Alan Cohen - I Had It All the Time: When Self-Improvement Gives Way to Ecstasy

I HAD IT ALL THE TIME
WHEN SELF-IMPROVEMENT GIVES WAY TO ECSTASY

Alan Cohen Publications
Post Office Box 835
Haiku, Hawaii 96708 U.S.A.

Cover Art by Ken Johnston. For information about Ken Johnstons visionary art, contact: Heartworks, Post Office Box 4805, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74159-0805

The Answer Lies Within by Michael B. Putman and Catherine Wilson, 1989 Grounded Visions, Post Office Box 50451, Minneapolis, MN 55405. www.groundedvisions.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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For information on Alan Cohens books, CDs, lecture & seminar schedule, or coaching, visit www.alancohen.com, email info@alancohen.com, or phone or fax numbers above.

To Kelly
For lighting my life

ALSO BY ALAN COHEN

Books
Are You as Happy as Your Dog?
Dare to Be Yourself
A Deep Breath of Life
The Dragon Doesnt Live Here Anymore
Handle with Prayer
Happily Even After
Have You Hugged a Monster Today?
Joy is my Compass
Lifestyles of the Rich in Spirit
Looking in for Number One
Mr. Everits Secret
My Fathers Voice
The Peace That You Seek
Relax into Wealth
Rising In Love
Setting the Seen
Why Your Life Sucks and What You Can Do About It
Wisdom of the Heart

CDs
Journey to the Center of the Heart
Living from the Heart

The end of all our exploring
will be
to arrive where we started
and know the place
for the first time.

T.S. Eliot

It is my joy to acknowledge the angels who have contributed in so many ways to the birth of this book.

My heart is deeply grateful to Kelly Kurz for her continued belief in me and my work, her caring and encouragement to make the vision a reality.

Jade Sherer has worked by my side tirelessly to bring the richest service to those I touch through my programs and writing.

Spirit sent a quiet powerful light being, Karuna, who played a key role in readying the manuscript for production.

Several dedicated individuals offered their editorial support, which contributed significantly to the final product. Many thanks to Marla Pitt, Linda Johnson, Susan Vasbinder, and Batyah Elizabeth, and Ann Chores.

Ken Johnstons magnificent cover artwork is equalled only by his huge heart and commitment to visionary service.

The cover graphics bear the heartful and talented touches of Daya Ceglia and Lightbourne Images.

I also honor my friends who have been a constant source of inspiration and empowerment: Charley Thweatt, Barry and Joyce Vissell, Rev. Mary and Ed Morrissey, Carla Gordan and Mary Guide, Mark and Dean Tucker, Oceana McDermott, Living Enrichment Center, and all of my friends in Unity and Science of Mind.

A special note of gratitude to Kenny and Julia Loggins, who remind me that life is only as good as our heart is alive.

I further honor the readers who tell me of the blessings they have received through my books and seminars. I keep your letters and messages as reminders that our mighty purpose is a shared adventure.

There was a time long ago, or so it seems now
Before I became who I am
When I pictured myself as a small empty cup
And yearned to be filled to the brim

Ive searched for the answers so much of my life
From teachers I placed high above me
Trying on wings that simply werent mine
In hopes that the winds would come lift me

Ive pored through the books, through new and old
The rituals came and they went
The talismans power in time left me cold
And none of it seemed heaven sent

The answer lies within, my friend
The answer lies within
The mountain cant hold it
The teachers dont own it
The answer lies within

One morning, at odds with the worldI had made
I stood at my mirror in tears
But I suddenly saw that the face that stared back
Held no trace of the hunger or fears

I saw at that moment, so brilliantly clear
All the wisdom my life had collected
The student was ready, the teacher was here
In a way I had never expected

We balance our lives between ignorance and bliss
With a prayer divine wisdom will find us
And yet our greatest sin is our fear to exist
In the knowledge that God lives within us

So I dont need the mountains, the books or wings
And I dont need somebody to save me
No, all I need is to claim all the answers within
And to follow them clearly and bravely

The answer lies within, my friend
The answer lies within

Michael B. Putman and Catherine Wilson

Foreword

T he story is told of the Persian rascal-sage Nasrudin, who found himself on the bow of a ferry boat with a pompous intellectual. Bloated with his own erudition, the scholar began to quiz and criticize Nasrudins education.

Have you ever studied astronomy? asked the professor.

I cant say that I have, answered the mystic.

Then you have wasted much of your life. By knowing the constellations, a skilled captain can navigate a boat around the entire globe.

A few minutes later the learned one asked, Have you ever studied meteorology?

No, I havent.

Well, then, you have wasted most of your life, the academician chided. Methodically capturing the wind can propel a sailing ship at astounding speeds.

After a while the fellow inquired, Have you ever studied oceanography?

Not at all.

Ah! What a waste of your time! Awareness of the currents helped many ancient peoples find food and shelter.

A few minutes later Nasrudin began to make his way toward the stern of the ship. On his way he nonchalantly asked the fellow, Have you ever studied swimming?

Havent had the time, the professor haughtily responded.

Then you have wasted all of your life the boat is sinking.

Sooner or later we reach the point where living the truth becomes more important than seeking it. Knowledge, techniques, and experiences pale in the face of the riches of the heart. Learning must give way to being.

Recently I invited the members of a lecture audience to bid on the amount of money they have spent on fixing themselves. I asked the participants to estimate their investment in self-help books, self-improvement seminars, consciousness trainings, meditation techniques, counseling and therapy, vitamins and dietary supplements, health spa memberships, cosmetic surgeries, psychic consultations, sundry crystals and amulets, travel to exotic lands in search of truth, and any other quest proceeding from the thought, This will really do the trick for me.

Responses ranged from Every penny I have ever earned, to more than my husband can afford to over a hundred thousand dollars the cost of a home in many parts of the U.S., or the gross national product of some South American nations.