The most important thing I learned from Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" is to be present and live in the moment.
Eckhart describes the rationality behind his logic when he says: "Have you ever experienced, done, thought or felt anything outside the Now? Do you think you ever will? Is it possible for anything to happen to be outside the Now? The answer is obvious, is it not?"
- Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now
- Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.
I liked these points because he explained how our minds keep us excessively thinking, and we can begin to live outside of the present. Eckhart then went on to say:
"To test their degree of presence, some Zen masters have been known to creep up on their students from behind and suddenly hit them with a stick. Quite a shock! If the student had been fully present and in a state of alertness, if he had 'kept his loin girded and his lamp burning,' which is one of the analogies that Jesus uses for presence, he would have noticed the master coming up from behind and stopped him or stepped aside. But if he were hit, that would mean he was immersed in thought, which is to say absent, unconscious."
I really appreciated Eckhart’s wisdom. It is vitally important to be living in the moment for us to make the best decisions, not to be lost in our thoughts, and limit our mistakes.
I recently read the book "Shoe Dog" by Nike (NKE, Financial) co-founder Phil Knight. He opened his book with this quote:
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind"
He mentioned multiple quotes about Zen, but one of my favorites was:
“To study the self, said the 13th-century Zen master Dogen, is to forget the self. Inner voice, outer voices, it’s all the same. No dividing lines.”
Knight co-founded Nike with a $1,000 investment partnership between himself and track and field coach Bill Bowerman. Knight's mindfulness played an important role when he decided to form a 50/50 partnership with the track coach.
"I looked at him. In? Deal? It took me a moment to absorb and understand what he was saying. He didn’t merely want to buy a dozen Tigers for his team, he wanted to become –Â my partner? Had God spoken from the whirlwind and asked to be my partner, I wouldn’t have been more surprised. I stammered and stuttered and said yes. I put out my hand. But then I pulled it back. 'What kind of partnership did you have in mind?' I asked. I was daring to negotiate with God. I couldn’t believe my nerve. Nor could Bowerman. He looked bemused. 'Fifty-fifty,' he said. 'Well, you’ll have to put up half the money.' 'Of course.' 'I figure the first order will be for $1,000. Your half will be $500.'"
Because Knight was able to live in the moment in an intense business negotiation, he was able to quickly and rationally adjust midway through his conversation with someone for whom he had the utmost respect. The power of living in the moment played out as a large advantage for Knight while he made the biggest business decision of his life.
In conclusion
Knight's overall success is connected to his ability to think rationally and live in the moment. He was able to adjust and successfully close a handshake deal with one of the most respected track and field coaches of all time. Bowerman coached 24 individual NCAA champions, 33 Olympians, 64 All-Americans, 22 world-record holders and 25 U.S. record holders.
Knight now has a net worth of $28 billion according to Forbes.com, and much of his overall success can be attributed to his ability to think rationally and live in the moment.
Cheers to your investment success.
Disclosure: I do not own any shares of Nike.
Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.
