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The Inner Landscape
by Judith Richardson,
MA, B.Ed, BA, MEC
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At times people speak of “having
a little talk with myself” in order to make a decision and
mentally list the pros and cons of the alternatives, or to work
up the courage for something very difficult. You hear people
say – I tried to convince myself there was nothing to worry
about. It is as if one part of us argues for one side, while
a second part comes up with the arguments for the other. Whether
we consider that there are really two of us inside our minds,
or two functions of one mind, at least it seems for the moment
that two separate minds exist. At that time the function of
the mind is dual and not single – and often feels like we
are running in circles.
We read that Freud and others
in psychology speak of the three parts of the mind – id,
ego, superego. The wisdom traditions I am privileged to work
with also speak of more than one part of the mind – or our
intelligence – the conscious, the unconscious, and that
part that connects to broader perspective, collective unconscious,
whatever we choose to call that which is greater than ourselves. |
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The following practices are to
assist us in co-operating with our own agenda. We have to-do
lists that don’t get done, we take on too much, and we have
forgotten the self-respect in saying no now and again. We decide
to get in shape, quit smoking, be more appreciative and it all
falls off. The practices outlined here are to pay attention
to the “committee” inside and invite them to work together
for our own good! Using the Effortless Plan for your change/choice
statement of the day encourages you to engage the three selves.
Many of our clients find themselves
working what we call low-level frenzy – and leaders manage
to pass that on in organizations. The voices that say there
is never enough time, never enough resources, I can never get
it right, there is always something to do. This low-level frenzy
is often felt in the stomach or shoulders – wherever you
store your stress and is on constant, vigilant duty. When we
work and live our lives with intention, in alignment, we enhance
mental and creative abilities, we reduce resistance and overwhelm
– the ideal is to be a complete person, with all parts united.
This practice is one of discipline
and is not meant to live our lives with rose-colored glasses
disconnected from the world. We being to see that negative emotions
and contrast (anything that doesn’t turn out like we wanted
it to) are actually valuable signposts. When I discover how
important my own wellbeing is and nurture it, I give to others
with joy and love.
Every time I have a doubt, resentment,
I pinch off the flow. This doesn’t mean I don’t still
experience doubt and resentment – I give me attention to
what it is teaching me – what is it this contrast is telling
me about what I want, how I want to be?
What holds bad things in your
life is always your attention to the bad things, always.
If, indeed, energy flows where
attention goes, we invite you to beat the drum of what you do
want. Many of us can spend most of our days beating the drum
of what we don’t want and teaching others our problems.
Don’t teach each other our
complaints. Are our meetings problem focussed or solution focussed?
There are profoundly simple processes to work with resistance
and overwhelm and bring in more creativity and innovation --
providing space to give birth to new forms from a place of courage,
wonder and anticipation.
Shifting from negative to positive
emotion effects the chemistry of the body, which impacts the
physiology of the body, and seems to trigger evolutionary changes
that allow new brain structures to grow – inviting working
for something greater than ourselves and solution orientation.
The sense I get as I become more intrigued with this type of
connection, broader perspective has more room to manoeuvre me
into exactly where I most want to be
We are often good at creating
value; when we begin to claim value intentionally our conversations
and agreements with ourselves lead to conscious, sustainable,
meaningful change. When you are connected to your own wellbeing
– you are fully available to yourself and others.
What are your practices to connect
to your own wellbeing – to nurture yourself?
Intention is lining up our energy
of thoughts and feelings. Quantum physicists and biologists
know that our thoughts and feelings form a vibrational frequency
about us that others can sense even if they are not consciously
aware of it. This frequency attracts other frequencies like
it. If I’m putting out joy, I attract joy. If I’m
putting out resentment, well you know how it goes! So, I set
my intention, to change the radio station, so to speak, so that
I get the kind of music I like. |
Beauty Secrets of the World
