President Obama has started his job in an impressive fashion. There are still many things to work out and not everything is heading the direction I support but over all it is a very positive beginning. An attribute that I see as key is that there is still much hope in most of us for this bright and thoughtful President.
The economy is a mess but there is action happening and the best minds are doing what makes the most sense to them. My concern here is that the financial world is driven by the influences of those with the most money and not for what is for the good of all Americans. We need to support the President in keeping the people in mind first and foremost and not be overly influenced by those in his administration with money ties to corporations. Objectivity and critical thinking are needed and this President is up to the task.
Affordable Health care is a must for everyone and it will help out the financials of our country. Insurance company influence needs to be minimal not major in forming policy. The President has the ability to sort through the factors and keep what is best for all in mind. Clear thinking and real change in needed here and there is true wisdom again in the White House and in the people.
Torture, how did we go so off course? This President has a real moral compass and he is using it. Torture has been banned, Guantanamo is being closed, and we will regain respect by other ethical nations.
The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is a mess and I want us out of there now. The President is taking a more cautious approach in Iraq and seems to want to engage more in Afghanistan. I don’t trust the military guidance on this, he does. He has much more inside information so I put my trust in him. He will be mindful of our soldier’s lives because he has heart.
The policy of isolating Cuba is old thinking and it is way past time for a change. Isn’t it time we grow up and act like adults? It is good to have an adult as president again.
We are part of global citizenry and it is time to join with other countries and address the planet wide issues that affect us all. This ego-based thumping of chest diplomacy was from the immature prideful leadership of the past. Now we have a President who is run by critical thinking, compassion, and understanding.
There are other important issues but those will be ok because there is a leader and his family that are grounded in the principles that make this country great: courage, justice, strength, equality, freedom, democracy, independence, and progress. Now the other part is that we too are called upon to live these principles and together we will return this nation to health, prosperity and peace.
From my point of view, we are heading in the right direction and I am grateful for this President and his family for the inspiration and hope they courageous bring to the White House. What do you think?
The Road Of Life Can Be Very Bumpy
Yesterday I was sitting with a client doing a two-hour history and assessment and I thought how can this person ever get past the abuse and trauma of her life. Her self- medication/drug abuse has gotten her here for treatment but if there are no drugs, how will she cope with all the emotional upheaval in her body and mind. Counseling for these sorts of issues will take years and probably several years of sobriety is needed before this kind of help is even recommended. These times with clients give me such great respect for the courage of their journey.
Doing this intense type of work can be traumatizing to the counselor. There is a secondary trauma that affects the listener as I attempt to help them maneuver through the rough waters of their lives. I have to take care of myself or the weight of this work can bring me down. Daily workouts and quiet time are essential for my health.
My therapy group last night was focused on what is possible in their recovery rather than looking at deeper emotional issues. This positive direction is to help balance out the chaos of so much that gets stirred up. Real change is made possible for those in recovery with a balance between exploring deeper awareness, daily survival strategies, and time to integrate.
People early in recovery are raw with emotions if they are doing any real inner work. This process of coming back alive can stir up lots of unfinished business. This unfinished business is usually extensive as most addicts come from unhealthy and abusive childhoods. As they thaw out and begin to really feel again, there is often too much to handle emotionally. As a counselor one must move this process along at a rate that both honors the struggle and still encourages the growth. Recovery is often a series of attempts until there is enough inner strength and clarity to take back their lives and work a strong and supportive program for long term healing.
When I listen to the pains of others and look at my own life I feel even more grateful for all the positives I have experienced. From this added perspective it is easy to appreciate, what seems in comparison, a very good life with manageable struggles. There is no haunting past, no uncontrollable urges, no incredible loss, no dealing with the criminal justice system; instead there is loving relationships, work I feel good about, steady income, health and hope for a continually improving life.
Take time to appreciate what you got and remember there is so much going for you.
The Hell Realm Of The Mind
The ground is again white outside and frankly I am done with Winter. It looks like Swine Flu is the latest fear-hyped news story. My basketball team is struggling in the playoffs. The Right is going crazy trying to attack Obama. Just lots of stuff going on that I could be upset about but I am not. From what I can tell, none of these circumstances really matter that much. Instead of getting worked up about what is going on, I won’t let my mind take me down the slippery slope called negativity.
