Have you ever had one of those days where
everything just seemed to fall intoplace easily? It might have been a
singular experience within the day or it felt like it was the entire
day.If you have (and noticed it) you probably found yourself wishing that
every day had that same ease to the things you felt and did.
What is different about those days?
In May, I had the opportunity to attend a
workshop called "The
Art of Allowing" facilitated by Esther and Jerry Hicks (Abraham-Hicks)They are well
known in the spiritual community for their teachings on The Law of Attraction.
They introduced the idea of attracting what we
want in life as going with the flow. When we are going with the flow, we are
moving downstream.Have you ever gone rafting or tubing? Imagine
what it would be like to paddle or float against the current. It is the flow of
water that determines how fast or how slowly we arrive at our destination. Our
emotions affect the intensity of the flow. (This is my interpretation).
Do you complain when things show up that
you don't like and want?
For example:
Can you recall an experience you expected (or
hoped) would go a certain way and you found things going in a different
direction; perhaps one you weren't prepared for? What did you do? Did you try
to redirect what was happening to go the way you wanted? Were your successful
or did you create more stress and emotional turmoil for yourself? Or..did
you let go, staying curious and resilient so that you could be open to new
possibilities?
In the end, how did things turn out?
You might not realize how much energy you are
using to struggle against something that is happening or has already happened.
Your
reaction does not change the outcome that has already happened. It is what it
is
. Your attitude and emotions affect how you
deal with
what is. Embrace the moment
(flow downstream) or wrestle with it (upstream).
As a child I hada little toy I'll call a
Chinese puzzle. I'm not recalling the actual name. It looked like a cigar and
was woven out of a straw-like material that was flexible. The inside was
hollow. It had openings at either end and you put both index fingers into each
opening. If you pulled, the openings tightenedon your fingers and you
couldn't remove them. It was only when you relaxed your fingers that you could
slide them out.
How might your life be different
if you felt a greater acceptance of each momentary experience rather than
struggling against it?
Imagine how much energy and good feelings
you could generate to attract what you want?
Look, we're all human and not always at our best.
So many things can get in the way of being able to embrace whatever happens in
life with a positive attitude.
Every experience, wanted or unwanted, has
value to your personal development and business success.
Next time you find yourself struggling against
the moment, ask yourself:
1. How
does this person or situation challenge me? (To grow as a person, to
improve your business…
. ?).
2. What
can I learn from this experience that will improve the quality of my life?
3. What can I appreciate about this
situation? What are the gifts? In other words, find the value to you
from the experience. A friend of mine says that when she feels highly reactive
to something (and can recognize her reaction) that the person or situation is
really
working
for her - challenging her to look more deeply inside
at her beliefs and behaviors. She sees that situation as serving her to grow as
a person, which is one of her core values. She can then choose to continue to
react (upstream) or integrate what she has discovered into feeling better
(downstream).
I have
a note on my computer and refrigerator that reminds me
I am the Source of my attitudes, feelings, and experiences. I can
reach for a better thought so that I canembrace each moment (
be ok with what is) and move forward to
what I desire…or not…well, you get the picture, right?
If you are feeling unhappy with your life, you've
most likely been going upstream.
Ready to
change direction?
