Nelson Mandela once said "The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." Fear is a normal part of our biological makeup. It is the flight and fight mode that is the front man in our ability to survive. Yet not all fear is good- Most of our fears are self-created. From the beginning of time fear has been part of mankind. First man was motivated by fear to survive in a hostile world. Then other men instilled fear into the weak. The bible states " Fear God and keep his commands: for this is the whole duty of man." As of late with the state of the economy and the fear the government has enslaved man with- one has to wonder why the words printed on the dollar don't read "In God We Fear." Fear....it has been the cause of wars, slavery, poverty. When Jung described both the individual and collective "shadow" of man...clearly he was describing man's fears. One of our greatest struggles as human beings, is to learn to not let our fears run with free rein. This is the area where control is a friend and not foe. What are we afraid of? It's different For every individual-each of us with a closet full of named and unnamed fears.
Einstein wasn't a genius just because he formulated the Theory of Relativity; he was a genius because he tried to teach man about the greatest untapped power of all...his imagination. What happened to our ability to fantasize, day dream and pretend? As children it was part of our daily lives...then one day for so many it just became something called upon when helping out with last minute school projects or nostalgic moments of "what if." Perhaps we missed the boat on what a powerful tool our imaginations can be in transforming our lives. Why are we programed in society to focus on the negative and not the positive? Of course that is meant to be a rhetorical question, because at any given moment we have the power to change. If someone told you that they could offer you a way to be happy beyond your wildest dreams-wouldn't you be the first to wave your arms frantically yelling "yes...me, me." Well, I am telling you that you can be happier beyond your wildest dreams if you just tap into the greatest resource you have-your imagination.
The nay sayers are already rolling their eyes and using programed negative self-talk to construct an argument. "Well, I recently lost my job, and my mother is dying of cancer.....my imagination can't change THAT!" Nope-it sure can't...but imagining a time when things were better or imagining the endless possibilities ahead is such a nicer way to live life. Change what you can and accept the rest as part of life. Why is it so much easier for us to imagine the worst when it takes the same effort to imagine the best? For so many, the power of imagination has become about letting fears consume their daily lives and imagining the worst like Fear of being alone, fear of being stuck in a bad relationship, fear of growing old, fear of dying, fear of not having enough money to retire...and on and on and on. When was the last time you imagined something wonderful? If you take the time daily to close yourself off to your fears, I guarantee you that over time you will begin to imagine less about the bad and more about the good. Just try it. Each day for a few minutes...imagine your life the way you want it to be...the person you want to be....smile and really experience it. And the next time a fear pops up....use your imagination to challenge the fear by imagining something good....When you imagine all you want to be and all that could be...then you cannot help it be. Namaste
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Believing that labels don't define us
When people claim they want to "find themselves," or ask the question "who am I?" what does that really mean? As human beings we are conditioned to identify ourselves and others with labels such as: intelligent, funny, creative, etc., but these are just labels and don't really define "who" we are. Who we are is much more abstract and significant than just labels or characteristics. As children we learn to navigate the world by attaching labels or characteristics to things. Kittens become something that are fuzzy and purr and fellow humans become identified by their own distinct characteristics. But once again do those labels and chacteristics really define "who" we are as spiritual beings?
When we question "who we are" perhaps it is more about us wanting to feel accepted, valued or to possess a sense of belonging in the world on a more basic spiritual level. When people feel lost or adrift maybe they have spent far too many years looking outward for validation and have allowed labels to define them and once these labels are stripped away or questioned-they are left feeling confused and vulnerable. Perhaps if they stopped looking outside of themselves for answers and just listened....truly listened they might hear their spirit calling out to them to reconnect- Like a faraway voice calling out from the distance offering hope to one lost and frightened in a blinding blizzard.
