Today is your day.
You get to CREATE your experience of it. While you're at it why not notice the evolution of your day. Where and how does it flow? Interactions with others, tasks, work, mistakes, entertainment, silence, laughter, tears... Look for the subtle moments or even the obvious ones that give you a GOOD FEELING and then pay attention to them as they float through you. The more you NOTICE them the more they will come to you. Ah, sweet success!
calm your thought ocean
If the ocean surface is a metaphor for our swirling thoughts and busy mind then it's easy to understand that deep below the surface, where the water is still, there is clarity and peace.
How do you calm your THOUGHT OCEAN to get to deeper insights and knowing?
Worst case scenario thoughts. Negative thoughts. Positive thoughts. Worry thoughts. Predictive thoughts. Repetitive thoughts. Intuitive thoughts. Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts!
My meditation practise doesn't let me down, it helps to calm those surface waters so I have clarity and have direct access to deeper aspects of myself. The more I practise, just like the more I do bicep curls, my CONCENTRATION MUSCLE gets stronger and my ocean of thoughts calms down.
How to Suffer Well
Eckhart Tolle says that “Surrender comes when you no longer ask, “Why is this happening to me?” Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world.” So, as Deepak Chopra says, "Suffering is pain you hold on to," it looks like letting go, or surrender, should do the trick. Wow, that's a tough one when you're really suffering.
Here are 3 steps to suffering well:
1. Acknowledge and see that you're suffering. Is it emotional, mental, physical, spiritual? A combo? (They're all essentially connected).
2. You just have to accept it. How? I like to have some compassion for myself and the situation-send in a little love. Gently tell yourself it 'is what it is', (try not to keep it stuck and alive in your mind) and move on to step #3.
3. Ask for the lesson or learning from it so you can move into releasing it through growth. The mind might put up a fight with this step by repeating old thoughts that may no longer be real or relevant. Skipping this one could mean that you'll keep getting the same lesson over and over and over again.
Repeat and practise.
I find a great deal of peace in knowing that life is like a big classroom. There are no wrong lessons. Learning is learning. If I already knew everything I probably wouldn't be living this life, in this body. This isn't just a concept but a practise and every now and then when I feel myself slip out of this knowing, I remind myself that I don't have to have all the answers. I can let go of suffering and, be happy for no reason.
How to Discover Your Values
Remembrance Day helps us to remember those who fought for our values and freedoms but it also alerts us to REMEMBER to LIVE our values.
My sister, with her magical divine timing, gave me J.B. Glossinger's book The Sacred 6, and while I'm not usually one for journaling, I thought it was high time I reacquainted Myself with MY SELF. It was time to gain clarity and FOCUS and check in to see if my values were in alignment with my actions and life experiences.
So if you feel so inspired, pick up a journal, like the bespoke one pictured above (shameless plug for my daughter Jazmin at fleckcreativestudio.com), and dig in.
Glossinger's book guides you with exercises that help to name values, goals, principles, and tasks. Although the process was challenging, at times, I found myself feeling immense gratitude for where I'm at NOW. Mistakes, missteps and successes are all part of what got me HERE. The journey continues.
This Remembrance Day, let's hold the thought " Peace begins with me".