Some people just amaze me with their ability to stay cool and calm amidst circumstances that would otherwise drive a normal person crazy, and I start to wonder what it could be that would be giving them that much-sought-after trait.

I remember one instance when someone called up a professor in the middle of a lecture that he was conducting and informed him that his house was on fire. Wouldn’t you expect someone to go crazy, at least for an instant, after hearing news of that kind? But the professor wasn’t moved, at least not to any noticeable level. While still remaining calm, he got some quick details from the caller, made a few calls to do what he could while being away from the scene, made sure things were under control and that the necessary people were there to help, politely explained to the students that he needed to cut the lecture short in order to proceed for home, and made a calm exit. It sure did leave the students with a better lesson than the one that was in progress, a lesson that was demonstrated by example, to stay cool and calm in what would otherwise be a panicky situation.

There was a time when I used to think that those who have such traits are born gifted with these capabilities. I don’t know how far someone can be gifted with such skills from birth, but over the years I’ve experienced for myself that these traits can surely be cultivated within oneself with a little practice and dedication. I have devised a small technique that helped me build up such capabilities. I am yet to master the art, but I have no doubts that practicing this technique over the years has helped me in a big way so far.

I call this the technique of “Living on a Higher Plane”.

Imagine you are watching a thriller, or better still, a horror movie. Chances are that you would be gripping the armrest of your seat with clenching fingers, eyes wide open and your body as tight as it gets, and fully into the screen as though you yourself were part of the scene. That’s one kind of response. Another kind would be where a person falls back into his seat relaxed, just analyzing and enjoying the scene, knowing and being fully aware that he/she is just watching a screen and that there is no reason for oneself to panic. See the difference in the two behaviors?

Now, imagine the world around you as a screen and, well, may be running a horror show if you think that would add some spice to the exercise. The world is a screen and you are just the observer. And the important thing here is that you should be observing from a different plane. Imagine the plane is somewhere a few miles above the ground and that you are up there, silently relaxing, just surveying the movie going on down below you. Be like the latter person that we spoke about in the earlier example, the one who falls back into his seat and enjoys the show. Imagine yourself on the higher plane, just observing everything that happens on earth and in your life, including yourself. Look at everything from a third person’s perspective, without getting into the scene.

It sounds easy so far, doesn’t it? Well, it is! And that is all there is to it.

When you practice this technique, you would feel a great sense of calm and comfort in handling the most difficult of situations. You tend to get a more wholesome view of circumstances, and matters at hand tend to get more and more non-personal. You tend to live a more detached life. Remember the professor I mentioned towards the beginning of the article? Being like him amidst adverse situations would be as simple as just taking yourself to the higher plane! Further, just give it a thought – wouldn’t it be even better if you could be on the higher plane to begin with and operate from there to deal with situations without even needing to take time to first move up there?

Practice this simple technique daily, hourly… or by the minute. Practice it as frequently as you can. When you reach the point where you are able to move into the higher plane without needing to consciously put in the effort to do so, and be there for as long as you would like to be, without forgetting to be on the higher plane in any situation, especially in difficult ones, I think you would have mastered the art of living on the higher plane. Go ahead, practice it and experience the benefits for yourself. Like always, I would be glad to know how it helped you.