do – ‘more’ being the operative word – then we think ourselves a failure.
Don’t consider what you’re going to get by doing what you’re doing.
Do it as if nothing else matters, even if that’s the most mundane thing on the planet.
The thing is if you can develop this one-pointedness then you will find it helps to quieten your mind. And when your mind is quiet, your whole being will feel different. I don’t mean trance-like, but there will exist an unbundled joy of living.
I’m sure we’ve all read our fair share of blogs or books that promote a bias for action as the only way to success, but what none of them recognise is how debilitating it can be to think about all that you need to do, constantly.
I’m advocating a way of doing that doesn’t look beyond the here and now. There is no planning. No getting anything. There is only now.
As I’ve said many times before, I have no right to call on you to do anything, but all I would ask you to consider is the extent to which our busyness is adding to our happiness or making us live more stressful, wearisome lives.
If you’re able to do one thing at a time then the real you would come shining through.
Doing one thing at a time is hardly a new idea. But it’s so poorly understood and practiced that perhaps it’s about time you looked at your behaviour and considered if you’re more interested in getting something or becoming something, rather than allowing yourself to bask in the fragrance of this moment.
Awareness of now
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