When the mind has a negative or limiting thought and continues to stay focused on what is wrong or not ok, it is like driving your car off a cliff. You go down, down, down so fast into the hell realm of your mind. This is creating pain and suffering for yourself because you don’t have control of your own thoughts. Thoughts focused on blame, complaining, what is wrong, or negativity will grow a huge snowball of discontent within you.
This is the mind driving off the slippery slope of negativity into the hell realm of thought:
Is this really where you want to go? When you indulge in negativity, you create your suffering and no one else is to blame for your state of mind. This is why people who listen to negative talk-radio often feel miserable is because their minds linger in the crap of people’s opinion and thereby cause themselves lots of suffering.
Turn off the crap magnet of negative mind and instead find thoughts and ideas for you that are hopeful, positive, solution oriented, towards constructive action, compassionate, seeking to understand, expanding awareness, realizing of your potential, loving, accepting, strategizing, in search of useful change, purposeful and so much more that can make you feel better about your life in the moment.
Being negative or hanging out in discontent is not motivational even though some might argue it is. In fact it takes away energy you might have to do something constructive. This is because when you complain and blame you place yourself in a powerless position. You basically say this is awful and I am unable to do anything about it except complain.
As a reminder, the only time that really matters is right now, and right now you can change how you think so that happiness and peace of mind is possible. Have good thoughts and you will have a good day.
The Joys Of This Moment
Today on the Huffington Post there was an article on Happiness by Gretchen Rubin who writes often about the topic. Her point was that being connected to past can bring us happiness. For some, I am sure that is true.
In my work with clients, most of them have pasts that haunt them much more then bring them happiness. As I look over my past, I see there are many good memories but the present offers much more happiness to me. Maybe I am blessed to be happy with my life as it is now, or maybe that is because I’ve learned to live more fully in the present?
This moment has everything I need to be happy. I can appreciate this moment as I write this blog because I am doing what I love to do. My wife is making a delicious smoothie for us upstairs and my mouth is watering as I anticipate drinking it (it tasted great.) Soon I will be on my bike riding it this sunny morning and I am pleasantly anticipating that right now.
Now is really where everything happens. Now with the right frame of mind is ripe with the nectar of happiness if I simply take a full bite out of the moment. This full bite means I breathe into the moment, I tastes the tastes of the smoothie, I feel the air as it blows past me on my ride, I enjoy the pleasure of inspiration as I write, I feel the joy of being energized by ideas.
Thanks Gretchen for the inspiration of ideas today and keep up your writing, it makes people think and become more aware and that is so needed.
More on happiness soon and by the way why not have some today by jumping fully into the joys of this moment.
Maybe A Little Stretch Of Self
In a never-ending search for the highest expression of my potential, I find myself often turning away from my physical endeavors and focusing instead on my mind and spirit. My body is still strong and healthy but I don’t feel like pushing so hard it hurts in my workouts anymore. Maybe that is self-love? I do find that my mind, intention, focus and spirit have me very interested as personal areas of inner research and self-realization.
What areas of your life do you want to explore and express more fully? Is your career where you want it to be? Are your relationships fulfilling? Financially are you where you want to be? Are you nurturing your spirit? How active are you in taking care of your health? Are you being challenged by your life in ways that feel meaningful? Are you accepting of yourself and those you love?
There are lots of things about life that offer us opportunities to fully express our unique gifts and interests. What self-improvement projects do you have in mind?
This is a list of a few areas I want to stretch myself further so that I can more fully express my potential:
1. To more fully open my heart to giving and receiving love, to having compassion for others, and to feel all I feel.
2. To keep on expanding my consciousness mentally, emotionally and spiritually so that I am more awake and aware.
3. To be more active as a social activist in advocating for policy changes that will return the power to the people and to what is right and good for all.
4. To learn how to flow more easily and effortlessly like a stream flowing downward thereby breaking old patterns of struggle and self-doubt.
5. To more often listen inward to the guidance from my Higher-Self/Spirit/intuitive knowing/the creative force of the universe.
6. To have more fun, enjoy life, be joyous, go with the flow and appreciate all that is and all that can be.
7. To experience more freedom of expression, more freedom of time, more financial freedom and more freedom to just be moment to moment.
