Youll often hear don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements, saying that our emotions are the key to our personal freedom. Wise words! You might be asking why our emotions are so important to our freedom. Ive observed in my many years of teaching, how often folks dont acknowledge what theyre feeling emotionally. When I ask them how theyre feeling they say, Things are fine, or The usual. Yet, when you ask them if they got upset or frustrated today, theyll say, Well yes, this morning with my husband, or When the dishwasher repair man came to the house, or When something was not typed correctly my secretary. So whats going on here? Why are we ignoring the most important tool that we have for our personal growth? Multiple opportunities present themselves to us daily to grow and learn, yet were too asleep to see our emotional reactions for what they are. If youre not aware of when youre having a fear-based emotional reaction, youre allowing your personal power and happiness to drain away from you without even realizing it! A warrior lives by challenge; meaning he perceives everything as an opportunity to learn. Whether hes observing the way he talks to himself when hes waiting on line in the grocery store or sitting on the toilet with constipation it doesnt matter where the opportunity comes from, a challenge is a challenge! We can learn as much from the way we victimize ourselves on the toilet when were constipated as we can during an argument with our partner. We can only shift and change within the context of our challenges, not just by reading books and attending workshops. Yes, we can have ah-has, learn tools and techniques, meet new friends, and adopt a belief system that is kinder to us than the one we currently have. But what really makes the difference is what action we take to make those insights become practical applications. I encourage you to take advantage of all that life is gifting you in every moment. Stop throwing away these opportunities simply because you choose non-awareness over personal freedom. If you chose to see your emotional reactions to frustrating events as opportunities for transformation, rather than believing that s-t happens, your life will change. Take a moment right now to think about how you perceive the events of your life. Do you see challenges as inconveniences? If you do, this could be a great time to shift your point of view. (Remember - the way we perceive our lives is a choice and everything is just a point of view!). Theres one thing I know for sure about this reality. S-t never happens to us, were not victims; lets break that belief right now! Life works on the basis of action-reaction. So take action right now based on clarity, rather than your programmed reactions and youll be on your way to a blissful life, experiencing joyful emotions rather than fear-based ones. |
