Take Life to the Next Level
There is a certain thought process that was necessary in order to get us where we are today. That thought process served us well to a point, but inherent in that thought process were unseen limitations.
Eventually we reach a plateau where those limitations are persistently front and center in certain areas of our lives. As much as we try, we are unable to transcend those struggles, effectively limiting our experience of enduring fulfillment.
To take life to the next level, we need a different lens through which we view and interpret our life experiences. Self-help solutions are often explored for this reason, and may provide a marginal and brief reprieve from the persistent angst that undermines our capacity to thrive, but following someone else’s “recipe for success” will never lead us to our own.
In this way, a “different” lens is not enough to break through vapid plateaus: it must also be original to us.
Original insight into our life experiences becomes possible through sincere self-inquiry. Sincere guided self-inquiry from someone who has successfully bridged that gap accelerates that process. Guided self-inquiry get us off the bench and back onto the playing field, allowing us the most time to explore and engage our new found vision before the game as we know it comes to an end.
If you find you are struggling more than you are comfortable with, and you have not been able to make any genuine and lasting change in your life, consider seeking out a mentor skilled in the art of original insight. Even just a few conversations are often enough to transform our thought process, empowering us to take life to the next level.
Trust the Process
Things aren’t always going to go as planned. Things are certainly not always going to go as we like or want. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. From our limited perspective, it’s not always easy to see how a seemingly “negative” situation may in fact be exactly the thing we need most. Our personal biases often blind us to countless opportunities to get where we most want to go.
The good news is that most any situation can be leveraged in our favor if we just learn to trust the process. Trust requires us to set aside our own ideas for what should happen, allowing us to stay open to all possibilities.
My suggestion: The next time you are faced with a “less than favorable” situation, use that as your cue to practice mindfulness. As you begin to feel agitated, notice one breath consciously. Allow for the possibility that there is more going on than meets the eye. Accept that the trial may be here to serve your highest interest. Get curious: How might this inconvenience be a bridge to where you are ultimately trying to get to? Trust, combined with curiosity, has the power to transform any obstacle into an accomplice helping you take life to the next level.
Poetic Pause: “Wholeness”
Where I am whole, you are whole too
We are different aspects of the same one life.
When we meet here in this place
We see our own reflection.
What aspect of yourself do you see
When you look at me?
(from volume 2 of my anthology)
Questioning Intention
What if, from time to time, we engaged our chores and activities as if they were the most important thing we could be doing? What if we gave everything we are to those activities? How might that intention set the stage for us to give ourselves most fully in other areas of our lives? What might our experience of life be if we engaged the mundane activities of our everyday lives as an opportunity to practice surrender, acceptance, and gratitude? Not as something we “have” to do, but as something we “get” to do?
Only one way to find out.
Embrace Unseen Challenges
Change that arises entirely in response to unhappiness doesn’t cure the unhappiness. At most, changing our situation staves unhappiness off for a while, but we will certainly face it again. My suggestion: face that unhappiness now and acknowledge your role in creating it.
The choices we make contain many unseen aspects, and some of those aspects will be “less than ideal”. When we choose a particular action, we choose even those aspects we had no way of accounting for.
When we take responsibility for the choices we made that led to an experience of unhappiness, we short circuit unhappiness. Now any changes we make arise from a sense of wholeness rather than lack. And while those changes may still contain “less than ideal” aspects, those unfavorable aspects do not interfere with our capacity to also experience the fulfillment woven throughout every experience.
Only when we understand that we can never make a fully informed decision can we stop trying to create fulfillment and start experiencing the fulfillment that is already here. Only then can we choose wisely, knowing that there will be parts of our choice that will challenge us to know ourselves most deeply and embracing that challenge sight unseen.
Be Patient
We tend to feel uncomfortable when we don’t have ready solutions for obstacles that arise. In an effort to escape the discomfort, we may latch on to the first solution we come up with even if there is still time to consider alternatives.
