At the height of my busy Fall speaking season, I’m lost in my thoughts as I make my way along my 90-minute freeway commute to the airport. My mind has wandered to my long to-do list which has swollen to ridiculous proportions with a busy travel schedule. Creeping in are thoughts of potentially forgetting promises, missing deadlines, and dropping the ball with marketing initiatives. I suddenly realize that I’ve forgotten something I need for this business trip. I remember a friend’s birthday is tomorrow and I’ve not sent a card. Pretty quickly, I’m worrying about getting Christmas gifts purchased and the house decorated over the next few weeks. It all feels impossible and I feel irritable and incompetent.
And then I pull up at a stoplight and look at the bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It reads, “Don’t believe everything you think.” Of course. I know this. But, how easily I can forget.
Things aren’t overwhelming. We’re not incompetent. And life isn’t hard. It just “is.” And, when we accept what is and remember that all things are neutral until we give them meaning, then we can stop pushing against life, step into our own power, and rediscover our natural ability to define life on our terms. How we are feeling is our unwavering guide to breathe deep, relax our thoughts, and practice acceptance, gratitude, and faith in our ability to figure it out as we go.
As we head into the busy holiday season, don’t believe everything you think. But, do believe what you feel. It’s your guide to whether you are in the flow of the abundance and goodness of life or stuck on the sidelines in the mud of doubt and worry.
“We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much.
We don’t allow our bodies to heal, and we don’t allow our minds and hearts to heal.”
~~Thich Nhat Hanh