8. To have more time for naps, more times of relaxation, more times to read good books, more time to play, more time for walks in nature, and more time to garden.
Have a good weekend and maybe stretch yourself in some way today.
Your Brilliance Is Yet To Be Discovered
Today’s blog is a follow-up to the concluding quote yesterday. This quote has often been linked to Nelson Mandela but in fact was written by Marianne Williamson an inspirational speaker and New Thought minister. The message is powerful and I ran out of time yesterday to give it any attention other than posting it. It may not need any more attention than that.
Have you ever been afraid of the possibility of power in you? If so than you have crossed path with a part of you that is only scary because it is unknown. I believe in the innate goodness of everyone (some have been very damaged as children draining their goodness). Innately you are one with the Source of the universe, how could there be anything wrong with you as a creation. This divine ancestry of yours is ripe with the light of limitless potential sitting calmly waiting for expression.
Your brilliance is yet to be discovered. I suggest you step in front of a mirror and gaze into your eyes. See the light that sparkles there and follow it to it source and you will then truly see what is possible.
Maybe you feel as if you have tapped into your talents. This may be what you think but the reality is there is so much more to who you can be. that if you lived a hundred lifetimes you might still only begin to know what is in you waiting to be realized.
No one plays small intentionally but there is so much you learn as you grow that teaches you to be cautious, careful, fearful, and guarded. These careful ways are not the correct interpretations of the inner calling of your spirit but instead the limitation of others passed on to you. Forget those lessons, they were not right nor worth living by if you want to express you fully.
Don’t even consider turning your light down out of fear of blinding others, pass out sunglasses if you must. Instead invite those around you to shine too: then the whole world will be en-lightened.
As you and I move past our fears others will be inspired to do the same. Your light, your courage, your brilliance is meant to lift you and everyone who comes in contact with you to a higher level of human realization. Please turn on the brights to light the way through the darkness of those who have yet to become conscious.
Peace, Joy, Light and Delight this weekend.
Focus Instead On What Is Possible Within You
“You have been taught that there is something wrong with you and that you are imperfect, but there isn’t and you’re not.” Unknown
This quote comes from StumbledUpon.com where I get the most interesting ideas on a random basis. I saw no author linked to it, if you know who it is please share. As a mental health professional I am struck by the unfortunate accuracy of the message of these two lines.
The almost universal training we all received was that, we are not ok. It happened because our parents had their self-doubts, our schools teach us we can fail, our churches fill us with feedback about what we are doing wrong, and nightly news is focused on the worst of human behaviors and situations. All of this misinformation we are feed is wrong and would you please disregard it now and for the rest of your life.
Sure there are people who are very troubled but they most likely have been abused. The rest of us are only as troubled as we let our conditioned mind control us.
Instead focus on what is positive and possible in you:
• You have a mind that can think amazing thoughts, be creative, invent, design, engineer, calculate, philosophize, process information, interpret your senses and much more.
• You have a heart that can feel love, passion, fear, joy, caution, excitement, sadness, compassion, hopeful and much more. Your ability to love in unlimited.
• You have a body that can run, dance, swim, sleep, relax, get stronger, heal itself, fit off disease, have incredible endurance, transport you, eat delicious food, see, hear, taste, enjoy touch, give and receive pleasure, make offspring and much more.
• You have a spirit that always is, has no limits, can soar to the highest expressions and knowing, is in union with all, inspires your greatness, guides you, and is so much more than your realize.
The following quote is a very strong reminder of what is possible in you and I. Thank you Marianne Williamson for the inspirational words:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
HAPPY EARTH DAY
I almost forgot to wish you a great Earth Day. Look around isn't it a gem of a planet. Please join all of us who are concerned and let's take care of it in every way we can.
Be Aware Of Those Who Are Sure They Are Right
What makes people kill others in the name of their religion? Christians and Muslims have been killing people in the name of their God for centuries. More people have been killed in “holy wars” in the name of religion than for any other reason. What makes people think that their truths are the only truths? How come people join hate groups and live their life in anger? How can people (especially doctors) watch others being tortured and not stop this indecent behavior? How is discrimination against being gay any different than discrimination against minorities?
