"You know what's funny about life?" Julian asked me.
"Tell me."
"By the time most people figure out what they really want and
how to go about attaining it, it's usually too late. That saying, 'If
youth only knew, if age only could," is so true.
"Is that what the stopwatch in Yogi Raman's fable is all about?"
"Yes. The naked nine-foot-tall, nine-hundred-pound sumo
wrestler with the pink wire cable covering his private parts slips on
a shiny gold stopwatch that someone has left in the beautiful
garden," Julian reminded me.
"How could I forget," I replied, breaking into a grin.
By now I had realized that Yogi Raman's mystical fable wasnothing more than a series of memory pegs designed to teach
Julian the elements of his ancient philosophy for enlightened living,
while at the same time helping him remember it. I shared my
discovery with him.
"Ah, the sixth sense of a litigator. You are quite right. My wise
teacher's methods appeared odd at first and I struggled to
understand the significance of his tale just as you wondered what I
was speaking of when I first shared it with you. But I must tell you,
John, all seven elements of the story, from the garden and the
naked sumo wrestler to the yellow roses and the path of diamonds,
which I am soon getting to, serve as powerful reminders of the
wisdom I learned in Sivana. The garden keeps me focused on
inspiring thoughts, the lighthouse reminds me that the purpose of
life is a life of purpose, the sumo wrestler keeps me centered on
continuous self-discovery, while the pink wire cable links me to the
wonders of will power. A day doesn't pass without me thinking
about the fable and considering the principles Yogi Raman taught
me."
"And exactly what does the shiny gold stopwatch represent?"
"It is a symbol of our most important commodity — time."
"What about positive thinking and goal-getting and self-
mastery?"
"They all mean nothing without time. About six months after I
made the delightful forest retreat in Sivana my temporary home,
one of the sages came to my hut of roses while I was studying. Her
name was Divea. She was a stunningly beautiful woman with jet
black hair that fell just below her waist, and in a very gentle and
sweet voice she informed me that she was the youngest of all the
sages living in that secret mountain abode. She also said that she
had come to me on the instructions of Yogi Raman who had told herthat I was the best student he had ever had."
"'Maybe it is all the pain you suffered in your former life that
has allowed you to embrace our wisdom with such an open heart,'
she stated. 'As the youngest of our community, I have been asked
to bring you a gift. It is from all of us and we offer it as a token of
our respect for you, one who has travelled so far to learn our ways.
At no point have you judged us or ridiculed our traditions. So,
though you have now decided to leave us within a few weeks, we
consider you one of our own. No outsider has ever received what I
am about to give you.'"
"What was the gift?" I asked impatiently.
"Divea pulled out an object from her homespun cotton bag and
handed it to me. Wrapped in a fragrant cover of some type of paper
was something I never thought I'd see there in a million years. It
was a miniature hourglass which had been made from blown glass
and a small piece of sandalwood. Seeing my expression, Divea
quickly told me that each of the sages had received one of these
instruments as children. "Though we have no possessions and live
pure, simple lives, we respect time and note its passing. These little
hourglasses serve as daily reminders of our mortality and the
importance of living full, productive days while advancing our
purposes.'"
"These monks up in the highest reaches of the Himalayan
mountains kept time?"
"Each and every one of them understood the importance of
time. They each had developed what I call a 'time consciousness.'
You see, I learned that time slips through our hands like grains of
sand, never to return. Those who use time wisely from an early age
are rewarded with rich, productive and satisfying lives. Those who
have never been exposed to the principle that 'time mastery is lifemastery' will never realize their enormous human potential. Time
is the great leveller. Whether we are privileged or disadvantaged,
whether we live in Texas or Tokyo, we all have been allotted days
with only twenty-four hours. What separates those who build
exceptional lives from the 'also rans' is the way they use this time."
"I once heard my father say that it was the busiest people who
have time to spare. What do you make of that?"
"I agree. Busy, productive people are highly efficient with their
time — they must be in order to survive. Being an excellent time
manager doesn't mean that you must become a workaholic. On the
contrary, time mastery allows you more time to do the things you
love to do, the things that are truly meaningful to you. Time
mastery leads to life mastery. Guard time well. Remember, it's a
non-renewable resource.
