Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Open to Interpretation

Life is always giving us exactly what we need. Unfortunately, we don't always interpret things that way. It's all wonderful and great when what shows up are the people and the stuff we like and feel good about but watch out when the perfect thing doesn't feel so great.

One of the participants of my 5 week group coaching program made a comment last week about having to be careful what we ask for because we might not like what shows up. She's done lots of work and knows that when we invite change and expansion in our lives by moving toward the kind of experiences we really want, what's been in the way of our experiencing that in the past is what we are most likely to become aware of first. That generally does not elicit joy and a warm hearted welcome yet when we realize what's really going on, that is exactly the kind of response we can have.

Instead of 'Oh, no, not this again' as the reaction to uncomfortable experiences we can turn that around to a sincere 'Yeah! it's working!' We may not be able to do so right off the bat but the willingness to bring compassion and understanding to the inner experience while being truly and openly curious about what in us is reacting can soon facilitate the shift. The peace and flow and joy that rise up when we are fully present to fear, sadness, guilt, shame, anger with compassion instead of criticism is infinitely more rewarding than any distraction or avoidance mechanism that really only serves to reinforce the error that caused the discomfort in the first place. I say error because the reasons we are uncomfortable or hurt are generally based on false assumptions and beliefs with no real basis in truth. It's just what we decided, usually when we were between 2 and 5 years old, that we've been reliving over and over and over.

Purple Ribbon and LipsWe don't have to keep reliving those experiences that cause pain or block us, at least not to the degree most of us have in the past, when we know what to do with them when they show up. We could interpret everything that happens as being for us. For us to bring love to, for us to realize as mistaken ideas, for us to move beyond, for us to expand in awareness, flow and love.

It's all in the interpretation. Go ahead, set yourself free.

Namaste

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