These are some questions about our human history that leave me wondering how did we go so off course and unfortunately continue to do so? I would venture to guess that these unacceptable behaviors come from human arrogance. The following list is twelve types of people who are letting arrogance run their show:
1. People who are really sure they are right and you are wrong
2. People who are sure their religion is the only one true religion
3. People who rationalize their unkind or destructive behavior
4. People who want to tell you what to think and believe
5. People who consider war as an acceptable options to deal with problems
6. People who believe all problems can be dealt with force
7. People who think they deserve wages that are over 500% higher than those who work for them
8. People who feel superior because of their skin color or social class
9. People who are sure others are always talking about them
10. People who use physical, mental and emotional abuse to control others
11. People who hate others because of their points of view
12. People who feel the world is out to get them
This list is here to help you understand the power of the ego as a destructive force. Large egos mean real arrogance, which is usually caused by much self-doubt or fear and is hidden by bravado. You and I have to keep aware of the our own egos wanting to be in control, wanting to be right, wanting to judge others, wanting to make things ok when they are not.
The opposite of arrogance is humility and compassion. To be humble and to seek to understand the challenges of others is a much healthier way for humans to interact with each other. Let’s hope that sometime soon our human consciousness expands enough so that arrogance shrinks away to a harmless human quality that elicits compassion in us for those who lack self-worth.
What Mysteries Run Through Your Life?
My wife wants to be a history detective and go solve mysteries and discover the stories connected to those mysteries. I work with the incredibly mystery of human thoughts, emotions and soul. Our lives can be very interesting if we have the opportunity to explore life’s mysteries.
What mysteries are in your life? What answers are you searching for? What unanswered questions do you have? What gives your life meaning that matters? What are you here in this lifetime to understand or realize? Where do you need to go to better understand something that you need to understand? What unknown has been calling you to be explored?
If you don’t think there is any mystery to your life, then you are probably not asking the right questions. I remember a person said to me one day that in area of science he worked in there was really nothing left to discover, there was no more mystery. My thoughts when he said that were: how can that be true and how could he be so sure? He was mistaken for two reasons: 1. He thought he knew everything that could be known about his area of expertise. 2. There will always be mystery in everything that involves life. The mystery will always remain if there is evolution, if there is consciousness, if there is creativity, if there is adaptation, if there are other viewpoints, and if there are open minds and hearts. Change is a given.
Back to you, what questions about you and your life are you wanting to explore? Here are a few mysteries on my list you might consider:
1. What is life about?
2. Is this your first go around or have you been on the planet before this lifetime?
3. Who is God? Does anyone really know?
4. What is purpose of your soul?
5. Are we humans responsible for the health of the planet?
6. How come the rich keep getting richer and the rest of us struggle?
7. Explain why people who discriminate against same sex relationships are not bigots?
8. To love others, must you first be able to love yourself?
9. Are more and more profits the God of commerce?
10. Is there really such a thing as sin or is that a human invention?
11. How does our government waterboard someone a 183 times in a month and claim we don’t torture people?
12. How come credit card companies are bailed out by the people and then make them pay again by raising their rates?
There are many more human mysteries. What would you add to this list?
Activism Or Stillness Of Mind?
"To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."
Chuang-tzu
I came upon this quote and I thought maybe all we need to make the world a better place is that we all develop quiet minds. Here I thought we all must become activists and demand our government to return the power to the people. Hum, I wonder which is true quiet mind or activism?
The answer may be in both possibilities. If we quiet our minds our consciousness and compassion will be available to us. If we get active and involved then there is hope that the people will be the governing forces. Both are true and both need to happen to maximize our effectiveness.
The reason activists have to act is because without action the ways of the unconscious (ego-mind) and the heartless (unable to feel compassion) continue to dominate our culture. All those who run corporations seeking profit at any cost are driven by ego and out of touch with their hearts. How could a conscious person have bigger profits at any cost as their higher purpose? How could a loving human being not care about what is good for humanity and the health of the planet?
Conscious people understand each other, understand the needs of others, can see the bigger picture, have compassion for the suffering of all living things, can hear the inner truth of the still mind. Compassionate action is making a difference while not lousing heart.
