[from my new book, Love More Now: Reflections on Open-Hearted Living, coming soon!]
Refraining from Taking Direct Action Ā Ironically, when faced with a life challenge, our best āactionā is toĀ refrain from acting.Ā We do nothingāfor now. Letās admit it; we often try for a quick fix just so our icky feelings will go away. We want to feel betterĀ nowĀ rather than reflecting on our part in the situation. In most cases, however, acting too soon produces harmful words and actions that we never intended. Why? Because we wereĀ driven by fear and not by love. Ā To avoid this trap, we learn to PAUSE: Pause Action Until Serenity Emerges. ThisĀ serenityĀ comes from reflecting on our part and then choosing to open our hearts, thus releasing us from the grip of our fears. From this place of peace arise all the solutions we will ever need. But what do we DO while weāre pausing? Ā First, itās helpful to cultivate self-compassion by opening our heart to ourselves. After all, we may feel shame about being in such a difficulty, spawning whispered lies of self-condemnation:Ā Why canāt I handle this better? I should know how to fix this! Whatās wrong with me?Ā Or, we might point the finger toward others in a blame-game:Ā Itās their fault! I am right and theyāre wrong. They should change.Ā None of this makes us feel any better. Ā On the contrary, we can reassure ourselves that we are merely imperfect human beings doing the best we can. For example, telling ourselves,Ā Yes, this is hard, and weāre upset. Thatās okay, this often happens in life, and weāve gotten through hard times before. Letās remember, weāve got our true self and othersā Loving Energy to help us. Ā Remember too the lesson taught by so many wisdom traditions:Ā even though our true self is perfect Love, our human self is on this earth to learn to be as loving as possible.Ā This is a tall order, indeed, for those of us mired in fear. If weāre awake and willing, however, we learn to ārender the barriers to love harmless,ā as described in the opening quotation. Ā Reflecting on My Part Ā As we pause and refrain from action, weĀ reflectĀ on our part in the situation:Ā What is it about me that makes this so difficult?Ā Three of the twelve steps of AA suggest using specific questions to examine our part in any difficulty. Such questions help us consider how our thoughts, feelings, and patterns might be responsible for our own unhappiness. The list below is derived from the five shortcomings we examined in Chapter 4, and the six coping patterns listed in Chapter 3. Ā Ā We can think of these areas as āsoft-spotsā in our human personalities that close our hearts to ourselves and others, thus blocking Loving Energy from healing our difficulties. Yet, it is this very Loving Energy that can release these blockages, freeing us to give and receive love. Ā As you read each question below, take a moment to reflect on it. Then, if it seems relevant to your current problems, make note of it. Ā Whom or what am I resenting, blaming, or criticizing? What are they ādeprivingā me of?What have I been afraid of, not trusting the Loving Power of my true self?Where have I been self-centered, thinking only of getting my own needs met?How have I been lying to myself? What have I not wanted to look at?What self-condemning beliefs have I held about myself? Are they really true?How have I been a caretaker by putting anotherās needs above my own best interests?Do I sometimes feel like a martyrāa victim of circumstances beyond my control?How have I been a perfectionist, expecting myself and others to never make mistakes?How have I been people-pleasing by pretending to be what others want me to be?How have I been a workaholic, placing work above my relationships and health?How have I been a tap dancer, unwilling to commit to a program of growth and healing?Ā After writing down a few of the most glaring items, it will be most helpful to list for each one: a) what you were trying to gain by holding on to it (e.g., material gain, emotional security, prestige, or sexual needs), b) the negative consequences for you and others of holding on to this soft spot, and c) what your life could be like if you didnāt have this soft spot. Now itās time to enlist our Loving Power and our healthy, growth partners to release us from these shortcomings. Ā Releasing Blocks to Love
First, recall that Iāve said repeatedly that we cannot become more loving by doing it all alone, unaided by the guidance of healthy growth partners. Second, we canāt grow out of our self-defeating habits without the help of Loving power. Ā Reading this last sentence, you might be wondering,Ā Wait a minute. If these flaws have been blocking the flow of love in my life, then how can that same love heal them? Itās important to acknowledge that your Loving EnergyĀ has never left youĀ and that it is always available to you. We only believed we lost it and reinforced those beliefs through our self-defeating fears. Ā Happily, to ārender the barriers to love harmless,ā all we have to do is ask for help. As simple as that! Unfortunately, most of us have to get pretty uncomfortable before we surrender our old ways and open ourselves to another way of living. In this golden moment, Loving Power is right there ready to help us remove these barriers to love. Ā To harness this love, we need only consistently stream Loving power into our hearts. Many of us Ā do this by using any or all of the following practices on a daily basis: meditation, prayer for self and others, affirmations and visualization, mindfulness/being in the now, kindness/giving love, and gratitude lists. Some of the other practices I use when a persistent pattern needs a direct infusion of healing are: Ā thought-switching (e.g., the Golden Key), Master Mind group, tapping, EMDR, Radical Forgiveness, and setting boundaries with others. Ā Responding in The Best Way for All
One of my favorite promises in Twelve-Step literature is āWe will intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle us.ā As we clear out the blockages to love, we begin to notice this intuitive sense emerging from our true self, nudging us in the best direction for all.
Itās rather mysterious because this wisdom doesnāt necessarily come from some pre-determined script weāve created in our minds. Itās more likely that we find ourselves acting differently or thinking differently, and itās only after the fact we can see the changes. How could it be any different if weāve been filling our minds with heart-opening loving thoughts and feelings? Itās pretty simple: the more make space for love to enter our hearts, the more our lives begin to thrive in the most amazing ways.
Ā |