If our life is a culmination of actions and reactions we took upon ourselves, where are we now and do we like it?
If not, can we take an honest assessment of what we don’t like about our life and inspect what actions and/or reactions led us here? What was the underlying belief (or lack of) that initiated certain actions and reactions?
When we do the work to understand our self, we can begin to understand what needs to be changed and whether or not we are ready and willing to make that change.
This is how true desired change can occur. Most people desire change all the time and it’s beautiful how as humans we get to experience desire! However, without first understanding our self we cannot get to true desired change nor can we know whether or not this desire is good for us.
So here’s to doing the work and understanding ourselves at the deepest level so that we may up-level our lives for our highest good.
I am beyond excited about a couple of things. For one, it’s DECEMBER. To be honest, I didn’t really feel like it was the holidays just yet. But something hit me yesterday… maybe it was all the neighborhood decorations, the overall mood of this city, or sitting at Starbucks reading Peter Levine’s Trauma and Memory while Christmas music was playing in the background. Either way, I am FEELING IT and excited to give this last month of 2017 100%.
Second of all, it’s Friday Focus and today – I wanted to talk about something that I have been feeling passionate about ALL WEEK. Clearly I have a lot of passion in general these days given the number of CAPS I’ve been using so far in this post 😉
Ok, so for this week’s Friday Focus I wanted to talk about PATTERNS.
Yes, I write about patterns – a lot. But what I want to drive home today, especially since a lot of people will be reflecting on this past year and working on New Year resolutions, is the idea around pattern recognition and why change ensues (or doesn’t).
Can we for one moment have a come to Jesus moment about our patterns? It’s one thing to say, “Oh yea, I kind of do that don’t I?” and grin at your friend, it’s a complete other thing when you actually recognize the pattern and the EFFECT it has on your life and most importantly the outcome.
Which outcome, or area in your life are you unsatisfied with? You see it every single year and yet, no change. Why? No really, WHY?
Scrutinize your patterns. There is an underlying emotion that is prohibiting you from stepping forward and making progress. Did you know that?
Often times, we say we want to make change in our lives and yet, we know deep, deep down we won’t do anything about it. And to be honest, that’s ok.
You see, we have to be completely READY for change to actually happen. No matter how hard you consciously try, if your subconscious doesn’t believe you, then unfortunately change won’t happen.
I actually LOVE telling people this because it’s the wakeup call that everyone needs to hear to A) either come to peace with the complacency and stop the mental shaming or B) grit their teeth and believe it to their bones that they are actually ready for CHANGE.
Isn’t that empowering? I mean, either way…. Now the power is truly in your hands!
Ok, this was sort of a love rant because I truly do care. I mean hey, we’ve all been there where we wanted to see change in one area of our life but couldn’t figure out why. This is one big hint as to why that might be the case!
When you have a moment to reflect, jot down the patterns. See where you are held up, where things aren’t flowing, and try to understand yourself a little more. It’s the one small step toward change you can make today before understanding the type of change agent you need to seek 💗
“What do you do when you know what to do, but you can’t help but let the stress get to you?”
“The suffering comes when you resist the current situation. What are you trying to change?”
“I feel as if I know enough intellectually not to stress out too much about things, and knowing this should help me in most situations… but I keep stressing and the stressing is stressing me out even more!”
“What is the goal?”
“The goal is to stop stressing!”
“This goal cannot be achieved right now. You are fighting against the current flow of life. Fighting against the flow of life creates even more resistance. Turn your vision around and go with the flow. Stress? What is so bad about stress? It is our identified stories and fears around a situation that creates stress and therefore keep us in suffering. “Stress” is not what is driving you mad, it is your identification to something or someone”
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So much of our suffering comes from desiring a different “current situation”. Can we sit in THIS moment and feel the gratitude of our breath? The sun on our face? The ability to call our loved ones and tell them how much we love them? To hug our beloved dog? To walk outside in nature and feel the beating heart of Mother Earth?
If you find yourself identifying to the student above ask yourself these following questions:
What am I needing to change to feel better?
Can I have faith that this too shall pass?
Can I breathe and with each exhale deepen my faith in the Universe’s ability to handle things perfectly?
No matter the situation, let us find a bit of peace in knowing we are taken care of – always.