Look around you and read/listen to all the rhetoric, that is the dominating force of the ego. Pay attention to those that rationalize any actions and again you will see the clear disconnect from the heart. Be willing to question those that know what is best for you, they lack higher consciousness.
Only you are the source of your own knowing, be weary of those that claim direct contact with God, for claiming such makes it clear there is no relationship with any Higher Power then their inflated ego. You are the only true source of what is right for you.
Have a insightful and inspired week by quieting the mind at least several times each day.
What If The People Really Mattered In America
Last night I watched the NBA playoffs as a fan of the Portland Trailblazers and they got crushed in the first game. It used to be that I would feel crushed by this kind of thumping of my favorite sports team ever. Now I feel disappointed but I don’t take it so personally. Maybe that is having a bigger perspective on what really matters and what doesn’t.
I missed Bill Moyer’s show on Friday so I caught part of it on the Internet and the guest I saw was a journalist named David Simon. He was talking about the lack of care for those in poverty in the United States specifically in the inner cities. His remarks where full of insight into what needs to change about America if we are to remain a healthy nation. I so much appreciate people who are wise enough to share a broader inclusive viewpoint.
David Simon calls the United States an oligarchy in which a few people control the nation. Those few people are the very rich (top 1-5% of wealth) who pay to have influence. This is why Wall Street and Banking have so much power. Most of the very wealthy have no idea what it is to struggle to make it in the world. They are blessed to not have to face these challenges but it also means they lack the understanding of what the majority of Americans go through living pay check to pay check.
Even professionals like myself struggle with low wages because I have dedicated myself to helping the less fortunate, the addicted, those struggling with mental health issues. We who help others get paid low wages because the people we serve matter very little to those in power. I am not complaining here because I love my work and I also know if worked for a corporation or in the Financial world, I would be well off with the experience and skill level I have developed. My awareness gained from my work with those in need has taught me much about what matters most to me: the values of consciousness and compassion.
I write about these two values often because I have learned over my 35 years of helping others that having compassion and being conscious are perspectives that are universal and so needed in the world today run instead by the pursuit of profits and power. This influence, of making money at any cost as a national agenda, has greatly compromised our nation’s heart which is the working men and women who keep this country moving forward. There is no greatness in this nation if, “we the people” are taken advantage of by those who get richer on everyone else’s backs.
If we the people mattered: there would be health care for all, not people going broke over medical bills; there would be help for those who have been abused as children and are now troubled, not more prisons; there would be reasonable housing, not only over-inflated debt producing options; there would be good and fair wages, not full time pay that is too little to get by on; there would be a more equitable distribution of wealth, not all the money in the hands of the few as it is now; there would be enough good food for all, not more hunger and empty food banks; and other indications that the people are not the top priority.
I cannot say this enough or too often, we the people must speak up, look out for ourselves by keeping informed, demand that government represents us, and move from blaming and complaining to action that makes a positive difference.
You are needed today to get involved in whatever matters most to you.
The Cultivation Of Spirit
It is a quiet morning here as I sit in front of my computer. My wife is at an Earth Day Event selling our peace t-shirts and Pax our dog lies sound asleep. After working intensely with people all week, I very much appreciate my times of silence. In these peaceful moments of life it is easier to settle into a state where I feel open and receptive to the guidance of my spirit/Higher Self. It feels good to have a calm mind and a rested body.
In this moment, if I just breathe and relax, the Infinite Mind awaits me. There is a knowing inside of you and I just outside of the chaos that too often dominates our waking moments. This knowing is beyond the ordinary workings of thought, which is too often bogged down in the perceived challenges of daily living. Beyond the busy mind is the Infinite Mind, the Collective Consciousness that contains all human wisdom and the knowing beyond the rational mind.
As I sit here I remind myself to be present to this moment as if it is all there is and contains all that I will ever need. I drink from the cup of consciousness when I am fully present, when I am open in mind and expansive in heart. There is a thirst that calls me to drink deeply.
Now is the only really holy place to be. There is no need for a church, a gathering, a mass, a sermon, a minister, a guru, a holy book or any other religious paraphernalia. They are just the stuff of human invention seeking contact with Spirit. Instead look nowhere else but into the moments of spiritual silence available to you right now. Sit in silence, walk in silence, eat in silence, love in silence, drive in silence, communicate in silence, write in silence, be in silence, all in the now. Be here now.
