What is the Power of Impermanence?

Eastern philosophy talks about the impermanence of all things. That is the people in our lives, the places that we live, the experiences that we find ourselves in - are always changing. We can also look to the stars in the sky, the trees in the forests, the cells in our bodies. Everything is coming and going - being born and dying. It applies to everything in the physical realm and to all of human experience. Even in the West, Heraclitus said "the only constant in life - is change."

At times, this can feel like a very harsh reality. But change is truly something that would be helpful for all of us to embrace. For it is in change that we have the opportunity to create what we want in each moment. It is in essence the foundation from which growth and expansion - is able to spring forth.

We often resist change because we fear the unknown. Or more accurately, we fear the meaning or story that we've attached to the unknown. But whenever we try to manipulate life so that things don't change on us, we are actually choosing a path of stagnation and often even contraction, which is contrary to what I believe is our natural state of being.

So if we can shift our perspective on change, we can see that constant change is actually necessary - to have new possibilities. Potential. And therefore, personal power. It is by learning to accept that nothing is permanent that we are actually able to tap into our empowerment. It is only then are we free to actually make choices and take actions that align us with what we want and desire.

And it is because of this freedom that makes it so important for us to take complete responsibility for our lives - to not blame outside of ourselves for not having what we want. When we blame other people, the government, our circumstances - we give our power away. Taking complete responsibility is actually the most liberating thing that we can choose to do. It is what I believe to be the meaning of purposeful and conscious living.

Living with intention involves cultivating a deep awareness and understanding around our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. All are important - as it is not possible to neglect any of them and still live an intentional and conscious life.

In fact, they are all connected. Even Western medicine knows that there are links between, for example, the food we eat and our moods - or our ability to think clearly. Or how our negative emotions can make us stressed, physically ill or even bring on disease.

Just focusing on physical development - doesn't necessarily bring about emotional intelligence. Or just developing intellect - doesn't mean a person will automatically become healthy and fit. Similarly, just focusing on the spiritual - doesn't mean a person will be grounded and able to manifest what they want in the physical world.

Without awareness, we essentially are just going through the motions of life. Even what feels like choice is more often than not merely responses to conditioning and programming we've adopted since a young age as a reaction to early caregivers or society.

This is why it's so important that we regularly practice checking in with ourselves and try to become aware of our bodies, our thoughts, and our emotions. In this way, we are able to better understand the conditioning that guides our lives - and whether it is serving our greatest good and in alignment with the life experiences we wish to create.