- Anonymous great master, as told by Nawang Kechog
Such profound words of wisdom I had the privilege of hearing during a recent guided meditation. This thought is pretty standalone so I’m not even going to expound. Instead, I’d like you to take a few minutes to reflect. Seriously. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes, close your eyes and just contemplate what these words mean to you. I’ll wait.
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I hope your contemplation period was as magical for you as mine was for me.
But, you know what? It got me thinking: If you have worry-regardless-of-solution on one end of the spectrum and solution-no-worry/no-solution-no-worry on the other end, how do you stay at peace and centered in between as you journey from worry to not? Ain’t that the million dollar question?
In my heart of hearts I believe that there’s no need to ever worry. As A Course in Miracles (lesson 90) states, “Let me recognize my problems have been solved” and “it is impossible that I could have a problem which has not been solved already.” The solution is inherent in the problem. I just need to quiet the stressed out mental energies in order for that solution to reveal itself.
A lot of ornate language, but how do we do quiet the stressed out mind, practically speaking? The general response I know you’ve heard before is Stay focused on the here and now. Get present to my heart rate, to my breathing. Feel the clothes on my skin. Listen to the sounds around me. Smell whatever’s in the air. Really see the objects in my line of sight.
I’m not always able to prevent myself from worrying altogether. Sometimes a thought creeps in and before you know it, the tornado has whisked me off to Worryville. Here’s the thing: I don’t have to stay in Worryville. I have the choice to change the worrying as it is happening. It’s called course correcting and it serves as my pair of red glitter pumps back to serenity. I catch myself worrying and I have the choice, in that moment, to immediately flip the switch.
Course correcting, or flipping the switch, could be its own Olympic event. There are so many flip-the-switch techniques: meditation, breathing, journaling, gratitude lists, for example. But I’ll share something else I heard recently. I’m using it as a course correct technique, though it wasn’t explained as such. It was explained as a general pathway to bliss and fulfillment. Coincidentally, this pathway presented itself the same day I heard the quote that began today’s episode.
Therapist, speaker and author Dr. Sean Stephenson outlines two approaches to life: one leads to misery and the other one to bliss. The bliss path is represented by the acronym GAP. The more clothing we buy at the GAP, the happier we will be. Their prices and quality are unbeatable. Just kidding! Couldn’t help myself. He said no such thing during the interview. Sean’s acronym actually stands for Goals Appreciation and Preferences.
We enjoy a better quality of life when we keep focused on what we want (goals), what we have (appreciation) and what we like (preferences). Our quality of life goes down the tube when we focus on Sean’s other acronym FED. FED stands for fears (ahem, worry!), envies and dislikes.
The day I did Kechog’s guided meditation, I was worried about an unresolved situation. When I focused on my GAP I felt a pretty immediate shift in my outlook and mood, even though the solution to the thing I was worried about had not yet appeared.
Sometimes I also envision physically throwing the thorny issue (as if the issue were a football) to my Higher Self, Creator, Divine, Providence. I throw the issue to Source for safekeeping, to figure out the details so I can go on with the business of living well. Whether there is or isn’t a solution to this issue, there is nothing to worry about. Past experience has shown me, however, that there is always a solution. I may not always like it and it may not always occur on my timetable, but every challenge has a solution. A solution could be as simple as move on, forgive or let go. When I am operating from a higher vibe place (GAP vs FED), I am more open to receiving or being led to the solution leading to greater fulfillment. The game stops being about solving a particular problem and more about being the eye in the center of the storm.
Be gentle with yourself as you course correct. No use adding anger towards self on top of worrying. We’re human. Flipping the switch will most likely be a lifelong practice. But you’ll find that as you consistently use the tools you add to your tool belt, it’ll take you less time to get back to center when you do get off kilter.
PS: I used to be rather fascinated with the subject of worrying (I suffered from OCD for many years) and created a short-lived podcast as a result. I hosted Take That Worry and Shove It as my alter ego Dr. Violet Black-Cherry. You can catch that podcast on iTunes HERE.
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