To Drift?

We are never without a pilot. When we know not how to steer, and dare not hoist a sail, we can drift ... The ship of heaven guides itself, and will not accept a wooden rudder. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

U. S. Andersen writes in his book The Magic in Your Mind, "Shakespeare's Hamlet in his famed soliloquy pondered, `To be or not to be,' and thus faced squarely the primary challenge of life. Most people only exist, never truly are at all. They exist as predictable equations, reacting rather than acting, walking compendiums of aphorisms and taboos, reflexes and syndromes. Surely the gods must chuckle at the ironic spectacle of robots fancying themselves free, but still, when finally the embodied consciousness rises above the pain-pleasure principle of nature, the true meaning of freedom is made apparent at last."

We all exist to some extent in the manner that Andersen describes, as mechanical robots reacting to everything life throws our way—reacting, overreacting, consumed by all the external happenings in our life, living life entirely by our five senses. The question we have to ask ourselves is, how long are we going to live like this? How long are we going to be mechanical robots? How long are we going to drift through life? Without question, I have had far more times of drifting in my life than times of action. I think this holds true for most of us. Many of you may be offended by this statement and feel that you have no time to drift, that you work hard, that you are always busy, and that drifting is the last thing you'd have time for.

But even though much of your "busyness" may be necessary, it could also be considered a form of drifting. The reason I say this is because in most cases, very little creativity comes forth when you are constantly doing. Your mind is preoccupied with all the things you have to do. The never-ending to-do list in your mind is always unfurling.

In Christian McEwen's book World Enough and Time, writing about the artist Paulus Berensohn, the artist is quoted as saying, "`Creativity can be very fast and very spontaneous.' But first there had to be time to dream and drift, to listen and attend. 'Imagination comes into us before it comes out of us. It is a receptive, a feminine process ... imagination for me requires slowness; slow and savor.'"

It's easy to fall into this trap of doing. It makes you feel productive accomplishing daily tasks, checking items off your to-do list, running from here to there at a frantic pace, always racing the clock to get things done. We all do this, and it is a necessary part of life.

There is also a feeling of importance that comes along with being busy. I must be an important person, because I am so busy. You hear it all the time: "I'm too busy now." "I don't have time to do that." "I'm crazy busy." You receive Christmas letters from people who talk about how busy they have been the past year and how quickly the year went by. The primary message for the entire year is how busy they were.

Obviously, it would be a pretty boring Christmas message if they wrote about how they drifted all year and did absolutely nothing! But drifting and slowing down are also a necessary part of life, and we all need that. It is during this drifting or slowing-down time that creativity and genius will surface. It's a time to let your mind be still and open to universal intelligence.

We all have things we have to do, and as you will read in the next chapter, busyness and taking action are necessary if you ever want to fulfill your dreams and desires. But slowing down, taking time for yourself, being alone, drifting, will give you access to your greatest powers, ideas, revelations, and creativity.

How often have you heard someone say, "I know you're busy, but ... can I take a few minutes of your time?" That one really makes you feel important. I am so busy that I can't give someone else any of my time! How special does that make you feel? I can't give another person any of my time because it is far too valuable, and I am too important!

I have employees come into my office all the time who say this very thing: "I know you're very busy, but ..." and I always tell them, "No, I am not busy." As a matter of fact, I am probably the least busy person in the company. But I don't tell them that!

It is rare now to find anyone in an airport who isn't talking on a cell phone, texting, checking e-mails—all way too busy to have any idle time, any time to pause and reflect. To observe. To take in the sights, the sounds, the beauty. Today's technology has given us a way to escape the present moment. It's like an addiction, and if you took away the toys, what would the addict do? Alone with yourself and your thoughts! Could there be any worse punishment? And yet, as will be shown, this is the place you need to go. It's where all your creativity arises, where the greatest ideas and thoughts come from.

Dr. Joseph Murphy, in his book The Miracles of Your Mind, writes that author "Elbert Hubbard declared that his most important ideas came while he was relaxed, or working in the garden, or going for a walk; the reason being when the conscious mind is relaxed, the subjective wisdom comes to the fore. There are oftentimes inspirational uprushes when the conscious mind is completely relaxed."