This very moment contains all you will every need in the form of love, understanding, awareness, peace, joy, freedom, serenity, inspiration, energy, abundance, radiant health, peace, bliss, and everything else. Why not be present to all of this instead of off elsewhere traipsing through the past or laboring toward the future?
This moment is alive with the Spirit in you and the Spirit of the creative force of this Universe and all others. Be present, be open and be receptive and step through the doorway and into the infinitely wise and fulfilling Now.
What Is The Life Force Within?
It is getting late as I sitting here to write my first draft of my blog for tomorrow. I run a late group sponsored by the county with the goal of helping people out of poverty. The night is rainy and cold and my energy is waning. Our dog Pax needs a walk and I am sitting here hoping to be inspired.
This has been a busy week but I always seem to have the energy I need to keep going and do what I need to do. It seems my energy comes from several sources that I am aware of and probably some I don’t know. The sources I am conscious of include my daily exercise program that keeps me fit; my purposeful work; my blog; my mostly healthy eating habits, my dedication to social activism; my positive, supportive beliefs and self-talk; and the knowledge of the importance of self-care keeps me dedicated, passionate and energized.
What may keep me going that I can only speculate about include some of the following: my spiritual life, which feels rich and continues to grow; my biological clock which still seems to have plenty of time left on it; my heart feels full of life and the part of me that wants to keep on opening; the Spirit in me or the Source/Life Force of the universe seems to be still fueling me a deep level and frankly I am unsure what else.
What keeps you going? What fuels you onward? Do you feel you have any determination in how long you live? Or is it all destiny and predetermined?
This morning there is a very wet snow falling as I review my writing from last night. I am trying to get motivated for a run out there before I head off to work. I hope you made it through tax day unscathed. Have a easy Friday and an enjoyable weekend. Go Blazers!
TV News Feeds The Fire Of Discontent
There is so much going on in the news lately that I am glad that I am not watching it on TV, which would be a total overload. I now only get my news from the Web except for the local paper. There are the pirates acting like pirates, the tea parties protesting taxes, the financial institutions are not lending and instead are raising rates to the consumers after we bailed them out, consumer spending continues to fall and many other stories that indicate things are not right.
If I tried to keep up on all these stories, I would be overwhelmed and probably very depressed. If I watched the outlook from Fox News I would be scared and suicidal. The reason I am bringing this up is to encourage you to be carefully what information you let into your mind because it will tend to amplify what it is that worries you the most. Not only amplify by review and obsess about what isn’t ok and remind yourself over and over until you are in a state of chaos inside.
The news is just the news and is not a clear reflection of what is going on. It is focused on drama, fear and what is wrong. There is no fair and balanced because it is about entertainment and is all driven by corporations seeking profits. So there really is no need to sit there and watch because the news is not about being informed what is going on but more about what is wrong about human beings. There is almost zero coverage about the good qualities of people, about caring and compassionate acts, or about the wonder and beauty of the earth and all that inhabit it.
Take some time away from TV news and talk radio (solely opinions about what is wrong about people, governments and organizations) and give your mind a break. If you want to be informed go exploring on the Internet. If you want peace of mind and hope turn off the noise and quiet the chaotic mind so that it becomes more of a whisper. The roar of life in the 21st Century is too much as it is without feeding the fire of discontent spread by our talking media.
Try these few ideas to offset the noisiness of your anxious mind.
• Spend quiet time each morning to tune in and think about the positive results you want to create.
• Throughout the day breathe mindfully and slow yourself down
• If you need to keep informed, read the newspaper and Web and notice how you feel. Stop ready before you get upset or angry.
• A good workout each day can calm you down and bring your energies into balance
• As your day winds down take a quiet walk and let your mind settle.
• Before you fall asleep take just a few minutes to review what you appreciated about the day, those around you and yourself
Explore and enjoy your life free from the generated discontent that isn’t even necessary.
In The Flow Or Repressed?