The question "who am I?" may just seem like just an existential cliché but it isn't. It is the one question that challenges us from the moment we are born and for most until the end of our days. While it might affect people in varying degrees- at some point every human being will confront this existential dilemma. The question we must ask ourselves is not just "who am I?" but what labels have I allowed myself to be defined by? And more importantly, "can I let go of those labels?" If we are not smart, funny, strong, kind, then how can we define our existence? Perhaps discovering who we are is less about the labels or characteristics that "describe" us and more about our personal sense of "self" or spirit. If we strip all the labels and characteristics which describe us on a cognitive level, then what we are left with is just our souls...undefinable. Our spirit's only purpose is to love and be loved....pure and simple. First our cognitive or conscious mind must accept this simple truth and learn to love "self" or "spirit" unconditionally void of any labels or conditions. Once we achieve this then our love of "self" becomes "who" we are. It is what defines us and our purpose here on earth. We no longer are living externally but internally and all of those labels become meaningless.
How do we learn to love ourselves? Here is the cliff-hanger; we don't HAVE to learn...we already do. Our cognitive mind has gotten in the way with all of these labels and conditions that we have allowed to define our existence, sense of worth, our very being. Somehow along the way, we have begun to believe that we must somehow become "worthy" of love by proving ourselves or earning it-yet our spirits know otherwise. This aching deep within us,this restlessness that makes us feel like something is missing...that is our subconscious mind trying to tell us that we are enough...that we have always been enough. When we can let go of all of those external things that define us and look internally at the amazing spirit that we were given as a gift at birth....then we will feel complete and we will no longer be asking "who am I" We will know that we just "are" and that is enough. Namaste
When we question "who we are" perhaps it is more about us wanting to feel accepted, valued or to possess a sense of belonging in the world on a more basic spiritual level. When people feel lost or adrift maybe they have spent far too many years looking outward for validation and have allowed labels to define them and once these labels are stripped away or questioned-they are left feeling confused and vulnerable. Perhaps if they stopped looking outside of themselves for answers and just listened....truly listened they might hear their spirit calling out to them to reconnect- Like a faraway voice calling out from the distance offering hope to one lost and frightened in a blinding blizzard.
The question "who am I?" may just seem like just an existential cliché but it isn't. It is the one question that challenges us from the moment we are born and for most until the end of our days. While it might affect people in varying degrees- at some point every human being will confront this existential dilemma. The question we must ask ourselves is not just "who am I?" but what labels have I allowed myself to be defined by? And more importantly, "can I let go of those labels?" If we are not smart, funny, strong, kind, then how can we define our existence? Perhaps discovering who we are is less about the labels or characteristics that "describe" us and more about our personal sense of "self" or spirit. If we strip all the labels and characteristics which describe us on a cognitive level, then what we are left with is just our souls...undefinable. Our spirit's only purpose is to love and be loved....pure and simple. First our cognitive or conscious mind must accept this simple truth and learn to love "self" or "spirit" unconditionally void of any labels or conditions. Once we achieve this then our love of "self" becomes "who" we are. It is what defines us and our purpose here on earth. We no longer are living externally but internally and all of those labels become meaningless.
How do we learn to love ourselves? Here is the cliff-hanger; we don't HAVE to learn...we already do. Our cognitive mind has gotten in the way with all of these labels and conditions that we have allowed to define our existence, sense of worth, our very being. Somehow along the way, we have begun to believe that we must somehow become "worthy" of love by proving ourselves or earning it-yet our spirits know otherwise. This aching deep within us,this restlessness that makes us feel like something is missing...that is our subconscious mind trying to tell us that we are enough...that we have always been enough. When we can let go of all of those external things that define us and look internally at the amazing spirit that we were given as a gift at birth....then we will feel complete and we will no longer be asking "who am I" We will know that we just "are" and that is enough. Namaste
Monday, July 11, 2011
Believing We All Have A Purpose
The one mantra that I always hear is "What is my purpose in life? I to have heard that mantra resounding in my own head for the entirety of my life. I have always felt that somehow I was meant to do something great. Yet as of late I have come to believe that our purpose as humans may be less about doing great and more about being great. Learning to love ourselves and realize that we are enough is the greatest achievement of all. Society brainwashes us into believing that unless we achieve external accolades then we are somehow not successful in life. There seems to be far too little emphasis on the importance of internal success. Life becomes more about what we have rather then who we are.
