The best book I've ever read

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle is my favourite book and it will always be. I’ve read this book I guess 5 or 6 times by now and it has become some kind of living guide for me. And it has changed my life and I believe it can change anybody’s life to the better.

So what is it about? I want to put it in the simplest way I can, so it basically describes how to live in the present. Most people live either in the past or in the future. They are either sorry that they didn’t take an opportunity they had a few days ago or they are stressed about how much work they will have next week.

Eckhart describes that neither the past nor the future actually exist, it’s always the present. The present moment is all you’ll ever have. The problem is that our mind prevents us from living this philosophy. We think about so many things at the same time and we’re never living the present moment. We are at work and think about dinner, at dinner we think about sleep, when going to sleep we think about the next day. When do we actually live?

So Eckhart introduces some tools, exercises and meditations to make our minds silent. A very basic thought is to become your inner observer of your thoughts. You begin to observe your thoughts instead of letting them take over you. By becoming an observer you separate yourself from your thoughts and will be able to feel your inner self. That is actually you. You are not your thoughts, you are more than that.

I know this sounds a bit weird in the beginning but imagine next time a disturbing thought comes to your mind and you are able to let it go. Imagine you just forget it within a few seconds because it does not take over you. Can you imagine that? Being free from all the poisoned thoughts in the world? Is that even possible? Yes, it is. It takes some time and some exercise but you can make it.

I’ve been practicing myself for a few years now and I feel so much more alive. Life is so much better once you stop thinking about so many things and become the owner of your mind. And every time I realize that I start thinking again I read it again, and again. I can just recommend this book to everyone or any other book that deals with mindfulness. Believe me, you’re missing something out if you don’t become mindful, if you don’t become present.