Hello, folks – now that the holidays have totally worn off, Happy New Year! Since this time last year, my work has really turned to understanding how our mind is constantly creating our reality based on thought, 100% of the time. So… it’s not reality at all! And as our thinking changes, our experience – how we feel – follows suit automatically. This isn’t positive thinking, though, because that doesn’t work for most of us. It’s just not authentic, and deep down we know it. In other words, we don’t truly believe the positive stuff we’re trying to tell ourselves. And of course if you do, great – keep doing what you’re doing whenever it’s working for you. This is more about a natural way of thinking that’s always available to us and just gets covered up by years and years of chatter. You could call it inner wisdom, intuition, or even common sense. It’s all the same. When we see this in action more and more and experience this higher quality of thinking, our whole world changes. And it’s worth noting that this is how children think until they get conditioned by us adults. And then they come see someone like me or find books, videos, etc. that help them rediscover their natural wisdom. Or common sense. So we’ll be focusing on that primarily.
That’s the inner part of the equation. And since we’re thinking pretty much 24/7, that’s the main part. While we’re at it, though, we might as well take a look at the outer part of the equation. What I’m interested in this year is the answer to the simple question, “Am I happy?” And if not, why not? And there’s nothing wrong with not being happy! Admit it, own it, tell the truth. You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. Breathe and relax your body. Relax into it and accept how things are now (because they already are, and there’s no time machine yet). And then just innocently ask the question, “Why not?” And then just be patient and receive. Take note of what comes up, and write it down if you need to. And see if there are any obvious, immediate shifts that can be made. Also see if there are any longer-term seeds that can be planted. There’s always a first step.
Our goal this year is to be able to answer this question with a “Yes.” It doesn’t mean you’re living your dream life; you might or might not be. But it means you are happy, and we want to at least be there. That’s our baseline. And we are going to address it from the inside first and foremost, but also from the outside. This reminds me of a hilarious story about a student of a well-known Indian spiritual teacher named Papaji. The guy said something to Papaji like, “Papaji, I live in an apartment above an auto mechanic, and it’s so noisy that I’m having trouble achieving stillness during meditation. What should I do?” And the great Papaji replied, “Move!” I love it.
So all the best to you this year, and I’m really excited. I have big goals that may or may not be realized this year. And that’s fine. I want to restructure my stuff on the internet. I might even give this blog a new title and use A Clean Mind for my coaching and counseling practice. I also want to put my message into a form that I can make available to people who don’t want to do individual sessions or who can’t. I want to reach more people. And there might be more on video, too. All of this is without pressure, too – just having fun and sharing my joy. I want to reach more people and do it in a way that’s as fast and accessible as possible. And I really, really, really want to help improve the field of therapy. I know that’s biting off a bit much, but screw it. It has so much room for improvement that I can’t resist at least trying. The way I’ve been trained to do things this past year simply works better and faster in the vast majority of cases. Just saying… And don’t think I don’t feel fortunate to have been trained in this way – that’s a major understatement.
And the cool thing is that I’m still growing so much and so fast. So I really have no clue where this whole thing is going. It’s been quite a ride, though, and it’s really just beginning. And I’m glad you’re joining me. I already have some stories to tell of friends and clients who are reaping the fruits of their increased understanding of thinking, and it’s blowing them away. And me as well! I’ll be sharing those very soon. And I’ll probably post to this blog more frequently this year. Scheduling one morning or afternoon open each week, for instance, is an example of an “outer” things that can be done to make that happen. And that idea always comes from my wisdom or common sense. So the “inner” is always primary. Okay… all the best to you, and Happy 2015! Let’s kick some serious ass this year!! And as always, let me know if I can help!