 Until recent years, I spent most of my adult life being over-busy and over-committed. I always loved my work - first as a writer and clinical psychologist, then as a spiritual teacher - but I couldn’t seem to get my life into balance.
My personal life was often non-existent, since there was little space for ‘me’ in my schedule. Gradually I observed that I seemed to switch between two different time cycles. One cycle felt exhausting and fairly fruitless, while the other was creative and joyful.
Hard time
The first cycle - what I call living in Hard Time - felt like a downward spiral, full of struggle, ‘efforting’ and busywork. It felt heavy and cluttered. There were diary-packed stretches of over-commitment which felt rushed and pressurising, punctuated by periods of attempted recovery or ‘relaxation’ which were empty and frustrating. I felt like a hamster treading a wheel - trying harder and harder to get who-knows-where, and always falling short. I felt disembodied and disconnected. I was often tense, anxious or guilt-ridden, and yet efforts to ‘try even harder’ or catch up on the backlog just seemed to make things worse. Despite all this, Hard Time had an addictive quality which kept hooking me back in.
Soft time
The second cycle - living in Soft Time - was a different, almost timeless world. It involved intensely creative and fulfilling periods when everything seemed to flow, when I felt inspired, heart-centred and soul-ful - along with blissful periods of simply relaxing and being-in-the-moment. Life seemed much simpler, and yet far richer.
As I became more aware of these two cycles in my own life, I began to wonder what the secret was to living in Soft Time. I slowly became aware of the ‘hooks’ which pulled me back into Hard Time, and discovered ways of shifting - sometimes instantly - from one time cycle to the other. Eventually I found that I stayed in Soft Time almost permanently - and as I stopped trying so hard and being so busy-busy, my life was gradually transformed. My outer life changed to reflect my new contentment: I moved to the heart of the Lake District, fell in love, married and (at the age of 41) became a mother.
We don’t have to have a hard time!
I felt pretty sure that these two time-cycles, or states of awareness, were universal - and that anyone who was having a Hard Time could learn to live in Soft Time instead. Sure enough, when I began to teach the concepts in my 'Living Magically' workshops, people quickly identified with these two modes of being - and began to use the ideas in their everyday lives. There are difficult periods in everyone’s life, and some stress - such as that of bereavement - is an unavoidable part of being human. However, the vast majority of our stress is self-created and unnecessary. It comes from living in Hard Time. It saps our energy, distracts us from our higher purpose, makes us fuss and fret about trivia, and blocks our enjoyment of life - and if we make life difficult for ourselves, it also rebounds on our family, friends and everyone around us.
When we live in Soft Time, life’s challenges become much more worthwhile and positive. We feel more present and alive. We tap into our inner wisdom with ease. We are more focused and creative, and perform at our peak - whatever the task. Work feels like play. Life seems simple, unhurried and carefree. We live in wonder and delight. We are always in the right place at the right time - and everyday life is full of joy and delight.
In Soft Time, enough is enough and less is more. It feels uplifting and deeply satisfying, yet almost effortless. It is a song of the soul. There is room to breathe and space to move and dance. Living in Soft Time also releases our true potential. It means we live a meaningful and purposeful life - a life that really makes a difference. The world of Soft Time is an upward, expanding spiral. It is ‘living in the 4th dimension’. It is heaven on earth.
From Pure Bliss, © 1999 by Gill Edwards, published in the UK by Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd.
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