“Every person has two lives. The second life begins when they realise they only have one.”
— Confucius
I love asking this one question: If you had one wish, one wish only, what would you wish for?
The question forces you to prioritise. And people’s answers are always the same. It's not the goal or the result — the thing — but the way we are when we’re at our best: loving, patient, courageous, clear, present, alive. It's the qualities, the values, you want your life to be full of when you look back.
If you do this exercise, you’ll likely realise you are not prioritising this one important wish.
Every day, we race to the end of our to-do lists, convincing ourselves then we’ll get onto the project of being the person we want to be. Until, inevitably, we realise how short life is, and how much time we’ve wasted on unimportant things.
Don’t let it be too late.
Let's get onto this now — prioritise and protect what is truly important to you.
Your Power Source: Allowing You to Be the Person You Want to Be
I’ve been using the word, "centre" a bunch lately.
Language is limiting, of course: the zone, flow, peace, presence, the deep Now, stillness, the Ascendant... They’re all about the same core human experience. But "centre" reminds you that your power source is right in the middle of you.
If you’re aware of how important your centre is — for being the person you want to be and for bringing forth all the skills and energy you need — you become keenly aware of when you leave it. You come back as quickly as you can, as a matter of priority.
If you get too far out, you unplug and fall over. There is a strength of will that means some can keep going without this plug-in, but it’s never for long, and it’s never pretty. And some of you know exactly what I mean.
Finding Your ‘Centre’: Try This Now
If you know Ascension, use the Attitudes to align you with your centre, as we taught you. Eyes open, eyes closed – just a scant five minutes makes the world of difference.
If you don't know Ascension, try this:
Take a deep breath in through the nose. When the lungs are full, take a second ‘top-up’ sniff. Exhale as slow as you can, out the mouth. Do this once, twice, three times...
Now! Don’t just chuck the Attitude or the breath in there; allow the spacious, balanced calm of your centre to become you. Then go.
The ‘Sandwich’ Technique
It’s your power source, so sandwich everything you do.
Connect with your centre — that deep, boundless calm and spaciousness, totally present and grounded — first and last, before, during, and after the day and all it contains:
Before, during, and after the meeting.
Before, during, and after driving.
Before, during, and after your exercise.
Before, during, and after... everything.
The more of a challenge a task might be? The more important it is to stay mindful of your connection with your centre.
If you’ve gotten out of kilter, come back first. Don't try and push on. Be careful of rushing on to the next thing. That’s what got us into trouble in the first place. Instead, take the three seconds it takes to return.
Nourish and charge yourself, then you can go from a different place.
‘Sandwiching’ is what makes the difference: you’re no longer fitting the important things in when you have time, but you’re fitting your time around the most important things.
Have a go, and make your centre the centrepiece of your life. Do this and everything changes for the better.
Let me know what you find, I’d love to hear!
Go well,
Arjuna
PS.
Final Step: Reclaiming Your Centre
For a failsafe way of cutting through stress and confusion to regain your centre, Ascension is the business.
Simple yet powerful and enjoyable, it puts you right in the heart of where you want to be.
1. The Last Course of the Year
Join me for the final Ascension course of 2025:
21-23 November (starts 7 pm Friday)
Always free to repeat, please get in touch for details on learning or resitting.
2. Personalised Mentoring/Coaching
Looking for dedicated guidance?
I also have a few one-on-one mentoring/coaching slots available. Whether it's a single powerful session or a longer-term relationship, a little personal guidance goes an incredibly long way.
If you’d like to know more about what that could look like, please get in touch. We can chat about your goals and how I can help first.
Talk soon!