"Let me give you an example," Julian offered. "Let's say it's
Monday morning and your schedule is overflowing with
appointments, meetings and court appearances. Rather than
getting up at your usual 6:30 a.m., gulping down a cup of Java,
speeding off to work and then spending a stressful day of
'catchup,' let's say you took fifteen minutes the night before to
plan your day. Or to be even more effective, let's say you took one
hour on your quiet Sunday morning to organize your entire week.
In your daily planner, you wrote out when you would meet with
your clients, when you would do legal research and when you
would return phone calls. Most importantly, your personal, social
and spiritual development goals for the week also went into your
agenda book. This simple act is the secret to a life of balance. By
anchoring all the most vital aspects of your life into your daily
schedule, you ensure that your week and your life retain a sense of
meaning and peace.""Surely you're not suggesting that I take a break in the middle
of my busy work day to walk in the park or meditate?"
"I sure am. Why are you so rigidly bound to convention? Why
do you feel that you have to do things the same way as everyone
else? Run your own race. Why not start working an hour earlier
so that you will have the luxury of taking a serene mid-morning
walk in that beautiful park across from your office? Or why not
put in a few extra hours at the beginning of your week so that you
can cut out early on Friday to take your kids to the zoo? Or why
not start working at home two days a week so that you can see
more of your family? All I'm saying is plan your week and manage
your time creatively. Have the discipline to focus your time around
your priorities. The most meaningful things in your life should
never be sacrificed to those that are the least meaningful. And
remember, failing to plan is planning to fail. By writing down not
only your appointments with others but also those all-important
appointments with yourself to read, relax or write a love letter to
your wife, you will be far more productive with your time. Never
forget that time spent enriching your non-work hours is never a
waste. It makes you tremendously efficient during your working
hours. Stop living your life in compartments and understand once
and for all that all you do forms one indivisible whole. The way you
act at home affects the way you act at work. The way you treat
people at the office affects the way you will treat your family and
friends."
"I agree, Julian, but I really don't have the time to take breaks
in the middle of my day. As it is, I work most evenings. My schedule
is really crushing these days." As I said this, I felt my stomach
tingling at the mere thought of the mountain of work I was facing.
"Being busy is no excuse. The real question is, what are you sobusy about? One of the great rules I learned from that wise old
sage is that eighty percent of the results you achieve in your life
come from only twenty percent of the activities that occupy your
time. Yogi Raman called it the 'Ancient Rule of Twenty.'"
"I'm not sure I follow you."
"Okay. Let's go back to your busy Monday. From morning until
night you might spend your time doing everything from chatting
on the phone with clients and drafting legal pleadings to reading
your youngest child a bedtime story or playing chess with your
wife. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"But out of all of the hundreds of activities you give your time
to, only twenty percent of those will yield real, lasting results. Only
twenty percent of what you do will have an influence on the quality
of your life. These are your 'high-impact' activities. For example,
ten years from now, do you really think all the time you spent
gossiping at the water cooler or sitting in some smoke-filled lunch
room or watching television will count for anything?"
"No, not really."
"Right. So I'm sure you will also agree there are a number of
activities that will count for everything."
"You mean like time spent improving my legal knowledge, time
spent enriching my relationships with my clients and time invested
in becoming a more efficient lawyer?"
"Yes, and time spent nourishing your relationship with Jenny
and the kids. Time spent connecting with nature and showing
gratitude for all that you are so fortunate to have. Time spent
renewing your mind, your body and your spirit. These are just a
few of the high-impact activities that will allow you to design the life
you deserve. Direct all of your time to those activities that count.Enlightened people are priority driven. This is the secret of time
mastery."
"Wow. Yogi Raman taught you all that?"
"I have become a student of life, John. Yogi Raman certainly
was a wonderful and inspiring teacher and I will never forget him
for that. But all of the lessons I have learned from my varied
experiences have now come together like pieces of a big jigsaw
puzzle to show me the way to a better life."
Julian added: "I hope you will learn from my earlier mistakes.
Some people learn from the errors others have made. They are the
wise. Others feel that true learning comes only from personal
experience. Such people endure needless pain and distress over
the course of their lives."
I had been to many seminars on time management as a lawyer.
Yet, I had never heard the philosophy of time mastery that Julian
was now sharing with me. Time management was not just
something to focus on at the office and discard at closing time. It
was a holistic system that could make all areas of my life more
balanced and fulfilling, if I applied it correctly. I learned that by
planning my days and taking the time to ensure that I was
balanced in the use of my time, I would not only be far more
productive — I would be far happier.
