Over the years, I have found peace and comfort by listening to a meditation practice podcast called, First This.  

On one of her episodes, Kathryn Nicolai said in essence, in order to handle the overwhelming never-ending stuff in our lives, we should do, First This, Then That. Meaning, just focus on one thing at a time, do that well, then do the next. Hmm! 

Ester (and Jerry) Hicks, an American Inspirational speaker, channeler, and author of nine books, and author of the 2006 movie “The Secret”-says the same thing. It’s difficult to paddle our canoes upstream, or go against or resist the current. The more we try, the harder the river resists. Sometimes, our paddles flip out of the canoe and get stuck in the mud. Or, if we aren’t careful, our canoe may flip temporarily upside down leaving us to gasp for much-needed air.  

Isn’t it much easier to paddle when our canoe is going with the current instead of against it? 

Yep! Yet, sometimes our egos think they know best.  

I know how to handle that problem! 

It’s easy! 

You just have to do … 

I’m sure you’ve done this type of thinking! I know I have. And, I know trying to do everything at once only causes me to get overwhelmed. But, when I do First This, Then That, breathing in the silence, I’m able to float down the river with ease. I notice I take time to pause, look at the surroundings, take in the beauty, and enjoy the amazing ride before me. 

Deepak Chopra, an Indian American Author, new-age guru, and alternative medicine advocate, calls this, putting it in the gap. In other words, let go! Let go of what you have to do. Let go of the should(s). Let go of worries. Let go of the struggle. What is down the river isn’t your concern in the here and now today. Your only concern is to focus on paddling. 

How many times have you struggled to do it all right now? 

Are there too many things piled high on your plate? 

You know, the only way to eat a bowl of popcorn is one piece at a time. Cramming two or more handfuls of popcorn into your mouth at once usually doesn’t work well. 

The challenge is to pause, breathe, let go, and enjoy the river and its offerings. Only after a long moment, pick up your paddle. Try focusing on one thing at a time., What’s downstream is downstream. Do First This, then This again, and this again will keep you focused. Soon, you’ll notice that yourThat’s, which were once in the future is now in your past. In flowing with your river of life, doing First this, then that, you’ll notice you’re not flowing against the current. You are now flowing with the current and you are now changing the way you see and you are now changing the way you live.