It was a cold December night, and the rain had been kissing the Earth for hours. A wintry wind was blowing beside the home that Human was living in, as Human sat on the couch, looking out the window at the leafless maple tree swaying in the wet winter breeze.
Human glanced at the other half of the couch and noticed that Time was curled up on it.
“Who are you?” Human asked.
“Me? I’m Time. Can you hear me ticking away?”
Human stood up, puzzled and afraid. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“Let me introduce myself. Your Life is the home in which you live. I, Time, am the broker with the mortgage company who’s financing your home loan. You can think of the mortgage company as God, destiny, Karma or whatever suits your soul.”
Human, still feeling scared about the presence of this unexpected visitor, moved farther away from Time and walked towards the main door.
“Don’t do that. You’re giving up your Life. Come back closer and hear me out.”
Human hesitantly made its way back to the couch, sitting a few feet away from Time.
“Come even closer. If not, I’ll move near you,” Time said as it snuggled next to Human. “This feels cozy. I’ve been craving your presence for a while.”
“You’re bizarre. What are you doing here?”
“I’m trying to connect with you, again.”
“Why?”
“Because I want your home—your Life—to be the best it can be, while you’re here on Earth.”
Human shrugged its shoulders. “It’s my life. I know what to do. I don’t need anyone else telling me that.”
“Here’s a scary fact. Even though you’ve signed a Life contract that’s valid for X years, there’s no guarantee. The mortgage company from whom you got Life’s loan might change their provisions at any time, and you might not even get notified of those changes. That’s just life, unfair as it may seem.”
“I still don’t get it. Why are you bringing all this up? Just keep things easy, would you?”
Time laughed. “If only I could guarantee easefulness in your Life … oh, well. Here’s the thing. For most of the years of our contract, I’ve been conversing with your soul—I connect quite well with it—and we both agree about what we think your home should be like. Soul tells me what it wants, and I reaffirm that I’ll support its endeavours. What gets in the way is … well … your mind.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know what it is—fear, greed, delusion, anxiety or a mix of it all—but quite often, when Soul and I call out to you: ‘Hey, Human! Let’s spend some time taking stock of our Life and see if we’re living it the way we want,’ we mostly get denial.”
“That’s not true. I have a good connection with my Soul. You don’t get it.”
“What I’ve observed is that most of the time when we call out to you, we start having a conversation and come up with a vague plan, but then there’s that crazy knock on the door of your home by … .” Time paused.
“By whom?”
DMMM: Desire to make more money
“I call it DMMM: Desire to Make More Money. DMMM is a mindset that knocks on your door often, making you stop what you were doing and switch to other things. Why? Because you like to have resources that help you buy stuff you want and need, like groceries, fancy furniture, insurance payments, payouts for vacations, meals with friends and so on.”
Human frowned, staring at Time as if it was loony.
“And when it knocks, you run towards it, open the door and let it take over most of your home, your life. All the plans we—your Soul, you and I—had started drawing get erased (or pushed out), and so it goes, for years and decades. I keep ticking along, making tiny clicks every time I move forward, trying to remind you that precious loan withdrawals are happening every second of your life.”
What do you expect me to do? Keep talking about spirituality with you and Soul, while ignoring DMMM and continuing to starve?”
Time laughed. “It’s not a mutually exclusive thing; I’m not saying you should give up on DMMM. Rather, try finding a healthy balance between us—Soul, me and you—and DMMM.”
“Why? What’s wrong with how things are right now?”
Human looked out the window. Over the next couple of minutes, a few crispy clouds sailed across the blue sky.
Time spoke again. “See those clouds passing by? That’s me, taking them on their journey. Time flies by. And before you know it, your lease will be up and your Soul will be crying, thinking of all the times its requests were ignored during the contract of your lease on Earth. And keep in mind, this isn’t just about spirituality. It’s about living the life you want and deserve. It’s about filling your jar of happiness.”
“Jeez. Jars, clouds, souls. Can’t you be simple and straightforward?”
Time smiled. “OK, here’s a basic question: ‘When your lease is up, and it’s time to leave your home, what kind of answer would you have if someone (or your Soul) were to ask you: ‘Human, overall, did you live the life you desired?’”
Human bent its head down towards the floor. Its eyes clenched tight, its heart gradually started to palpitate, and its stomach rumbled.
A stream of thoughts dribbled in: pride and gratitude for the stable foundation of its home, the remodelling achievements it had made over decades, the repairs and changes it completed when they were needed or wanted. However, there were plenty of parts of the home that had been ignored for years and were crying, asking to be reviewed, all because Human chose to spend most of its energy and time on DMMM-related tasks.