"So life is like a fat strip of bacon," I chimed in. "You have to
separate the meat from the fat in order to be the master of your
time."
"Very good. You're on to it now. And though my vegetarian side
tells me to do otherwise, I love the analogy because it hits the nail
right on the head. When you spend your time and precious mental
energy focusing on the meat, you have no time to waste on the fat.
This is the point at which your life moves from the realm of theordinary into the exquisiteness of the extraordinary. This is when
you really start to make things happen, and the doors to the temple
of enlightenment suddenly swing open," Julian observed.
"That brings me to another point. Don't let others steal your
time. Be wary of time thieves. These are the people who always call
on the telephone just as you have put the kids to sleep and have
settled into your favorite chair to read that thrilling novel you have
heard so much about. These are the people who have a knack of
dropping by your office just as you have found a few minutes in the
midst of a hectic day to catch your breath and collect your
thoughts. Does this sound familiar?"
"As usual, Julian, you're right on the money. I guess I have
always been too polite to ask them to leave or to keep my door
shut," I confided.
"You must be ruthless with your time. Learn to say no. Having
the courage to say no to the little things in life will give you the
power to say yes to the big things. Shut the door to your office
when you need a few hours to work on that big case. Remember
what I told you. Don't pick up the phone every time it rings. It is
there for your convenience, not the convenience of others.
Ironically, people will respect you more when they see that you are
a person who values his time. They will realize that your time is
precious and they will value it."
"What about procrastination? All too often I keep putting off
the things that I don't like doing and instead find myself sifting
through junk mail or flipping though legal magazines. Maybe I'm
just killing time?"
'"Killing time' is an apt metaphor. True, it is human nature to
do things that feel good and avoid the things that feel bad. But as I
said earlier, the most productive people in this world havecultivated the habit of doing the things that less productive people
don't like doing, even though they too might not like doing them."
I stopped and thought deeply about the principle I had just
heard. Perhaps procrastination was not my problem. Maybe my
life had simply become too complex. Julian sensed my concern.
"Yogi Raman told me that those who are masters of their time
live simple lives. A hurried, frenzied pace is not what nature
intended. While he firmly believed that lasting happiness could be
reached only by those who were effective and set definite aims for
themselves, living a life rich with accomplishment and contribution
did not have to come through the sacrifice of peace of mind. This is
what I found so fascinating about the wisdom I was hearing. It
allowed me to be productive and yet fulfill my spiritual longings."
I started to open myself even more to Julian. "You have always
been honest and forthright with me so I will be the same with you.
I don't want to give up my practice and my house and my car to be
happier and more satisfied. I like my toys and the material things
I have earned. They are my rewards for all the hours I have
worked over the years since we first met. But I feel empty — I
really do. I told you about my dreams when I was in law school.
There is so much more I could do with my life. You know I'm almost
forty and I have never been to the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel
Tower. I've never walked in a desert or canoed across a still lake on
a gorgeous summer's day. I have never once taken off my socks
and shoes and walked barefoot through a park, listening to the kids
laugh and the dogs bark. I can't even remember the last time I took
a long, quiet walk by myself after a snowfall just to hear the sounds
and to enjoy the sensations."
"Then simplify your life." Julian suggested sympathetically.
"Apply the ancient Ritual of Simplicity to every aspect of yourworld. By doing so, you are bound to have more time to savor these
glorious wonders. One of the most tragic things that any one of us
can do is to put off living. Too many people are dreaming of some
magical rose garden on the horizon rather than enjoying the one
growing in our back yards. What a tragedy."
"Any suggestions?"
"That I will leave to your own imagination. I have shared many
of the strategies I learned from the sages with you. They will work
wonders if you have the courage to apply them. Oh, that reminds
me of another thing that I do to make sure my life stays calm and
simple."
"What's that?"
"I love to have a quick nap in the afternoon. I find it keeps me
energetic, refreshed and youthful. I guess you could say that I need
my beauty sleep." Julian laughed.
"Beauty has never been one of your strong points."
"A sense of humor has always been one of yours, and for this I
commend you. Always remember the power of laughter. Like
music, it is a wonderful tonic for life's stresses and strains. I think
Yogi Raman said it best when he said, "Laughter opens your heart
and soothes your soul. No one should ever take life so seriously that
they forget to laugh at themselves."
Julian had one final thought to share on the subject of time.
"Perhaps most importantly, John, stop acting like you have five
hundred years to live. When Divea brought that little hourglass to
me she offered some advice that I will never forget."
