There are ideas and possibilities I have been exploring since I started this journey on my own, keeping my mind and heart open, testing them out and experiencing things slightly differently. Not being too distracted helped. The how-to is the real adventure, and it's an adventure that is still unfolding.
These are the ones that have the biggest impact, like WOAHHHHH impact, that have made the most significant changes to and for me, which I'm refining every day the best I can.
The Top 5
1. Assume and feel that you already have all you want, and act from there. When any fears and doubts arise, have a chat with them. Our doubts and fears is like a child who doesn’t know any better. It’s not the child’s fault. It’s our child, we created it from our perceptions of our past experiences, assumptions and what we were taught. Be kind to the child, and understand the source of the doubt or fear. Then gently explain how and why what the child thinks and believes is mostly untrue.
2. Assume and feel that everything that happens to us, regardless of whether it is good or bad, happens for our best possible future outcome. It might be to help us learn, see, grow, be more resilient, be anti-fragile, or manage ourselves better. To test our choice of whether to respond consciously or react unconsciously. Any pain is to help us do less of what we did, and any joy is to help us do more of what we did.
3. Focus our time and attention on things which are within our control - how we think, feel, and act in response to what other people say or do and the situations that happen, rather than blame, complain about or attempt to control things which are never in our control - how other people think, feel and act, and the situations that happen.
4. Where we are is the result of all the decisions we have made in any given past situation, and the actions we chose to take or didn’t take. Our life and reality at this moment is the sum of all our choices made until now. Yup. It is all us. There is no one else to blame. That is what karma is - it means action. We are the sum of all our conscious actions and unconscious reactions in every moment up to now. Reactions are programmed based on our past perceptions and what we are taught; responding is based on our conscious decision in creating our present and future.
5. We are a living example of how we want our reality and world to be because we create our reality by projecting our assumptions, thoughts and feelings onto everything and everyone around us. If we are kind, we will meet and experience kindness. If we think people are always out to get us, we will meet people who are out to get us. If we choose to act in fear, we will see what we fear all around us. If we choose to act in love, we will see what we love all around us. How we think, feel and act, is how we create our reality and our world.
What I'm working on now:
1. Speak less, listen more. Only speak when it's truly necessary - when it adds value to the other person, or it helps me learn. I learn nothing when I'm talking - I'm regurgitating what I already know. Thanks to the Stoics for this.
2. Recognising my unconscious thoughts and actions based on my feelings, separating them, and responding consciously instead of reacting unconsciously. I've had the hero and saviour complex for the longest time, which came from my own insecurities of not being good enough, and my ego in wanting to be seen as better, more capable, more loving and more kind than others. The need to be more than others comes from me believing I am less than others, and that I am not good, deserving and worthy enough as I am. I don't need to be more than others - I need to be more me. Thanks to Joe Dispenza and Wayne Dyer for this.
3. Every single decision we make either comes from love or fear, and I want to do what I do because of love, and not because of fear. Decrease, not increase entropy. Thanks to Thomas Campbell and Sadhguru for this.
4. Let actions that I take for and with others be the end, and not the means to an end. Let it not be a transaction, but an affirmation of who I am and what is true. Thanks to Emmanuel Kant for this.
5. There is a flow, that we can either sail with it or row against it. There are signs when we are sailing with the flow, and there are signs when we are rowing against the flow. Take effortless action. Wu Wei. Quiet down. Listen, see and feel the signs. They are always there. They are connected by meaning, and not causally. It's the language of the world. Thanks to Alan Watts, Lao Tze, Paulo Coelho and Carl Jung for this.
Damn, it's exciting to see how I will screw up some, and get some right.
Warbaby
4 December 2022
Day 204 of Chapter 2
Chiang Mai, Thailand.