Your ability to choose your response is a superpower. It’s the key to unlocking a life far less stressful and far more fulfilling.
It’s easy to underestimate the power you have to choose your response, or even choose not to respond at all. Instead, you get caught in a trap – your emotions and actions hijacked by external events. You become like a programmed robot, reacting on autopilot whenever a button is pushed.
“One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things,” said the mole. – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
“The greatest illusion,” said the horse, “is that life should be perfect.” – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
“Isn’t it odd. We can only see our outsides, but nearly everything happens on the inside,” said the boy. – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
“When the big things feel out of control…focus on what you love right under your nose,” said the horse. – the Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
Take a moment to experience your 5 physical senses…
Take a few deep breaths, sit back and soak up the experience that they are giving you:
… what do you see…
… what do you hear…
… what do you smell…
… what do you taste…
… what does your skin feel…
The first quote mentions that one of our greatest freedoms is “how we react to things”. It means that we can choose what our response should be, or to not get involved at all – freedom from being triggered into reacting.
To make the meaning even more clear, let me approach it from the other side – “one of our biggest traps is our compulsion to react to things.” Having our emotions and our actions hijacked by events around us turns us into nothing more than slaves, whenever the button is pressed, the monkey dances…
Bring your awareness again to your senses, notice how easily you are able to sit with the experience provided to you by your outer senses. No judgement, no criticism, no reactivity, just allowing the experience to unfold. Almost as if you’re just an observer.
With enough practice you can develop the same skill toward everything that happens around you. Sit, breathe and notice the experience that your inner senses are providing you, how your emotions are stirred into life in response to what is happening in your world. Can you also learn to feel your inner senses without being triggered into a reaction?
What happens when you’re able to sit and allow the experience of:
… hurt…
… grief…
… anger…
… shame…
… jealousy…
When you are able to allow the feeling to be felt – like allowing a smell to linger even if it’s not something you enjoy – you are setting yourself free from the illusion that life should somehow be “perfect” in order for you to be happy.
Everything you experience is felt within you. Even when it’s a human being in front of you that’s pushing your buttons, it’s the emotions inside of you that you’re struggling to deal with. When you can allow the experience inside of you to unfold without resistance, you will find yourself stepping into the space of the observer… surrender… clarity… developing the ability to see where to take action and where to back off.
Freedom is only available to you when you are no longer enslaved by the compulsion to react.
Here are a few thoughts to guide you towards true freedom:
- Pause before you react. Take a deep breath and acknowledge what you’re feeling before taking action.
- Observe your emotions. See them as passing clouds, not permanent fixtures in your sky.
- Choose your response. Don’t let your emotions dictate your behavior.
- Focus on what’s yours to control. Your reactions are yours to choose.
- Practice self-compassion. Be kind to yourself as you navigate your inner world.
By cultivating the ability to observe and allow your inner world to unfold without resistance, you break free from the illusion of a perfect life. You discover a deep well of peace and freedom that resides within you, no matter what is happening around you. Join us today as we explore this journey further.
Join us for today’s journey and put freedom into practice.
Hope you’re having a really beautiful weekend fam!
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Come to your senses.
(Image credit: “The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse” by Charlie Mackesy)