Today's technology is a wonderful tool and has given us access and the ability to work from an airport or almost anywhere in the world. When I am in the airport, I do the same thing. I use my cell phone, check e-mails—it's a great place to get caught up on your work. But I also spend time doing nothing. Don't be afraid to sit quietly and observe. Walk the terminal with no agenda. The answers you were looking for on a particular business problem or personal issue may come to you as you stroll through the airport with nothing on your mind. You may come up with the perfect response for an e-mail that's been troubling you. And even though you may feel that you are not being productive because you aren't checking e-mails, texting, or talking on your cell phone, you might be pleasantly surprised at the revelations that come to you.

I am not telling you this so that you will drop everything and start drifting through life. There is nothing wrong with being on the go, talking on your cell phone, running errands, taking care of life. We all have things we have to do, and despite how boring or mundane they may seem, they still need to get done. I do the same thing every day. But rarely does anything great ever come to us when we are constantly doing.

Now, if you are working on a project, business idea, work-related project, book, painting, athletic endeavor, pursuit of a dream, and you are busy and doing for the sake of trying to make your dream a reality, that is not drifting. From my perspective, there are three types of drifting. Two you might want to avoid, but the third may work to your advantage.

The first type of drifting is being an actual drifter. In this country, such individuals may also go by the name of vagabond, bum, or homeless. Many of these drifters are forced into a life of drifting because of life circumstances. There are obviously many reasons why people find themselves in this position (joblessness, no family, health issues, mental illness). And there also may be a few who have chosen this lifestyle—a lifestyle in which they report to no one and have no boss. To them, it may be their freedom.

Eastern cultures have monks, sages, yogis, and gurus. These people could also be viewed as drifters, especially from the viewpoint of Western culture. Most Eastern drifters have chosen their lifestyle, many on a quest to seek enlightenment. They understand there is a need for stillness, to be alone, to meditate. It is their lifelong quest. And maybe some of the drifters in this country are also on a personal journey of enlightenment, despite not being in a cave or sitting in the lotus position. Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now and other great works, spent two years sitting on a park bench before he was "enlightened." He gave up what seemed to be a fruitful career in academia to sit on a park bench. For two years! That is one serious meditation session. He may have been one of the lucky ones in that it only took two years, whereas for many drifters, it takes a lifetime. Or maybe they are the lucky ones?

This book is not about critiquing lifestyles. We are all free (if we know it) to choose whatever we want to do with our lives. It's one of the greatest freedoms we have. I will say that there is an element of freedom that drifters have in their lives that has always been intriguing and fascinating to me. I think it would make an interesting book to go to different cities throughout the country and interview some of these drifters to find out if they were forced into a life of drifting or chose it themselves. As an entrepreneur and a risk-taker, I have always felt there is a fine line between being successful and being on the streets with my fellow drifters.

The second type of drifting is being constantly on the go, doing the same habitual things that you do every day—never taking time for yourself, an endless doing all day long. Even though you may feel that you are successful, have provided for your family, have a nice home, new cars, and a decent job, deep down there is something in you that wants something different, something greater. But you have fallen into the belief that this is your lot in life, your destiny, the way it's meant to be, and that you are unable to control your fate. You are drifting through life. By all outward appearances, you seem to be successful, but on the inside there is a burning desire for something different. You want something different and better, but you just keep drifting.

The third type of drifting—and the drifting that I feel is not only necessary but the most important form of drifting—is the time we take for ourselves because we know there is more to life than what we have experienced so far, that we want something far greater. We know we have this greatness in us but are not sure how to bring it out. This type of drifting is why we take sabbaticals from work, retreats, leaves of absence, time away. It's a time to reflect and contemplate life, to meditate. It's a time to discover your true dreams and desires instead of those imposed on you. To experience solitude. To be quiet. To "be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). It's a time for your greatest creativity, thoughts, and discoveries. It's a time to become the real and greatest you.

As shown in these quotes and throughout the book, the genius in you will come during these times of drifting, in times of solitude and usually in nature. It won't come to you when you are constantly doing, or in the boardroom with a room full of executives. It is the form of drifting that is necessary for all of us.