These moments of indecision are ideal for engaging mindfulness. Bringing awareness and acceptance to an experience of discomfort is far more empowering than employing brute force tactics to escape or avoid the discomfort.
Rather than rushing prematurely towards a solution, be patient. Notice one breath consciously. Set a time for resolution and don’t decide anything until then. When we learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable, opportunities arise that transform our experience of life from one of uncerrtainty to one of adventure. This extra time allows for genius solutions to arise: solutions that are more fully informed, and that deepen and accelerate our experience of meaningful success.
Integral Alignment
Our bodies as a whole pick up far more information from a situation than we can account for intellectually. Over thinking a situation cuts us off from our inherent wisdom. Mindful acceptance of “what is” boosts our intuitive capacity allowing for an integral response. In this way, we are able to make a more fully informed decision when we suspend our compulsion to over think situations and allow the moment to inform us.
Before you choose a course of action, notice one breath consciously. Consider whether a decision even has to be made in that moment. Remember that there is no one ultimate truth that applies to every situation, and that every decision holds an experience of discovery and first-hand learning. Once you choose something, follow through. This is where we deepen our integral alignment. Whatever it is you agree to do, do it. Even if it doesn’t work out as well as you’d imagined, there will be a wealth of learning that comes from the process of keeping your word.
Radical Values
Enduring fulfillment will continue to elude those who live their lives based largely on learned principles. That’s not to say that fulfillment is found by breaking rules, it simply means that each fresh experience provides us the opportunity to set aside logic and discover what is most valuable in that moment.
In this process, our values stand revealed. They are no longer strictly aligned with ideals of what is “right and just”, but include input from the situation at hand. It is a process of discovery that places first-hand experience above second-hand logic, and establishes an entirely different allegiance to our values. Instead of choosing a particular action because it connects us to established precepts, we choose it because it connects us to who we are within the context of that situation. This provides us with an expanded sense of self, and so leads us to an expanded experience of wholeness. That experience of wholeness is where fulfillment resides.
Once core values are identified, be sure to hold those values loosely. Like a birch tree in a driving storm, allow them to bend when necessary based on the situation at hand. Holding too tightly onto an ideal is exactly the mode of thinking that mindfulness attempts to transcend. Identify the value, then look to see how and if it shows up in each situation.
Mindfulness Primer: Conclusion
Mindfulness is a paradoxical and powerful path to an experience of enduring fulfillment. Mindfulness answers the question: How do I “accept what is” and “drive change”? Today we conclude our 7-part series on mindfulness.
We covered a tremendous amount of material in these past seven days. Let’s start with a quick recap:
- We began our exploration of mindfulness by noting that presence is always the case, and that mindfulness is a trustworthy vehicle allowing us to shift a point of awareness away from our worldly experience and onto an experience of unwavering presence in which experience unfolds.
- Through presence awareness practices, we began learning how to maintain a point of awareness a half-step “back” from the mundane activities in our everyday life. Throughout this primer, we used our breath as a tangible point of reference enabling us to achieve that.
- Next, I shared three simple ways we can accept “what is” when faced with an experience of resistance or oppression. Through word choice, gratitude, and surrender, resistance becomes our cue to engage presence awareness and shift out of a closed mindset, enabling us to transform situations from a threat to an ally.
- EDL Meditation is a great way to cultivate our capacity to stay rooted in presence awareness while accepting “what is”. Weaving these “micro-meditations” throughout our day helps us to stay rooted in presence awareness and acceptance. From this platform, when unexpected and otherwise “unacceptable” events occur, we are able to respond from a space of curiosity and discovery rather than react from limiting conditioned behaviors.
- The next stop on our journey took us to a discussion of integrity, and we shined a mindful light on the importance of ensuring our thoughts, speech, feelings, and actions are in alignment. Identifying and resolving inconsistencies within our thoughts and behaviors empowers us to navigate situations more skillfully. Ultimately, integrity provides us with a solid platform for us to identify an overarching intention for our lives that aligns with our values.