Human started to remember the moments when it did have nourishing and inspiring interactions with Soul and Time, moments when Soul felt lit up and vibrant. This happened during experiences that ranged from tiny to grand: being part of long-craved family get-togethers, indulging in hobbies, manifesting skills and desires into projects, paying attention to the wonders that existed in the world—and the list went on.
Unfortunately, these activities were often interrupted by the knock of DMMM, the knock that made Human shove aside Soul and Time and start doing what DMMM asked it to:
- Postponing a family get-together to get a discount on a flight ticket for later.
- Choosing to work on weekends instead of going for hikes and playing soccer.
- Spending an entire evening researching market economics instead of taking courses to build piano-playing skills that would’ve helped it do live piano performances.
- Sitting on a bench in a park and checking bank balances on the phone instead of looking at the rainbow that was painting the evening sky.
Human realized that a lot of its actions were subconsciously driven by DMMM’s knocks, even though this wasn’t initially obvious. Nonetheless, now that it had started to look deeper into Soul, it was becoming clear that most of the time, DMMM was getting prioritized over Soul when it came to both daily desires and long-term goals.
“I can sense your feelings, my love,” Time chimed in, holding Human’s hands.
Tears started to pour down into a puddle beside Human’s feet, as it cried: “No! This isn’t what I wanted. I don’t know where I started to go wrong, but for the most part, this isn’t the home I want to live in.”
“It’s never too late,” Time said as it moved closer to Human again.
“Too late for what?”
“To invest in TSYPL.”
TSYPL: Take stock of your precious life
“Jeez. What are you talking about now?”
“Take Stock of Your Precious Life. Since DMMM has changed the shape of your mind significantly, I’m using a financial analogy. TSYPL is the best stock you can and should invest in.”
“What do you mean, ‘invest in TSYPL’”?
“When you take stock of your precious life, you’re talking vulnerably, frankly and deeply with your Soul and me. We set aside all money-related thoughts and actions and focus on one simple question: ‘Am I living the life I want and deserve?’ To implement the answers to that question, we don’t need to make complex plans that stretch out across six years. We can start with a question as simple as: What do I need to do today to fill my jar of happiness?’”
“You mentioned the happiness jar before. What’s that all about?”
“Think of it as a jar that can be filled in several ways. Any experience or situation that dribbles joy, peace, growth or nourishment into that jar is contributing to your well-being.”
“Hmm, interesting concept. I guess I’ve been trying to fill it mostly by having more green papers in the bank. I do try other ways to fill that jar—like volunteering, travelling and all that stuff—but I feel like a lot of my energy is focused on the green papers and I don’t have time for other things.”
“I’m glad you’re being introspective about this. That’s the starting point for the TSYPL investment process.”
“And what would the returns be on the investment?”
Time laughed. “Clearly, your mind’s been taken over by Money. Not a problem, my love. I’m here for you. The biggest return is that your jar gets filled more and more, and that happens on a regular basis. Here’s the stock prospectus that I always carry in my pocket.”
Time took out a piece of paper and handed it to Human.
Human closed its eyes and put the paper down, taking in several deep breaths. A flurry of thoughts, emotions and feelings floated through its body: hope, sadness, faith, regret, inspiration, guilt, fear, doubt, excitement.
It took a few minutes before its mouth uttered four transformative words: “How do I start?”
Cultivating mindfulness one swipe at a time
“Congratulations for asking that question. That tells me you’re open to change! Let’s start with a tiny swipe of a paintbrush on any wall you like. For instance, let’s change how you eat your meal during your 30-minute lunch break on a Wednesday. What if you choose to eat it more mindfully while focusing on the act of eating—the smell, taste and texture of the food, as well as how your jaw moves when you chew—rather than thinking about the work tasks you’re supposed to finish after the break?”
“What does eating mindfully have to do with making me emotionally and financially stable and happy?”
“Good question. When you start cultivating mindfulness, you’ll gain more clarity about what matters in your life. That’s because you’ll be paying attention to your needs and wants in the present moment, rather than six weeks or four years away. You’ll want to spend more time with your Soul and me, asking us—and yourself—introspective questions about how to enhance your home right now.”
“OK, and then what?”
“One step at a time, buddy. You just applied the primer coat of paint, and gradually, you’ll start applying the actual paint. Remember, prioritizing Money is something that’s been ingrained in your mindset for decades, and it’ll take time to repaint the walls of your mind and life.”
As much as Human felt motivated and excited about this change, hesitation and confusion still lingered in its mind. Time could sense a feeling of doubt floating in the air, so it continued dispensing advice.