Unfortunately, we have grown up in a culture that embraces busyness as a sign of success, as a necessity. We see people dressed in business suits and business attire who are on their cell phones, Blackberries, laptops, all appearing to be extremely busy, and we have the perception that this is a sign of success. And there is a good chance they are successful in business, but are they truly successful? If you could ask them if what they are doing now is their lifelong goal, their ultimate dream—Are they happy and free? Are they excited to go to work every day?—most would probably tell you no. Despite all outward appearances of success, there is likely a longing in most of them for something different, something greater, something better, something that moves them. And yet they, too, drift on.

In his book Being in Balance, Dr. Wayne Dyer writes that, "When you live your life going through the motions, it may seem to be convenient, but the weight of your dissatisfaction creates a huge imbalance in the only life you have now. You're perplexed by the ever-present gnawing feeling of dissatisfaction that you can't seem to shake, that pit-of-the-stomach sensation of emptiness. It shows up when you're sound asleep and your dreams are filled with reminders of what you'd love to be, but you wake and return to pursuing your safe routine."

Technology has made our life much easier and more efficient, but as we are now more and more connected at all times, every spare moment we have is spent texting, checking e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, surfing the Web, leaving little time to be quiet, still, alone with our thoughts. You have to wonder how enlightened monks and sages would actually be if while they were meditating they were receiving and sending text messages and Tweets.

Great works of art, literature, poetry, music, business ideas, inventions—none of these came while these people were on their Blackberries, iPhones, or iPads. Perhaps fortunately for many of these people and for us, iPads and Blackberries were not invented when they came up with their masterpieces. Would Newton have ever discovered gravity while under the apple tree if he had been on his cell phone? When the apple hit him in the head while he was on his cell phone, he would have probably just been annoyed that the apple hit him and told whoever he was talking to about getting hit by an apple—and we might have been denied his wonderful discoveries. What if Leonardo da Vinci had been consumed by Facebook or cell phones? Or Michelangelo? Or Benjamin Franklin? Would we ever have been fortunate enough to witness their great works of art and inventions?

If you feel that any of this resonates with you, that your days are filled with a giant to-do list, that you never take any time for yourself, that you are continually doing all day long, then I suggest that you try drifting a little. It doesn't have to be anything drastic like quitting your job and sitting on a park bench for two years like Eckhart Tolle—even though that worked for him.

Then again, maybe you do need to sit on a park bench for a couple years—or a beach, a retreat in the mountains, whatever you do to get away. Only you will know. You can still be busy with your job and all of your activities, but take some time for yourself. Spend some time alone. Don't be afraid to be by yourself. I would also recommend meditation if you are able to meditate. Many people find it difficult to actually sit and do nothing. It's not easy to sit for any length of time watching your thoughts and breath with nothing to do. If you can start with short meditation sessions (five minutes) and slowly increase the time, that will help you adjust.

But you don't have to meditate. Being alone in nature, I believe, is just as effective. Running, walking, or sitting are great ways to experience time alone as well. The key is to do it daily if you can—even if it's for ten minutes in the morning or ten minutes in the evening, or both. Let the inspiration come to you in these quiet moments, because it certainly won't come to you when you're texting or checking e-mails.

I will close this section with an excerpt from Creativity Revealed by Scott Jeffrey:

We must rise above the drive of the ego to control every moment and lock us into an automaton-like state. Transcending this conditioning can help us produce works of ingenuity and originality ...

The "busyness syndrome," which we're all too familiar with, is a consequence of what some traditions call "Monkey Mind." Imaginary thoughts jumping from place to place, like a monkey swinging through the trees. Many of us live in Monkey Mind ...

Living in Monkey Mind, most of society shuts off its creative potential, slipping into a coma-like state suited for mindlessly watching television. Living in this state, a human being blocks the Light and therefore lacks ingenuity and inventiveness.

Are you living in Monkey Mind? Has it taken you anyplace great? Is it time to get out of Monkey Mind and the coma-like life you're living and tap into the universal intelligence that is available to all (in abundance) and yet used by so few? Isn't it time to take a little break from all the doing and let your true greatness have a chance to unfold? Maybe we are descendants of the apes, but we don't have to live like apes in zoos—unless, of course, we have allowed our Monkey Mind to put us there. Get out of the cage now and free yourself to your true potential. Let your genius emerge.