"What did she say?"
"She told me that the best time to plant a tree was forty years
ago. The second best time is today. Don't waste even one minute of
your day. Develop a deathbed mentality.""I beg your pardon?" I asked, struck by the graphic term
Julian had employed. "What's a deathbed mentality?"
"It is a new way of looking at your life, a more empowering
paradigm if you will, one that reminds you that today could be your
last, so savor it to the fullest."
"Sounds kind of morbid, if you ask me. It makes me think
about death."
"Actually, it's a philosophy about life. When you adopt a
deathbed mentality you live every day as if it was your last.
Imagine waking up every day and asking yourself the simple
question: 'What would I do today if it was my last?' Then think
about how you would treat your family, your colleagues and even
those who you don't know. Think about how productive and excited
you would be to live every moment to the maximum. The deathbed
question alone has the power to change your life. It will energize
your days and bring a rush of zest and spirit to all that you do. You
will start focusing on all the meaningful things that you have been
putting off, and stop squandering time on all those petty things
that have dragged you down into the quagmire of crisis and chaos."
Julian continued. "Push yourself to do more and to experience
more. Harness your energy to start expanding your dreams. Yes,
expand your dreams. Don't accept a life of mediocrity when you
hold such infinite potential within the fortress of your mind. Dare
to tap into your greatness. This is your birthright!"
"Powerful stuff."
"Here's more. There is a simple remedy to break the spell of
frustration that plagues so many people."
"My cup is still empty," I said softly.
"Act as if failure is impossible, and your success will be assured.
Wipe out every thought of not achieving your objectives, whetherthey are material or spiritual. Be brave, and set no limits on the
workings of your imagination. Never be a prisoner of your past.
Become the architect of your future. You will never be the same."
As the city started to awaken, and the morning grew into full
bloom, my ageless friend started to show the first signs of
weariness after a night spent sharing his knowledge with an eager
student. I had been astonished by Julian's stamina, his boundless
energy and his endless enthusiasm. He not only talked his talk —
he walked his walk.
"We are moving to the end of Yogi Raman's magical fable and
approaching the time when I must leave you," he said gently. "I
have much to do and many more people to meet."
"Are you going to tell your partners that you have returned
home?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"Probably not," Julian replied. "I am so different from the
Julian Mantle they knew. I don't think the same thoughts, I don't
wear the same clothes, I don't do the same things. I am a
fundamentally changed person. They wouldn't recognize me."
"You really are a new man," I agreed, chuckling inwardly as I
pictured this mystical monk adorned in the traditional robes of
Sivana stepping into the striking red Ferrari of his former life.
"A new being is probably even more accurate."
"I don't see the distinction," I confessed.
"There is an ancient saying in India: 'We are not human beings
having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a
human experience.' I now understand my role in the universe. I see
what I am. I'm no longer in the world. The world is in me."
"I'm going to have to chew on that one for a while," I said in
total honesty, not quite comprehending what Julian was talking
about."Sure. I understand, my friend. A time will come when you are
clear on what I am saying. If you follow the principles I have
revealed to you and apply the techniques I have offered, you will
surely advance along the path of enlightenment. "You will come to
master the art of personal government. You will see your life for
what it really is: a small blip on the canvas of eternity. And you will
come to see clearly who you are and the ultimate purpose of your
life."
"Which is?"
"To serve, of course. No matter how big a house you have or
how slick a car you drive, the only thing you can take with you at
the end of your life is your conscience. Listen to your conscience.
Let it guide you. It knows what is right. It will tell you that your
calling in life is ultimately selfless service to others in some form or
another. This is what my personal odyssey has taught me. Now, I
have so many others to see, serve and heal. My mission is to spread
the ancient wisdom of the Sages of Sivana to all those who need to
hear it. This is my purpose."
The fire of knowledge had kindled Julian's spirit — this was
obvious, even to an unenlightened soul such as myself He was so
passionate, so committed and so fervent about what he was saying
that it was reflected even in his physical dimension. His
transformation from a frail old litigator to a vital, young Adonis
was not brought about by a simple change in his diet and a daily
dose of some quick-fix exercise plan. No, it was a far deeper
panacea that Julian had stumbled upon high in those majestic
mountains. He had found the secret that people through the ages
have been searching for. It was more than the secret of youth,
fulfillment or even happiness. Julian had discovered the secret of
the Self.