Recently I noticed that when I considered following a new idea or inspiration about my business, some very familiar thinking would show up almost instantly. I also began to notice the same dynamic kicked-in when considering the holidays or thinking about other things in my life. What I noticed was a flood of very real familiar thinking, very specific to the topic at hand, would show up in my mental conversation. This immediate-believable-absolute-feeling-seemingly-truthful flavored thinking showed up almost on que to tell me the truth about how life works.
As I noticed this dynamic happening more and more, these thought patterns occurred to me as my First Responders. Just like emergency first responders that show up on the scene to support us in times of need, these familiar thinking thought patterns show up on the scene to offer me a helpful dose of my reality. Something smelled fishy; my mental 1st Responders had a bias toward limitation. I found this interesting too!
In the game of life, if you look around, the nature of life is synonymous with potential and possibility. How could something live in my head, be so familiar, feel so definitive, and not be true about life? In understanding more about our human operating system, we live in a world of thought and then see it as real, so this is where my curiosity kicked in again. If my First Responders are not telling me the absolute truth about life, what else is there to see to around the topic I’m looking at? So, it occurred to me to consider there are holes in their stories and to keep my eyes and ears open to seeing something fresh. Guess what? New fresh possibilities are coming to me and it can work the same for you.
Here are some bullet points to raise your awareness to your First Responders:
1st Responders are not informing you about how life works. It’s informing you of how you believe it works.
1st Responders are reflecting your habits of thinking.
1st Responders are not informing you of what’s possible for your in life.
1st Responders are a mirror to your current mood. High mood, things look possible. Low mood, things look bleak.
1st Responders look real and feel true. Remember, this is all happening in your mind, not in life at the moment. For example, a busted water pipe in the mind is very different than a busted water pipe in front of you. The one in front of you is really happening and calling for your immediate attention. The other only exists in the mind but it still feels real.
You may always have the same 1st Responders show up on the scene for you, whether they’re historic or futuristic, remember they are still not occurring now.
This is all good news. Why? Because we all get a chance to see more of our humanity as just that, an aspect of being human. Not a problem that needs to be overcome, just something to be aware of. The more you see the role of thought in the moment, the more relaxed you effortlessly become. Get curious. There’s always more to be seen.
It’s fall! It was very exciting to step outside this morning and feel a hint of fall. With the change of weather it occurred to me how that seems to stimulate an awakeness to life. All of a sudden any feeling of stuckness goes to the back and aliveness comes to the fore front. Aliveness is a topic that fascinates me and seems to show up in the majority of my coaching client’s desires for seeking support.
My curiosity about about aliveness brings me many insights. Why? Because I’m looking in the direction to see more. When we give our mind an assignment it seems to put in the coordinates, like GPS, and begins to serve up fresh information.
What has appeared true for me recently is that aliveness exists in engaging in life at the speed of life. Not living in my thinking about living, but about showing up in life and engaging with what’s next for me to do. It fascinates me on how our thinking can stall us from living. This may be common in most human beings but it’s not helpful.
My invitation to you is to engage, regardless of what seems to be stopping you. ENGAGE! Let it be simple. Let it be easy. The engaging will bring a new perspective, not what’s accomplished and acceptable to the mind. I promise. It’s in the engaging that aliveness and fresh perspective appears.
Have you ever wondered where limitation exists in your life? This has became so obvious to me lateley that I felt the need to share.
Recently, I have been surprised by the notion of just showing up in life regardless of my preferences and perceived capabilities. It occurred to me, to move with the flow of life and to not micro manage its unfoldment.
Participating in life this way has found me in situations I would never have chosen, even avoided, because I knew I ‘didn’t have it in me’. What I’m seeing is that I have no clue what I’m capable of.
Secondly, showing up in situations I would have avoided at all costs has brought opportunities for a very rich feeling.
What I’m trying to explain is that I see how my thinking has held a formula for meaningful experiences, what I was capable of, and where good feelings come from. In this formula there was a correlation between ‘pleasant’ and my desired good feeling. I’m surprised how an unexperienced rich feeling can come from engaging in life, not the situations I prefer.
It has also become screamingly apparent that any notion of who or what I am and limitations in my life only exist in my mind.
On Saturday, I was sitting at my computer and something caught my eye. As I looked up, I saw my bird feeder swinging largely from left to right.
At first I thought someone had walked by and pushed it because it was swaying so big. As I looked closer, I saw a squirrel working its way up the trunk, getting in position to take another giant leap at the feeder. With the focus and precision of Evel Knievel, the squirrel poised itself and took the leap of faith, again. Still no success. But this isn’t the end of the story. With no hesitation the squirrel goes into action again.
As she maneuvered her path back up the tree, it occurred to me that there is one universally specific detail that separates squirrels from humans when living life. This is the notion of discouragement. They don’t have it, humans do.
Maybe you don’t have those moments of wondering, how life got to look this way, and how people aren’t supposed to be that way, and that was not supposed to go that way, yada yada ya.
It occurred to me that if I didn’t entertain what passed through my mind, in those moments of disbelief, much less ruminate on them, discouragement wouldn’t exist and neither would my suffering about how things appear!
In an instant, two things became clear. If I was less influenced by what charged through my mind in times of insecurity, I would have more fun, live with more inspiration, and try everything, without hesitation.
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask this question to a group of intuitive painters who were discussing their upcoming travel plans. One person was talking about visiting Egypt, another about her plans to see Japan, and another about her spring break in Portland. As the conversation unfolded, it occurred to me to ask, what excites you about travel? They looked at me with heads tilted and eyes squinted as if I were clueless. It was as if I had asked a question with the most obvious of answers. Here’s what they said: to see something they’ve never seen before, to have new experiences, to explore, to have more adventures, and to be surprised. From where I sat, all of these answers pointed to the same thing, a journey into the unknown.
As I listened to their answers it occurred to me how funny it is that our minds can hold the same idea in two distinctly different ways. When anticipating the unknown through travel, the departure date can’t get here soon enough. When anticipating the unknown through creating, we recoil as if there’s a reason to run. As B.B. King once sang, the thrill is gone! In both situations we’re still stepping into the unknown. Maybe what’s really on offer here, is to not take our state of mind as a barometer of what’s real. It’s a fickle-pickle that is inconsistent, fleeting, and illusory. It may carry the tone of an expert but that’s not a reason to take it seriously. Like the weather in Texas, it will soon change.
If you want to explore a different side to the unknown there’s no need to travel 6,000 miles. Those same goodies are waiting for you on the blank page. Creativity invites you into the adventure of seeing something new, exploring, having adventures, and being surprised. One of the best perks offered through creating is the opportunity to get very comfortable with stepping into the unknown. The unknown is never as scary as it once appeared. You transform your experience of the unknown into one of curiosity and wonder. Much like travel, the more you show up, the more is revealed and experienced.
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As I noticed this dynamic happening more and more, these thought patterns occurred to me as my First Responders. Just like emergency first responders that show up on the scene to support us in times of need, these familiar thinking thought patterns show up on the scene to offer me a helpful dose of my reality. Something smelled fishy; my mental 1st Responders had a bias toward limitation. I found this interesting too!
