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.
Where do you go when you’re not present in your life in real time? I don’t know about you but I find myself in Crazy Town. I named this place Crazy Town because I find myself there when I’m living from my thinking and not in the moment. Have you noticed how often you find your mind has taken you into another place or time? It’s like waking up from a dream! You were having the full experience of somewhere else, the past, the future, or an imaginary situation.
I find myself there much more than I would like. It appears to me to be universally natural for human beings to not be living in their life, at the speed of life, but in their perception of life as they’re seeing it through their mind’s eye. We seem to be more familiar with the limited nature of life as it appears to us personally rather than the truelimitless nature of life’s potential and possibilities.
This is what looks true for me:
I noticed how frequently I over think the most benign actions in life. Recently, I saw the gap between responding in the moment and when I think I should respond. I noticed this on something as simple as returning a phone call. Instead of picking up the phone to return a call, I’d find myself considering the best time to call, etc., etc., etc.! It exhausted me upon reflection. How much energy was I wasting with my habit of hesitation? Too much! Now I’m practicing responding in the moment, with less considering, and my life feels lighter. One simple step created a big impact.
Leaving the moment and living from my thinking is universal to all human beings.
We’re living from our thinking more than we’re responding to life as it’s happening in the moment.
The stuff my mind makes up is very compelling but not always true about this moment in time.
The stuff our minds make up appears to have the flavor, texture, and feeling of being real and true. How can something feel so spot-on and not be real?
When I’m outside the moment and in my thinking, it’s like perusing Netflix. It can be a wild ride. There’s horror, adventure, romance, comedy, and drama. When I’m in the moment I just do the next thing there is to do. Whether it’s brushing my teeth, taking a step, or making a call.
Living life in real time brings a natural sense of lightness, ease, and hopefulness. Fortunately, I’m laughing at my humanness more and more. I’m noticing how often I’m not in the moment and how consistently I’m buying a ticket on the train to Crazy Town. And that’s OK.
About Cherie Ray, MLA
Cherie Ray is a coach and consultant on human potential to individuals and businesses. She teaches a clear understanding that brings incredible impact with less effort. Her work enables her clients to experience greater satisfaction, resilience, and success in both their private lives and their work. www.cherieray.comwww.trueyoucreativity.com 832.545.8488
With all the divisiveness and unusual happenings occurring around us in recent times, I often wonder how to affect change or make a contribution. It occurred to me to start right here where I am. This idea showed up.
“The most dangerous weapon we possess are the stories we play in our minds which propel our actions.”
Who knew stories were so compelling? Sometimes, it gets amusing and sometimes NOT, how many stories I become aware of and live from. Fasting from sugars and starches may be rewarding to our physical bodies but I’m finding that fasting from my stories are introducing me to things I never knew existed, for me. From this awareness, our every action becomes a contribution. The best we can do with our humanity is to give it a try. Sometimes we can do it and sometimes we can’t. Again, we meet our humanness around every corner.
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