- Having successfully adapted our thought processes to better fit our current life situation, we finally arrive at an opportunity ripe for discovering an overarching intention for our lives. An apt intention will be one that opens us for discovery, and allows us to experience the fulfillment woven throughout every step of our journey. Now we can effectively drive change.
Accepting “what is” doesn’t mean we can’t do anything about an uncomfortable situation: it actually empowers us to respond to resistance with greater effectiveness. From a place of mindfulness, whatever we ultimately end up doing will be in alignment with our values and our intention.
In this way, change is no longer a futile reaction to unhappiness. Instead, change arises in response to accepting unhappiness and discovering where the true opportunity for change resides. From a platform of full acceptance, we drive change not because we are striving for an experience that seemingly eludes us, but simply because that change amplifies our experience of the fullest possible expression of ourselves.
Though this primer aptly touches on the core structure, there is a lot more to be shared on the topic of mindfulness. Keep in mind that while it only took 7 days to introduce these elements of mindfulness, full integration can take years. In my case it took me about 5 years to fully develop and integrate these processes, and arrive at a stable plateau of enduring fulfillment. One reason it likely took that long was that I didn’t have anyone spelling out the process for me, or supporting or guiding me as I took those steps. There was a tremendous depth of learning that occurred as a result of learning on my own, but if somehow my education can now help to fast track your own journey to mindfulness, I am more than happy to help.
If there’s something that you would like more explanation about, or if you feel I may have left out, please email me. It would be helpful to know how I can make this guide more useful.
Mindfulness Primer: Intention
So the question is: How do I “accept what is” AND “drive change”? Answer: Mindfulness. This series of posts is designed to introduce the key concepts to this paradoxical approach to empowerment. Today’s topic: Intention.
So far on our journey to mindfulness, we have explored how to integrate presence awareness and acceptance using EDL meditation. We also took a first look at the importance of foundational integrity. Today we continue our discussion of integrity as it applies to the process of identifing an overarching intention for our lives.
We can think of an intention as a sort of “mission statement” through which we filter decisions both significant and mundane. Intention empowers us to choose most skillfully, especially in those moments where we are unclear about what to do next.
Intention is an extension of integrity, which is why it was important to address integrity first. Once our thoughts, speech, feelings, and actions are in alignment, we are then primed to identify an overarching intention for our lives that aligns with our values and informs the choices we make.
While there are no real “right or wrong” answers when it comes to setting an intention, there are some key indicators signaling that you have identified one that will help you take life to the next level. For the purpose of this primer, I’ve identified four of the top indicators to help you in the process of selecting an apt intention.
First, an overarching intention sets us up for an experience of success at every turn. As such, it should be founded in discovery versus achievement. In this way, the only factor which decides success or failure are our own feelings about the result. Because it is an intrinsic measure, it is something we have significant capacity to effect.
For instance, my current intention for my life is “to fully explore, experience, and express creativity and insight.” Only I can decide whether or not my decisions are supportive of that intention. If I’m not living up to that intention, and I’m not enjoying that experience of not living up to that intention, then I am empowered to change either the intention or my behavior.
Next, An overarching intention for our lives helps us make choices when we are unclear about what choice to make. It helps us move past uncertainty and arrive at a decision that aligns with our integrity. Knowing there is no “right or wrong” choice, we rely on our integrity to inform us on what feels most right in that moment. If we do not end up happy with the results, that is an indicator that perhaps there are still some conflicts that need resolved amidst our thoughts, speech, feelings, and actions, or that our intention is not aptly aligned with our values. In this way, even a “less than ideal” outcome holds the capacity for refinement and enrichment.
Also, an overarching intention brushes the dust off the lens through which we see our lives. Everyday situations come alive when approached mindfully. Regardless of how many times we have performed a task, there is always something to learn. Usually we think of adventure as doing something new, but I have found equal if not more adventure in simply doing something old in a new way. An apt intention engages curiosity in every situation, and helps us look for what is different about this time than other times.
