Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Staying The Course

I've been talking about the 40 day focus idea where you take something you want or want more of in your life and focus on it every day, at least twice a day, bringing presence to the feelings that show up. If they are fearful or heavy or if guilt or shame show up, you take time to be fully and compassionately present to those feelings and then inquire into the beliefs fueling the feelings before moving on to the open space of wonder.

It isn't always easy to get in touch with the beliefs behind your most deeply felt fears, etc and even when you do realize what the thoughts are behind the feelings, you may find there is a lot of attachment to some, especially when they are associated with unresolved memories. It means questioning what you believe about the more traumatic experiences of childhood that you've been operating from most of your life. Who you think you are is based in part on these assumptions and beliefs and the ego is not really happy about being questioned most of the time. That doesn't mean you should give in and fall into step with the old beliefs just because you don't find relief in a few seconds. The key is to shift the focus back to the feelings once the belief has been questioned and bring as much compassionate attention there as you can then move on.

This isn't about dwelling on the past, it's about resolving the need that has gone unfulfilled for a lifetime by loving the beingness while realizing the conclusions that were drawn are not the truth. Tricky stuff sometimes because it's easy to get caught up in the old pain rather than being unconditionally present and moving all the way through to wonder about what life would be like without this belief.  Even if the feelings are still there, carry on with your day. In a short while you may find yourself surprised to notice the feeling is gone and a lightness has come in to replace it.

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