POPULAR
All Things Must Pass: 6 Tips for Challenging Moments
His name was Sabar. I woke up that morning asking the one in charge of this whole thing for a favor. I was preparing myself for an interaction with someone I knew wouldn't go so well. What I mean by that is, to put it nicely -- be the most pleasant exchange. To be frank without the sugar, I was about to walk into a conversation with a complete unconscious human that was about to blame me for their very own mistakes. Try to find compassion in that. Hey there, it’s Chloe here, please give me more patience and understanding today. I opened the door to his car and asked his name -- Sabar, he says. (I had to hire a driver to take me to Denpasar that day.) What does that mean in Indonesian? Patience, he replies. I start laughing… Of course it is. Sometimes life gives you exactly what you need. Let me rephrase that; life ALWAYS gives you exactly what you need. Here are some tips on how to be more open and spacious in situations of challenge and contraction. We all have those moments where we don’t want to do something, but know we have to. 1. Remember that it’ll be over soon. Like the song by George Harrison says, “All Things Must Pass.” Sometimes we all have to do things, we don’t necessarily want to do. That’s what’s called a responsible human. Sometimes we have to interact and engage with people we don’t necessarily have the desire to. It’s all just a part of life. So, when these situations present themselves, remembering that it is just going to be a moment, a sheer moment of the grand spectrum of the course of your life is helpful. It won’t be the end of the world. Take deep breaths, remember your center and don’t let them sway your core.
2. We all want more harmony and peace -- within ourselves and with each other. I mean of course, we’re all living in the same space, this is Earth that we’re on, we are sharing this whole life experience. Now if we all engaged in life with the thought that maybe everyone is trying to attain the same goal, which would be more peace, maybe we would be more forgiving, more compassion, more understanding of fault and error. “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” Alexander Pope said that. I think he’s quite right on. Nobody’s trying to maliciously attack us, even when it really feels like they are. We’re all just doing the best we can and know how to do at that very moment. If you are feeling contracted over and over and over again by the same situation- well, hurry up and learn your lesson. You’re letting yourself feel this way by surrounding your self in the same dilemna! Forgive once, twice, maybe even three times. Any more than that, get out. Move towards harmony and peace.
3. Ask and you shall receive. If you want help out of situations that make the field of your life or even you, feel small and limited-- ask for help. Ask your friends, ask your family, ask the Divine Mother, ask God, ask Kali, Buddha, Durga, Ganapati, Shiva, Zeus, Nefertiti, your Highest Self, your ancestors, Nature, the Universe, the beings on Mars, anyone, anything, whoever and whatever you call on for help, CALL THEM. Humans want to help, life wants to help, your guides want to help, the Divine Maha Shakti living in and as all things -- wants to help. Give them the opportunity to give you what you need. It’s amazing what comes, what life gives you, when you do one simple thing which is this: ASK. And when it comes, remember to receive it.
4. Make space, literally. Within your mind, within your conceptions, within your thoughts, in between the space between your brain and your cranium, make room for the thing that was once [this size] be held in a periphery that is now [-----this size-----]. You can grow it exponentially if you want or just go for it to the extreme antithesis. Whatever your style is, do that. Or if you don’t know what your style is yet play with it! Explore. Eventually after all the experimentation, something that resonates will expose itself. And don’t get too hung up on it when you realize it, cos even that will shift as you shift.
5. What can you learn? What are you learning? Ask yourself these questions when stepping into strange, foreign, uncomfortable scenes and scenarios of life. Give yourself the opportunity to grow and evolve. Raise your consciousness to a level where you have transcended what had once made you feel small to where you now feel BIG. You have this power. Remember that. This is your life, any and all situations are your very own mind’s creation -- whether you want to own that or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s already happening. The sooner you take ownership and responsibility of what it is that is happening, it has the flexibility to mold and grow and transform. As soon as your bring awareness, it has the potential to shift. What was once an unconscious misalignment becomes a conscious alignment.
6. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun with it. Try to find the opportunities of where you can find the smile. There’s always a way to smile or laugh. Force yourself if you have to. The vibration of joy will trick your mind- whether completely true or half true, your mind will kinda know, but not fully. Laughter will remind the cells in your body on a deep level, that whatever is happening right in front of you at that very moment, no matter how unpleasant or even painful it may be, there is a space that is contained and unwaivering in it’s ability of neutrality. Your body is so intelligent that it already knows this. Try to tap into this location. It lies in the very heart of you at your core. This core is your essence, and your essence seers the beauty, the light, the humor, the joy, the love and the Oneness in all things. Tune in and turn on. It’s in there promise! You just have to look.
Published January 19, 2012 at 8:25 AM