Lastly for now, an overarching intention for our lives opens up new possibilities, partly because we are not intent on needing one specific outcome, but also because it quiets fear and helps us step in the direction of discovery. Even if we fail to reach a specific goal, we will discover something new about ourselves and the world simply by stepping in the direction of that goal in spite of fear or uncertainty.
In tomorrow’s final installment, we will take a succinct look at how presence awareness, acceptance, EDL Meditation, integrity, and intention all fit together within the framework of mindfulness to provide us with a powerful, though paradoxical, path to empowerment.
Mindfulness Primer: Integrity
So the question is: How do I “accept what is” AND “drive change”? Answer: Mindfulness. This series of posts is designed to introduce the key concepts to this paradoxical approach to empowerment. Today’s topic: Integrity.
To effectively drive change from a space of acceptance, we need to first clearly identify an overarching intention for our lives. However if we haven’t first resolved conflicts within our thoughts, speech, feelings, and actions, we will be hard pressed to identify an apt intention. Choosing an intention without resolving inner conflicts is like shooting an arrow at a moving target: we end up either consistently missing the mark, or hitting marks devoid of enduring fulfillment.
That critical alignment of thoughts, speech, feelings, and actions is more commonly referred to as integrity, and is an essential aspect of mindfulness.
Integrity and mindfulness have a symbiotic relationship. Mindfulness helps us engage integrity, and integrity helps us root more deeply in mindfulness. Mindfulness enables us to notice any inconsistencies or half-truths between our thoughts, speech, feelings, and actions. Once those inconsistencies are identified, we are empowered to navigate situations more skillfully with an eye towards alignment.
It’s an iterative process of trial and error which requires much fine tuning. During this process, it is important that we suspend “ideals” of right and wrong, and focus instead on accepting the fullness of the situation. From that space of acceptance, we are able to choose what feels most right for us within the context of each situation. Later, we can then explore the results of the action we took, and discover whether our decision brought us closer to, or farther away from, a sense of alignment with what we think, say, and feel is most important to us.
In other words, mindfulness creates an opportunity for us to ask: Did the decision we made set us up for an experience of expansion or contraction? Then we can ask: Does that expansion or contraction feel like something we want to experience more often? Integrity then becomes the “constant” in the equation of our experience of life, giving us a solid platform from which to step regardless of what the situation contains.
Eventually we learn that what feels most right in a given moment doesn’t always serve our fullest experience of ourselves. Armed with this realization, we are then primed to navigate the conditioned behaviors that arise in our day which, if left unchecked, lead us away from an experience of our fullest possible expression of ourselves.
From the platform of integrity, we discover that the roots of fulfillment transcend momentary gratification. The thought processes that got us to our current plateau will not help us take life to the next level. By challenging our decision making process, we open ourselves to an experience of life that far exceeds anything we could have imagined from our current mindset. It’s a fulfilling experience of perpetual discovery, as opposed to the classic “striving and achieving” that exhausts our resources and amplifies an experience of restless angst.
Tomorrow in part 6 of this mindfulness primer, we will explore how to effectively identify an overarching intention for our lives.
Mindfulness Primer: EDL Meditation
So the question is: How do I “accept what is” AND “drive change”? Answer: Mindfulness. This series of posts is designed to introduce the key concepts to this paradoxical approach to empowerment. Today’s topic: EDL Meditation.
Previously in this mindfulness primer, I shared insights on how to begin cultivating presence awareness. Then we explored accepting “what is”. Today, we are going to combine them into a mindfulness activity I call “Everyday Life Meditation” (or “EDL Meditation” for short).
Basically, EDL Meditation uses everyday habits and happenings as triggers for mindfulness. The crux of these micro-meditations is simply this: spontaneously notice one breath consciously many times throughout our day. To help us do that, we will use the situations, experiences, and mundane activities in everyday life as cues to awaken from a conditioned habit of complete identification with thought and activity.