“Here’s another practical tip: You can start your day with an affirmation like, ‘Today, I’m going to indulge in one experience that will help fill my jar of happiness.’ This doesn’t mean you’re giving up planning things for tomorrow or next month. All you’re doing is allocating some time for indulgence today, instead of postponing it for later.”
“Go on, I’m listening … sort of.”
“When you focus on how to contribute to your jar of happiness today, this will help you develop a healthier relationship with Money and thereby enhance your life over the years to come. Is that something you’re interested in?”
“Look, Time, all I want is to be happy. Simple.”
Time chuckled loudly. “If only life was that simple and raw. I’m trying to think of any being on this planet whose life has been simply happy. Hmm, I’ll have to go back a few million years! But anyway, speaking of happiness, let’s go back to our jar. Your goal is to keep adding to it, right?”
Human nodded.
“OK, so because you’ll be adding tiny bits to that jar on a regular basis—hopefully each day—you’ll be bringing fulfillment into your life every day. And because you’re already content, that will soften the urgency to run after other long-term things, which will lower your stress, anxiety and worry levels.”
“That seems profitable.”
“Sure is. And because a lot of Money-related thoughts and actions are driven by worry and anxiety (Will I have enough for later? How much do I need? Is what I have now enough? How do I get more?), your relationship with Money will start to become healthier, because worry will move to the backseat of your mind. And so…”
“So you’re telling me to break up with Money?”
Changing the relationship with DMMM
“Nope. There’s a difference between a breakup and a healthy restructuring of a relationship. Think of turning DMMM into MMM … something sweet. Wouldn’t that be ideal? The implementation of that change will depend on where DMMM is coming from and how you interact with it when it knocks on your door.
“What do you mean ‘where it’s coming from?’ Why should that matter to me?”
“Well, it can come from a place of genuine intent—‘I want to help this Human achieve their home projects in a healthy, fun and productive manner’—or from one of worry, fear and a lack of clarity: ‘I just need to keep hoarding and loading. Doesn’t matter what I do with it all, I just want big numbers. I’ll decide what to do with those green papers later.’ The former source of origin is lusciously sweet, and the latter is nauseatingly sour.”
“Interesting. I’ve never thought about how DMMM’s origin matters, so thanks for the insights.”
“Now you know why I’ve been asking you to spend time with me!”
Human stared at Time, gazing at its being. “You look frail and old.”
“Indeed, I am.” Time smiled as it spoke. “I’m not the same crispy young person I was when you signed your lease. Change is the only constant, and that’s why I want to remind you to make the most of whatever’s remaining of your lease.”
“Why can’t you just tell me how long the lease is and give me a guarantee? That’s not much to ask for, is it? Knowing that will help me plan and prioritize things much better.”
Time smiled again and shook its head. “That’s just how the contract was signed, millions of years ago. There’s no way it can be changed, not just for humans but for all living beings. It’s not in your control or my control. What’s in your control are three things: who to be with—DMMM or Time and Soul—how long to be with them, and what you do with them.
“And how would you help me on this journey?”
“Buddy, remember, I’m the broker for your lease. Since you have more clarity now—because you’ve had more time to do some introspection and planning—you’ll be able to leverage my services to your utmost benefit. Call me when Soul wants to add to your jar. Tell me and Soul what you want to do with your home. And then, only after our conversation, call DMMM and use us all to get started. And when you’re done with the home project, say thanks and bye—not goodbye—to DMMM, and get back to us.”
“What if it keeps knocking on the door? It’s done that a lot.”
“Yup, and it’ll keep doing that. It may also linger in your yard, staring through your windows and trying to make its way in, but remember, you have the keys to your home. No one else does.”
“I need practical advice about how to manage it, not just analogies.”
Time replied, “Well, since your lease is for an uncertain amount of time, ask yourself these two things:
- How full is my jar as of today?
- If I open the door and let DMMM in, how much is that contributing towards my jar’s fullness?
“If it’s bringing significant value-add—both today and for later—and it’s not negatively affecting your ongoing home improvement projects, then decide how long you want it to stay before you walk it out. It’s your home. You’re the property owner; DMMM is a guest. You’re grateful for all it’s doing for you, but no one wants guests to stay forever, or else they become gusts.”
Human laughed out loud and then high-fived Time.
Time laughed along. “There you go, buddy. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time: a high-five with my loving tenant on this Earth!
A happy ending to a chilly evening
And thus ended that winter evening, as Time, Human and Soul snuggled each other on a warm couch, feeling grateful for their sacred bond and for DMMM’s easeful and sweet MMM-role in their beloved home.
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images: Depositphotos (except TSYPL diagram by Kunal Mehra Design)