Over the past few years since I started my blog I have written about mental and emotional health. My work takes me down this path often as I try to assist others in finding their way to a clearer more peaceful mind and to a place of healthy awareness about emotions. Lately the clients I work with have been riding a roller coaster of emotions and they struggle with being out of control in their lives. The times we live in are full of stressful situations that may cause imbalances in our thinking and how we feel. The biggest triggers to send us off course in life are thoughts that don’t work and emotions that we feel unable to deal with in a healthy manner. Let me share another perspective about the workings of our mind and the waves of our emotions.
First place almost all emotions begin as thoughts. Yes often we do have lots of emotions stuffed inside (from not expressing them) but what triggers those emotions are thoughts. So let’s say a situation we find ourselves in causes us to have thoughts in response to that situation which then creates emotions in response to those thoughts. That is how we humans are wired.
So if we are in a situation that makes us uncomfortable like driving in a slow traffic mess, we can have a thought that this traffic jam is not fair and our emotions can flair up into anger. We have all been there. This anger is a response to our thought about the mess we are in. If our response was different and instead we thought of gratitude for this traffic mess because it gave us time to listen to this book on CD we got at the library then our emotions would be quite different. How we think about the situations we find ourselves in directly influences how we feel about it. That makes sense doesn’t it?
Emotions are powerful rivers of energy and aliveness that flow through us if we haven’t damned ourselves all up with our repressive thoughts. Any thoughts that say certain emotions are not acceptable to feel cause us to stuff what we feel. The more stuffing of feelings we do, the more we close down our aliveness. Unexpressed emotions eat away at us and many think are the cause of much disease. The least stuffing does is make us feel numb. Stuffing is ok for turkeys but not ok for humans.
The healthiest way for us to be mentally and emotionally is to be watchful of your thoughts and make sure they are positive, supportive and not reactive. If our thoughts stay calm and cool our emotions will be similar. Emotions that are acknowledged from within tend to keep us feeling alive and healthy. Even the negative charges some emotions carry are quickly dissipated by our paying attention to them in a validating way.
In summary, healthy thoughts encourage things to work out well in our lives and healthy emotions are those we feel fully and express and then move on.
The Interconnection Of All Of Life
There are moments that make me feel beyond the ordinary dramas of my life and they can be caused by unexpected experiences. Sunday night we were watching Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, which is a film about the great martial artist and the power of his practice. As I watched the film I found myself feelings the energy of his mental focus and physical presence. This is not something that usually happens from movies but some affect me at a level I can feel energetically in my mind and body.
After the movie I felt as if the energy that was the actor playing Bruce Lee and the story itself was a strong force and my body/mind seemed to be affected. It made me want to jump into the positions, make the sounds and play out the resonance I could feel. I suspect if you have never found a strong empathetic connection with a movie that you are thinking it is time to leave this blog and go read something from someone who isn't a nut case. These kinds of experiences are out of the ordinary but I highly suspect you too have had empathetic experiences that have left their impression on you. Maybe these kinds of experiences happen because my work counseling others is about connecting to others on a deep level of empathy.
I bring this whole thing up because I want to bring into awareness the idea that we are all interconnected. We are connected to each other through who we are, through our energy, through our stories, through our family histories, through our collective consciousness, and through our knowing beyond the rational workings of the mind. This interconnection is powerful but usually not part of our awareness because we are often so caught up in the hurry and worry and in the past and future that we rarely make contact with the depth of possibilities in the present moment.
You are invited to take some time to tune into the connections between all of us who live on the planet. There is a theory that says most of us are at the most just six steps away (six degrees of separation) from all the people on the planet. There is in each of us at a cellular level the collective history of all of humankind. On a consciousness level we are all connected collectively. It has been said that if a butterfly flaps is wings in one part of the Earth it can effect the weather patterns on the other side of the planet. We all feel the sufferings and the joys of all human being whether we are aware of it or not.
This connection makes it possible that if more of us awaken to who we are and our potential to be compassionate and conscious than all humanity will benefit. Each moment of awareness enriches the collective awareness. Each act of kindness is a giving to us all. Each person living with purpose and full of hope spreads that around the globe.
To say what we think, say and do doesn’t matter is to be out of touch with the greater reality of our interconnection to each other.
"All human beings are interconnected, one with all other elements in creation."
