Problems

Navigating the Contradiction of Life

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The truth is if you take yourself with all your difficulties, pain, anxiety, and suffering to the park one day, you might be surprised to see how much joy abounds there in others.

Your mind will say, but they do not have my problems. And while you listen to your mind tell you this, your anxiety increases, and you begin to suffer even more. You ask yourself, why can’t I experience joy like that? Well, you can if you stop listening to the mind as an all-knowing source. 

If you only concentrate on your pain, that is all you will find. Try concentrating on what feels good. Sometimes even noticing a slight difference can change your outlook. For instance, when you are in physical pain, a slight deviation from level 10 to level 8 is a difference in the right direction, even if only temporary. However, we often overlook this difference and see things as the same even though they have changed. Once you notice these differences, you can find hope again and start moving your attention in a new direction.

Do not forget life is a contradiction. Look at any moment, and with a bit of clarity, you can see that all “states of being” exist simultaneously in this world. Even if you feel you are only experiencing part of them, that does not mean the others do not exist. You can redirect your attention toward something different at any moment in your life.

Now I am not saying that you should not feel your feelings or that you should not look at the truth of your life. You can do that and at the same time direct your attention towards that which brings you joy.

Never forget to lean into your blessings no matter how small they seem. The fact that you are alive and able to watch the sunrise and set is a wondrous gift, even if your mind says otherwise.

Have you forgotten this amid your difficulties, pain, anxiety, and suffering? 

I guarantee you that no matter how much your mind tells you that you have the right to suffer or complain, you also have every right to feel joy. You do not have to believe everything your mind says to you. I can assure you that it is constantly lying about or exaggerating your circumstances. Therefore, when the pain in your body or life speaks up loudly, or some person says something that causes you frustration or anger, witness what your mind starts telling you first. Notice that it tells you how bad things are or how wrong that person is. And then, instead of taking up a conversation in agreement with it, look deeper within. Remember that you have the power to redirect your attention and begin to focus that attention on what feels good or brings you joy. Perhaps you feel that is too much at first, but I am sure that thought came from your mind and is not the truth. Find the smallest of cracks because “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” ― Leonard Cohen. 

Wounded or Wise

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We have a choice when we go through difficult things; we can either become wounded or wise. The inherent benefits within challenging times can only be seen with greater awareness and directing our attention in the proper direction. When we follow the minds unsolicited thoughts, they guide us towards suffering.

When we start looking for the benefit or opportunity in the problem, something different will be seen.

Know that your joy has never left you, but you have pushed your joy aside through your thinking. It can no more leave you than the blue sky above. It can appear to be gone by the cover of clouds, but above the clouds, it is still seen. So point your attention towards what you want, and once you do, the clouds will float by revealing the joy that never left.

Freedom

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Life does not come without challenges, and when we lean into them, we find our greatest teacher. These experiences are not meant to make us small, but allow us to reconnect with our True-Self, to be present with life as it is, and to live fully.

The mind thinks the perfect life is one without problems, and when we think this way we become lost, poor me. The wise person faces his or her problems eyes open, asking for help when needed, knowing that within the pain is an opportunity that will allow them to grow.

Therefore the next time you are faced with a challenge remember there is an opportunity hidden somewhere in the darkness. When you shine the light of awareness on it, your suffering will morph into gratitude. Your pain will melt away, and like the phoenix rising from the ashes, you will be born again.

Mistakes

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Would life be different for you if you did not think that making a mistake was wrong? Would you then take more risks in your life? What if I told you that you were conditioned to feel this way and that in truth there is nothing wrong with making mistakes. In fact, that is how we learn.

Think about that for a minute, can you make a wrong choice if you are always learning from your so-called mistakes and moving forward with greater awareness in your life? Would you still consider it a mistake or a gift?

What if your conditioning had not taught you to think that anything short of perfection was wrong or incomplete. What if we had been shown never to fear to make mistakes and we saw them as opportunities, a chance to learn, grow and move forward in life with a new awareness.

Can you look back on your life to times when you thought you made a mistake and it led you to a new understanding about yourself or your life? Can you see that this so-called error was actually a guiding light to something better in your life?

Making a mistake is never wrong if we see it as an opportunity and learn from it. That is the beauty of life, we always have the chance to start over, to learn and make all of our mistakes and problems into victories.

Remember the more significant the mistake or problem, the greater the triumph when you overcome it.

Now, you are to remember that, so that when you have a disturbance of any kind raging inside you, you will never follow your conditioning and go into automatic thinking that the storm is stronger than your real nature because it isn’t. You can always be in charge of your thoughts and learn from your mistakes and problems.

Bringing awareness into your life, noticing your conditioning and automatic thinking can only make your life better, so take a risk, and be willing to make mistakes because it will lead you to a better life.

Obstacles

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Eventually, on the path of awakening, you will recognize that the obstacle is part of the journey. Living a peaceful life is not about avoiding obstacles, or trying to resist what is happening now, that will only cause more suffering.

A change in your perception will change the experience, and that will change the outcome. Let me say it another way. The problem is not the issue as much as your perception about it. Change your perception, and your problem can become an opportunity.