Everyone feels stuck sometimes. I was feeling pretty stuck just before I started writing this.
There is only one thing that stops us from moving forward, from getting unstuck.
Insecure thinking…
Insecure thinking arriving in the form of fear, doubt, worry, shame, or a million other shades of insecure.
We worry that somehow we will not be good enough, accomplish or do enough or have enough in our life.
In the periphery of our awareness, we can start to become aware of the droning din of the conditioned, habitual mind incessantly dangling the thought of “What if…”
And because these insecure thoughts are in our mind and they are our thoughts, we feel that we have to take them seriously, as if they were facts or truth.
‘What if” thoughts are either focused on some fearful future or feverishly reviving some regrettable experiences from the past.
(Side note: we tend to forget that both the future and the past are never here right now…)
“What if I’m not good enough?”
“What if other people don’t like me?”
“What if I fail and everyone around me will discover that I’m a failure?”
“What if I missed the boat on what I was supposed to do in my life?”
“What if I never find out what my life is supposed to be about?”
“What if I have been doing the whole thing wrong all along?”
Insecure “What if” thoughts can cause us to feel distressed and despairing, which goes on to impact what we are willing to do or not do next, which then impacts what kind of thoughts we have about ourselves, and it goes on and on, all day, every day.
What if you gave yourself the gift of slowing down right now…. would you do that? Could you?
Take a few moments out of your busy day to reflect on the following questions with an open and curious attitude:
(Breathe in deeply and then let the breath go…you can do it again, if you’d like!)
What if you didn’t have to believe every thought that bubbled up in your mind all day, every day?
What if you were able to see that all thoughts are neutral, that thoughts have no power other than the power that you are currently giving to them?
What if you started to notice that there are countless habitual thoughts showing up in your mind throughout each day, without you ever inviting them or wanting them or making them happen?
(Breathe in deeply and then let the breath go…you can do it again, if you’d like!)
What if you discovered, in this moment, that you have a built-in superpower?
A superpower?
What if your superpower is your capacity to simply notice and let go of negative and critical thoughts about yourself or others?
What if you saw with clarity that your moment-to-moment experience of your life in any given moment is a function of your moment-to-moment thinking?
What if you could clearly see that the thoughts you are having right now, this very moment, have a corresponding feeling? (Don’t take my word for it, try it out for yourself…)
What if, for example, you noticed that it’s difficult to feel confident and secure when your mind is full of insecure thoughts?
What if, for example, you noticed that it’s difficult to get upset when your mind is full of peaceful, grateful or loving thoughts?
What if you suddenly realized that you are always choosing to either take a thought seriously (and suffer the consequences) or choosing to dismiss it and let it go?
What if you became aware that your built-in superpower gives you the ability to change every aspect of your life, starting right here and right now?
What if you clearly realized that the thoughts ‘I’m stuck’ or “I’m not good enough,” are simply thoughts with an associated sensation, and that if you wanted to, if you chose to, if you were willing to practice, you could let them go?
What if you started to create a rich, vibrant and engaged life, doing the things you really want to be doing and having the experiences you really want to be having, all because you you had discovered how to use your built-in superpower throughout the day?
What if you really got it, right this very moment, that you are the one creating your own unique experience of life, from moment to moment, based on which thoughts you are taking seriously, and which thoughts you are letting go?
What if…?
(Paintings by Ian M Crooks, MD)