We begin by identifying a cue, and when we become aware of that activity (before, during, or after), our only task is to notice one breath consciously. The key here is to select something that you do at least half a dozen times a day so that you integrate awareness, acceptance, and the breath regularly over the course of a day. This strengthens our awareness muscle, and makes us far more likely to respond rather than react when something goes awry.
The structure of EDL Meditation is simple: “Every time you become aware of ( ), notice one breath consciously.” Fill in the blank with anything that stands out to you as an effective cue. Below is a short list to get you started.
You will notice that many of these cues are rooted in resistance. Rather than resist “what is”, we use EDL Meditation to accept and align with “what is” by becoming aware of resistance and noticing one breath consciously. In this way, resistance becomes our ally on our journey to mindfulness, and EDL Meditation is the vehicle that takes us there. So let’s get started!
“Every time you become aware of ( ), notice one breath consciously.”
- Feeling burdened
- Checking the time
- Walking through a doorway
- Striving towards a goal
- Feeling disappointed
- Resistance
- Thinking something you’ve thought before
- Wishing you were doing something else
- Looking in the mirror
- Feeling afraid
- Entering an intersection
- Opening the refrigerator
- Checking email
- Questioning why
With EDL Meditation, we weave presence awareness and acceptance throughout our day. This helps us be more creative, inspired, and response-able, promoting greater experiences of peace, joy, and fulfilment.
Tomorrow we will briefly survey the aspect of integrity, and how we can use it to clearly identify intentions that are aligned with our fullest possible expression of ourselves.
Mindfulness Primer: Acceptance
So the question is: How do I “accept what is” AND “drive change”? Answer: Mindfulness. This series of posts is designed to introduce the key concepts to this paradoxical approach to empowerment. Today’s topic: Acceptance.
As mentioned previously, accepting “what is” can be difficult when we are faced with a challenging or uncomfortable situation. This difficulty is compounded when the situation involves another person as opposed to innocuous activities, so for the purpose of this primer, we are going to maintain focus on acceptance in regard to our activities.
Many activities in our everyday life can carry a sense of burden or hardship. This arises in part because our sense of autonomy is threatened when faced with a “have to” as opposed to a “want to”. That threat interferes with our capacity to experience fulfillment.
When we embody a state of acceptance, we transform situations from a threat to an ally. So how do we do that?
Years ago as I was first trying to swap out my conditioned patterns of resistance with open acceptance, I developed a whole arsenal of tools for aligning with seemingly oppressive situations. I needed a lot of tools at that time, and not every tool worked in every situation. Below I cover the top three strategies I used when I was first learning the art of acceptance.
One simple but powerful tool was simply changing the wording I used: instead of saying “I have to . . . (do the dishes, for example)”, I started saying “I Get to . . . “ That simple switch would change my whole energy. I would open to the situation, align with it, and learn from it. This simple swap was all that was needed to peak my sense of adventure and curiosity, even if all I was doing was the dishes. I know it may sound a bit ridiculous: it still leaves me in disbelief. But every time I engage this tool, I am always surprised that it still holds true as a path to alignment.
Gratitude was another original go-to tactic of mine. When I would become aware of resistance towards a situation, I would course correct by saying something like: “I’m so grateful for this obstacle for showing me more deeply to myself.” Just saying that would help me to relax and align with the situation.
Another powerful tool was surrender. Conceptually, surrender gives the impression of defeat or weakness, but I assure you there is no greater tactic for empowerment than surrendering fully to whatever it is that needs done. I recall one experience where I was cleaning my kitchen, and as I sensed resistance towards the activity, I had the insight to give myself over to it completely.
Part way through I recall feeling a sense of deep sacredness regarding the activity. By the end, it was as if I had cleansed my soul in the process of cleaning my kitchen. I was glowing, and filled with such an incredible sense of aliveness. Irrational: yes. But the lessons that unfolded throughout the rest of that day put it all in a context that actually makes a lot of sense.
You see, the intention I had practiced while cleaning carried over into every other activity. I was responsive and compassionate, and I could see that the intense quality I had brought to cleaning set the stage for intense quality interactions in all areas of my life. I saw how when there is intense quality in this moment, each moment will be one of intense quality, and the resulting life situation can only be one of intense quality and fulfillment.
