Thursday, October 15, 2009

The "What" Obsession

Thank you for showing up, and tuning in to the rest of your life.

I have to share this video to start I love this kind of humor, be warned though, its edgy- Enjoy!

New Philosophy

I wrote this yesterday, and I have been changing so much each day, I don't think I'll read it again before posting it... trust I imagine!!
Today is holding a great energy for me. After 32 1/2 years of aiming, I feel like the target is finally coming into focus. Wrong turns of the past are now just lefts, and there is a nice momentum building with the rights. A reflection I'm getting from the past is that I spent a great deal of time and energy focused on "what"; what it is I'm supposed to do, what am I to be, what am I doing here? I must say that there are many current benefits from that focus and also a realization that I missed enjoying a lot of life in the way youth deserves to be enjoyed. So I'm writing in an effort to connect the dots from the point of purpose to the start of the journey. I feel these cycles repeat themselves in many forms and layers throughout our lives, and the more we can tune into them with deep self-honesty the more happiness flows in the now.

This ties into to the idea of following excitement. Here is a structure that may help you aim to the path of most joyful and least resistance in your never ending journey to find and create purpose. I have found Donny Epstein's models a great tie in and inspiration for me around this. His triad of change in particular for this discussion. Basically in short, we all have certain strategies that work for us in accomplishing goals and transforming aspects of our lives. He breaks them down into 3 sides of a triad they are Structure, Perception and Behavior. For those of us who best lead with behavior, leading with what to do can be very effective. I personally lead with structure and so having at least the starting point is often enough for me to put something into action. Donny says "when you affect any two sides of the triad of change the other one will automatically come into alignment with that. And if you find what you are obsessing about in this example, what = behavior, ie: what should I do, what do I do! This is usually your least resourceful resource and so you can just let it happen as you worry about the other two sides.

So I'm going to lay another structure on top or beside that one. This I call the:
"Why of Why: Foundation of Success"
1. Who am I? and/or Who is behind the wheel?
2. Why am I here?
3. What am I going to do about it?
4. Where can I take action?
5. Now

So when you work with the triad of change you can begin to layout your strategy for answering those questions. For example, if I'm asking Who am I? And I lead with structure then perception, I might decide to go somewhere new and change my living structure so that then I might perceive myself differently and start to act more in alignment with who I am, by actually being with myself and getting in touch with the me beyond my usual barriers of protection. We have been using Donny's models for a year or so now and have been engaged in his NSA work for a few years. These are some of many things I have used to support my understanding of self and purpose. So it doesn't matter what your particular spiritual path is or what you do in life, it just supports that.

Why am I here, is a nice question that begins to flow naturally when the who becomes more into focus and my experience is these to begin to blend together, taking turns with your inner attention. But if you aim for the why first it may be a confusing journey for a narrow sense of self.

As I said yesterday, start where you are, and I assume that we will always be engaged in some sort of "what" activities, hopefully those that provide energy to what excites you. What I'm talking about in these questions is a slightly bigger what, more close again to purpose but I would say don't get too attached, because, "where" you start taking action, will add another element to the equation and things will change and become clearer as you pay attention and move forward.

So hold the resonance as best you can experience it in your body, as you tune into who, that you is that has this thing I'm calling purpose. It is not an object or a place, just a resonance, a feeling and perception of the most joyous you. And Now you can act as the sequence of the questions builds a momentum up the body through the spine into inspired action, inspired being.

Blessings playing with this and the triad. Just start having fun with yourself, it's your life!
Chief ME

3 comments:

  1. Mankind has obsessed since the beginning about the meaning of life. Why am I here? What purpose do I serve? Many manifest themselves in power, money, prestige, fame. All are fleeting. Fame fortune and power dissipate with the fate of time. What then is left? Only the SELF. Concious awareness is both a curse and a blessing. It can be focussed inwardly, in search of SELF, or outwardly. Shamans and prophets the former, the masses the latter. Finding ones SELF in this morass of mass is surely daunting. Satori lies at the end of the search, ONENESS. There then must exist the meaning of life: The survival of the NOW MOMENT. The rest is then just a garnish to guild the lilly (of life). That just happens to obscure the vision which is in all of us. And as Walter used to say: " And that's the way it is, Friday, October 16, 2009".

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  2. About SELF: Could we be forgetting something so simple that it could have been staring us right in the face for our entire lives and we have never noticed it? All the time wondering who we are? What about choice? What about that we choose our own meaning. We choose what we do. We make of it what we want. If we want to earn money and exploit everyone else in our quest to be happy, then that is the meaning of our life. It really becomes so. They may not actually be happy, but at that moment that is the meaning of their life. If you devote your life to the community of the Earth, then you have just made that, the meaning of your life. And both paths are a choice we make.
    I have never in all my reading stumbled on an indigenous person wondering what the meaning of life is. Because it seems that each is looking for their own meaning. And by looking for their own meaning, I mean they are making an informed decision about how best to live their life, and what place they will take in it.
    If someone receives a vision from the Creator during a vision quest telling you what your purpose is, at that moment they may choose your SELF. The creator can't tell you who you are. They can only guide you. Because you have the choice if the self you choose is the one who will listen to that guidance or not. Will you act on your vision or not? Your choice. Up to you. God doesn't define yourself. You do.
    Of course, its a lot easier to choose to particiate in something we are prone to enjoy or where we are most gifted, which is where I really appreciate, Andre, you mentioning excitement. That helps me so much today... Its so contrary to everything we have been taught that what probably needs doing by us is exactly what we love to do the most! I mean, what about, when my mom would say "The hardest thing to do is often the right thing to do." BULLSHIT! That's just someone else's way of guilting you into doing what they THINK you should do! (sorry mom...)
    Our society has specified only a VERY FEW paths in life as the 'right' paths or the paths of 'success.' I reject it. Who you want to be is right there. Life is its own meaning. There is no one right choice. You can always choose what to do with it, and choose your own goals, and that is your meaning, right there. Or else this life would be really pointless. And its not... Its just been a bit hard when we have to look back and realize that our society has made us very confused, and very unhappy, with a prescribed way of being, that they choose to only pay us money when we conform to it. There's always a choice. And the status quo, has us standing on the brink of destruction. So, go and choose your meaning of life. Have fun!. (or not)

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  3. Awesome, thanks Dad, and Adam yes, just what I have in mind. Authentic reality, choose wisely now that we know many of the results of choosing ineffectively.
    I have much to share about my weekend and you are all helping me focus in on where this is going. Thank yo so much,
    Your love and support so deeply appreciated,

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