Who are you? Have you taken the time to recognize yourself separate from others, and your achievements? Learning that "who" we are is not relational to "what" we do. Societal expectations are likened to that of a prisoner who has suddenly realized that his cell was never locked and he could have walked out at any given moment. Viktor Frankl is a perfect example of living internally. Despite all the degradation he endured while a prisoner at Auschwitz-he believed that man only suffered if he allowed external conditions to enslave him. He stated "A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth -- that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love." Quite simply, Frankl believed that by dwelling in the spiritual domain where there existed true self-love....he could find refuge from suffering.
Society speaks a lot of religion and the path to God....yet much little about the path to self. Everywhere we look we are encouraged to seek external gratification. Through love and partnership, work and success. We build our lives and self- worth on a foundation of uncertain external circumstances...then when those circumstance changes, we feel frightened and confused. Then angry and often hopeless. The problem is not that we reached outside ourselves for gratification-it is that we placed all our worth on those things. nature has much to teach us about change, as it is always changing. Our cores should be like the ocean. When a storm ravages the sea, on the surface it is violent-yet beneath the surface it remains calm. This is how we must live our lives. We must have a strong core that reminds us each and every moment that regardless of what is happening externally... inside we are enough....unaffected.
Ironically, the first thought for many who read these words will be "how do I do this? How do I live internally?" once again looking outward for the answer. The answer is simple-you just do it. There is no great secret. You begin to use self-talk to be your own counsel. Einstein was not brilliant just because he discovered the theory of relativity-he was brilliant because he understood the power of imagination. Our imagination is our greatest untapped resource. We have this amazing gift of creating whatever reality we choose for ourselves-yet we still look outward for other's to lead the way. Use your imagination next time you have a problem. Lie down, close your eyes and create a person in your imagination that you can talk to and who can listen. Be detailed about what they look like, where they are, how they make you feel. Eventually over time with patience and practice- you will realize that this person is your higher self and they have all the answers you need. Go to this place each day and I promise you over time-you will see changes in your life. You will begin to live internally. You will begin to trust that you have all your own answers. I wish you luck on this path...Namaste
Who are you? Have you taken the time to recognize yourself separate from others, and your achievements? Learning that "who" we are is not relational to "what" we do. Societal expectations are likened to that of a prisoner who has suddenly realized that his cell was never locked and he could have walked out at any given moment. Viktor Frankl is a perfect example of living internally. Despite all the degradation he endured while a prisoner at Auschwitz-he believed that man only suffered if he allowed external conditions to enslave him. He stated "A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth -- that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love." Quite simply, Frankl believed that by dwelling in the spiritual domain where there existed true self-love....he could find refuge from suffering.
Society speaks a lot of religion and the path to God....yet much little about the path to self. Everywhere we look we are encouraged to seek external gratification. Through love and partnership, work and success. We build our lives and self- worth on a foundation of uncertain external circumstances...then when those circumstance changes, we feel frightened and confused. Then angry and often hopeless. The problem is not that we reached outside ourselves for gratification-it is that we placed all our worth on those things. nature has much to teach us about change, as it is always changing. Our cores should be like the ocean. When a storm ravages the sea, on the surface it is violent-yet beneath the surface it remains calm. This is how we must live our lives. We must have a strong core that reminds us each and every moment that regardless of what is happening externally... inside we are enough....unaffected.
Ironically, the first thought for many who read these words will be "how do I do this? How do I live internally?" once again looking outward for the answer. The answer is simple-you just do it. There is no great secret. You begin to use self-talk to be your own counsel. Einstein was not brilliant just because he discovered the theory of relativity-he was brilliant because he understood the power of imagination. Our imagination is our greatest untapped resource. We have this amazing gift of creating whatever reality we choose for ourselves-yet we still look outward for other's to lead the way. Use your imagination next time you have a problem. Lie down, close your eyes and create a person in your imagination that you can talk to and who can listen. Be detailed about what they look like, where they are, how they make you feel. Eventually over time with patience and practice- you will realize that this person is your higher self and they have all the answers you need. Go to this place each day and I promise you over time-you will see changes in your life. You will begin to live internally. You will begin to trust that you have all your own answers. I wish you luck on this path...Namaste
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