Acceptance can be easier when we understand that the subtle empowerment woven into acceptance has little to do with the “thing” you are accepting and everything to do with that moment of shifting away from what you are doing and on to how you are doing what you are doing. That shift is the key to enduring fulfillment which develops as we strengthen and lengthen those experiences of acceptance and presence awareness. In this way, what we are ultimately accepting is not the obstacle before us, but our own sacredness.
Tomorrow, we will integrate mindfulness in micro doses throughout our day.
Mindfulness Primer: Awareness
So the question is: How do I “accept what is” AND “drive change”? Answer: Mindfulness. This series of posts is designed to introduce the key concepts to this paradoxical approach to empowerment. Today’s topic: Awareness.
Throughout our lives, we have exhausted much time, energy, and resources driving change in our lives. Even if our efforts towards positive change are successful, our experience of fulfillment from that “win” is rarely enduring. Instead, something else typically stands revealed as an area for improvement.
From this platform of unrest, the idea of accepting a “less than ideal” situation seems, well, unacceptable. After all, if we don’t take steps to change what we are unhappy about, how will we ever be happy? One glaring fault in this logic is that life is in a constant state of change without us ever doing anything. Another is that the same situation that was once viewed as a source of happiness can be the very same situation that later on is viewed as a source of frustration.
Yet despite these points of fact, the idea of accepting an uncomfortable situation challenges us at a primal level. If we fail to negotiate that automatic response, we are bound to spend our lives chasing, and never finding, enduring fulfillment. That’s where mindfulness comes in.
At the core of mindfulness is presence awareness, so it only makes sense to start there. One point that rarely gets mentioned in discussions of presence is that presence is always the case: it is only our awareness of presence that shifts. In this way, presence is our natural state of being, and maintaining a point of awareness on presence is the skill we must cultivate on our journey to mindfulness.
How do we do that? The most immediate path I have found is rooted in the mundane activities of everyday life. The innocuous activities that fill our day such as cleaning, dishes, laundry, washing your hands, walking up a flight of stairs, or any other sort of highly automatic activity, are ripe with the opportunity to flex and strengthen presence awareness simply because they do not conceal any “hidden agenda”. In this way, we can more easily let down our guard and open to learning what these activities have to teach us about fulfillment.
In other words, even if we do not like doing the dishes, we can recognize that the activity itelf is neutral and that our dislike of the activity has nothing to do with the activity itself but is entirely derived from our own preconceived biases. This recognition allows us the opportunity to set our biases aside for a time and fully accept that there is an activity of doing the dishes.
Ready to give it a shot? While engaging in the mundane activities of your everyday life, maintain a point of awareness a half-step “back” from the activity. A more tangible way of achieving that is by maintaining a point of awareness on your breath while you are doing whatever mundane task is in front of you to do.
Next, slow the activity down, and watch each small movement you make in performing that activity while maintaining a point of awareness on your breath. Don’t be surprised if a smile paints itself upon your face. Another time, try mentally “stepping backwards” through the entire chain of events that had to take place in order for you to be there doing the activity, all while maintaining a point of awareness on your breath. Notice the miracle of it all, as well as the absurdity.
Eventually you may arrive at a point where it seems that you are merely an observer watching the activity “do” itself. It is a humbling and empowering state of awareness.
Engaging in our lives in this way is hardly practical, but it’s not something that we need to do all the time. Much like exercising, presence awareness is like a muscle we can strengthen over time. Initially it helps us learn by practicing it in dedicated blocks of time, but as we get more adept at the art of awareness, we can more expertly integrate it in micro doses throughout our day (more on that in a couple of days).
Tomorrow, we will look at the aspect of “accepting what is” on our journey to mindfulness.
Mindfulness Primer: Introduction
There’s a subtle but significant distinction between “accepting what is” and “driving change”. How that distinction plays out in your life determines the degree of fulfillment you experience. The winningest proposition, however, is to drive change from a position of full acceptance of what is.
