If you are like most people, you think you are doing life. If you are like most people, you live by your to-do list. You get up early—maybe you work out. You go to work, take care of the kids, eat food, deal with your boss, figure out how to sell your house... For many, life itself is one big TO-DO.

In reality, however, life is much more about being and less about doing. The exquisite blessings of life are not delivered based on how much you do. No, life’s greatest treasures, life’s pleasures, life’s bliss, life’s ecstasy, are based on being. Just learning how to be yourself, how to be free, how to be love, how to just be. The true tragedy is that most of us have no idea how to be free, how to just be. We only know how to do. We have lost the art of human being; we have traded it for human doing.

Now the beautiful thing is that when you learn the art of being, it does not mean that you have to stop doing, for you can “be” doing anything. Or not doing anything. Being is simply the art of allowing life to unfold, allowing life to live you and lead you where it may. To the outside observer, everything might look the same. It is simply your orientation that is different.

One of the great master keys to learning the art of being is to discover that life is living you. You think you are living life. You think you are doing so much. But in truth, in reality, life is doing you. You are just here for the ride. Learn to shift your awareness away from being the doer and instead allow life to do you. This might sound esoteric, but in truth it is very practical.

One way to make it practical is to master the art of allowing. Begin to approach life from the perspective of allowing. Do you have many tasks to complete? Allow them to get done. Yes, you may still be doing them, but you will be allowing them to get done. They will get done through you, not by you. Are you feeling stressed? Allow life to unfold. Are you looking for answers? Live the questions and allow the answers to come. Are you struggling with illness? Allow your body to heal.

Now you might think this sounds simplistic. Your response may be: yes, very nice idea, but I have bills to pay, and a real health condition, and I need to do things in order to get through my day. And yes, this is all very real, and very true. But when you have an orientation of allowing life to unfold, and allowing things to get done, everything gets accomplished with much more ease and less strain.

No need to do anything dramatic, no need to make any big change. Just as you go throughout your day, remind yourself that you are allowing. Whatever struggles you are confronting, allow whatever IS just to be. Life is always much easier when you are not fighting with what is happening. Life might be painful; it might be difficult; it might be stressful. Or it might be fun, and light, and easy. Whatever it is, just allow it to be. Allow it to be. Allow it to arise and subside. Allow yourself to experience. Just allow, allow, allow. Allow life to unfold.

It is an absolute illusion that you are doing life. Life is truly doing you. And the more willing you are to allow life to do you, the easier it becomes. The more you allow life to live you, the more freedom, joy, and love, you can and will experience. So as you go throughout your day, just remind yourself occasionally, remind yourself to allow. Remind yourself to be. In the midst of activity, just continue to be. And watch to see if everything gets just a little bit easier, as you discover what it means to be a human being, an actual human BEING...

Author's Bio: 

Sarah Maria, author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life, outlines her 5-step process for helping you feel great in and about your body. Her work embraces the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, for true, lasting healing. Visit: sarahmaria.com and BreakFreeBeauty.com to learn more.