Henry Reed
Push For Change Compassionately
Yesterday on my run I crossed paths with a fox and a small herd of deer. On our drive to Estes Park for an Easter family brunch we saw several herds of elk. Something about nature always touches me deeply. The wild creatures that reside in the forests always are a mystery to me, a kind of wonder and respect. I guess their wild nature touches the wild in me. Over the years I have had a number of encounters with creatures from the wild and those encounters have enriched me in ways that I don’t seem to have words to explain. Do you sometimes hear the call of the wild inside?
Last night I got an email requesting that I email my elected representatives to encourage a bill in our state legislature that would create a better health care system for everyone in Colorado where I reside. I of course support universal health care because it is the only compassionate thing to do. How is it that we don’t have the health care we need?
Health care is about humans caring for each other and presently our state and nation are way behind compared to all the other developed nations. Even my health care where I work is mediocre but most people settle for what is because they doubt they can ever have what is right and fair. Why is it that corporations win out over the needs of the people? Is profit more important than humans caring for other humans? The answer is a clearly “no” to me and we humans need to humanize the corporate world to make it work for us.
Healthcare is only one area where real change is needed. No more building the war machine, this is about profit, power and ego not about what is good for the people.
No more being run by the energy companies who want endless profits even if it means ruining the planet and the future for their own children. Where is the heart in that?
No more being run by Wall Street which is just about the rich getting richer and the rest of us just getting by as if they are giving us a break to have any money at all. This way of commerce is heartless and lacks human dignity.
No more letting our people in elected office be bought out by those with money. This has led to a government that is not working for anyone because again there is only special interests and that lack of true compassion and kindness.
Well I am starting the week with a charge of energy as you can see. I find that if I stay centered, my state of being even when worked up over what is wrong, keeps regulated enough so I don’t lose my peace of mind. I can feel passion for change but still not forget that compassion is the way.
Today feel the energy and passion for what you know is right and what needs to change and still be in your heart, loving, compassionate and kind to even the force you want to change. There is such power in the stillness of the moment and the expansive ways of the heart.
HAPPY EASTER TO YOU
HAPPY EASTER
My neighbors are having an Easter Egg Hunt and the kids are out searching for eggs with their baskets in hand. I remember fondly this day as a child. Full of color and treats, this use to be one of my favorite days of the year. It seems like a time to celebrate the abundance of life.
Have a wonderful day and I hope you have lots of treats and good eats and much to appreciate about your life.
Moment to Moment
“By realizing that your entire life journey ultimately consists of the step you are taking in this moment. There is always only this one step, and so you give it your fullest attention. . . . . . Another way of putting it: What the future holds for you depends on your state of consciousness now.” Eckhart Tolle
I came upon this quote this morning as I was searching for some inspiration for today’s blog. Sometimes when I am unsure what to write about, I randomly go in search of ideas. I find it to be true that if you and I are open and fully in the moment, the guidance we are searching for will be appear.
Being in the moment sound so New Age doesn’t it? Probably because it is different than the conditioning we receive from earlier in life. We learn to be focused on the past or the future as if they represent what matters. As young children we are taught over and over again to wait, to delay gratification, to look forward to what is coming. As adults we continue the delaying, the waiting and also toss in the wishing it was like it use to be. Our minds learn to be focused on the past or in anticipation of the future.
Rarely do we take the time to just be present to what is and our minds seem preoccupied with planning or remembering. This is not the way to happiness or peace of mind.
Today as you read this take the time to notice if your mind can stay with what you are reading or does it get distracted, run off obsessing about something, recall past experiences or where does it go instead of being present to the words and ideas on this page.
Please avoid judging you and your mind and instead become a kind witness that seeks to understand where your thoughts are taking you. As an impartial viewer you can learn much about your thoughts and the feelings they create. This inner observer when developed comes from beyond the mind where true liberation is possible. This liberation is from the chaotic busy mind that is everywhere but present. That is true freedom.
Being present allows you to be free to fully enjoy the moment. All that you want to create in your life comes from your focus on the moment. If your focus is strong and clear then positive results will come into your life. If you are hanging out in the past or the future then the results will show that you are not present to the opportunities of the moment.
Ram Dass is one of my favorite teachers and his book about consciousness is called, Be Here Now. There is a brown colored pages section of that book that if you read it being fully in the now, you will experience the altering of your mind in very expansive ways.
Have a great moment and I will be back again in the now.