It’s a paradoxical approach, and one that transcends logic. As such, it is a path that eludes most people. But when you are in that zone, or when you see someone who is in that zone, you recognize it in a way that surpasses conventional understanding. It’s the ultimate “x” factor that’s hard to miss and even harder to ignore.
To root yourself in this powerful approach, you need only master one skill: mindfulness.
For the next 5 days, we will explore the fundamental aspects of this widely talked about but greatly misunderstood method of empowerment.
Paradoxical Uncertainty
While it can be useful to think in terms of dichotomy in our everyday life, at some point we undermine our highest intention by holding too tightly onto one side of an argument. As paradoxical as it seems, relaxing our gaze allows us to see more of a situation, ultimately enabling us to step more skillfully.
The next time you find yourself standing at a fork in the road, use that experience as a cue to relax the need for one path to be more right than the other. When we can see that both paths equally contain challenges as well as triumphs, the emphasis shifts from “which one is best” to “which one feels most in alignment with my highest intention”.
Only when we reach a point of “either” will the most “right” path stand revealed. By not denying the “rightness” of either path, we come to experience the fullest possible expression of ourselves. This experience is the priceless jewel contained within the seeming emptiness of uncertainty.
The Willingness To Fail
Often the entry to the path that leads where we most want to go contains aspects that make us recoil. This natural response is useful if there are actual lions guarding the gate, but most of the time our flight response is triggered by perceived threats that have no absolute basis in reality.
To take life to the next level, we invariably arrive at a moment of truth where we must decide: do I really want what I say we want, or would I rather just spend my days talking to myself and others about it?
Talk is cheap. Action involves genuine risk: We might fail, We might lose money, We might look foolish, We might lose everything and have to start over again from scratch. These all have a relative reality to them, yet they also contain the opportunity for an invaluable and immediate learning experience that could fuel our progress.
When an obstacle appears on your path, I would encourage you to use that obstacle as a cue to test the validity of your assumption of threat. Get curious. Ask yourself: how might taking on this obstacle be the key to getting me where I want most to go? Just asking this question puts us in a state of receptivity allowing us to traverse the part of the obstacle that is most difficult to swallow. Once on the other side of the obstacle, it becomes easier to see how the obstacle was in fact helpful in preparing us for the next stage of our journey.
Success is not a matter of luck, it’s a matter of cultivating a willingness to fail. When we successfully cultivate that skill, there is little that can stand in our way.
Masterful Illusion
Only when we are through settling for less will we discover that the presumed risks of claiming our place in this world do not exist. At the same time we also discover the essential nature of that illusion, and we evolve to an entirely new way of thinking.
It’s up to you to say when.
Reality Lights
The moment we see and deeply accept that we are on a path to nowhere, we realize that we took the long way to get to here now. The good news is that we are here now, and if we can manage to stay here now, our every step will be lit by inspiration.
Experimentation Sparks Evolution
The human mind enables us to accomplish incredible things. Yet the mode of thinking that allowed us to get us where we are is the same mode of thinking that then blocks us from getting to the next stage in our evolution.
Evolution is not about getting better at what we do, it’s a leap to an entirely different way of being altogether. To experience a new reality, we must transcend to a new way of thinking. Bring a gentle curiosity to the choices you make, and look for opportunities to choose differently.
Experiment with your life: if you always drive a particular route to the store, try a different route. If you always brush your teeth in a particular fashion, try doing it a different way. Rather than ignoring the task that’s been nagging at you, surrender to it and discover what it has to teach you. If you always use a black pen, switch to blue.
Explore how simple changes affect how you feel. With enough experimentation, what you may notice is that it is not the activity itself that affects you most, but the fact that you are engaging your life with a heightened sense of curiosity.
Our lives are brimming with opportunities to learn something new about ourselves in relation to this life that is living us. Challenge everything. Choose differently and see how you, and the things around you, begin to evolve.