It is easy to see pain, confusion, disagreement, and the twisted mess that can be our human experience, everywhere we look.
It is present in politics; the pandemic fallout; international relations; gender, sexuality and racial inequities; abortion rights; natural disasters...
It is the history of humanity.
My guess is that decades down the road, it will still be easy to see pain, confusion, disagreement and the twisted mess that can be our human experience.
Just because it is easy to see, doesn't mean it is the only thing happening. It doesn't even mean it is what we have to look at, every moment of every day.
This is absolutely NOT to say that we shouldn't look at what is so in our world. I am simply suggesting that it is okay to give ourselves permission to see the good that is also present. To SEE it and to BE it. Not by force or fighting, but by witnessing and being. Not as a hot reaction, but a conscious choice.
As humans, we are hardwired to survive, so we have this handy-dandy negativity bias. That's partly why it is so darn easy to see all the painful stuff of life. But when that is what we are fixated on, we perpetuate the experience of only seeing that.
It is dangerous to our psyche to narrow our vision in such a way, because it isn't rooted in reality. It just isn't. Things aren't black and white, ALL GOOD or ALL BAD. When we live in that place, depression, anxiety, and a host of emotional yuck is not far away.
Just because pain, confusion, disagreement and mess is easy to see, doesn't mean it is the only thing happening. It doesn't even mean it is what we have to look at, every moment of every day.
From this place we can find ourselves hoping, wishing, pleading, praying for a different experience. An experience of peace, instead of conflict; an experience of love instead of hate; an experience of abundance instead of lack.
Yet, if what we see is only conflict, hate and lack...we will struggle to ever experience peace, love and plenty with any level of sustainability or satisfaction.
The invitation is to expand our capacity, so that we can see a broader view of what is actually happening in the world and in our lives. To SEE peace, to SEE love, to SEE abundance. If not on the world stage, what about in your kitchen?
If you aren't able to experience the qualities you are so desiring, even on a "small" level, you won't be able to experience it on a "bigger" level.
It is okay to give ourselves permission to see the good that is present. To SEE it and to BE it. Not by force or fighting, but by witnessing and being.
A few weeks ago I wrote about a Blank Check that I found in the gutter. I could have just walked past it, but in the split second of seeing it, I thought about being the one who lost it. I imagined how worried I might be about who might find it and what they might do with it. It woke up a bunch of juicy stuff in my personal life (read it HERE). As I wrestled with what came up for me, I found healing around wounds of money that I've carried since childhood. I felt drawn to reach out to the humans on the other side of the Blank Check (Follow-Up to the Blank Check), with a letter that shared my experience and the way that our lives intersected in a really powerful way. (Handwritten, addressed, stamped and mailed via USPS, because snail mail is the BEST)
I opened my mailbox the other day and spied a letter, addressed to me, in handwriting I didn't recognize. I was skeptical that it was anything real, but I opened it anyways (because, snail mail, people, SNAIL. MAIL.).
"Rachel -
Thank you for re-enforcing my faith in humanity. We appreciate your honesty and your note. Your story and writings are inspirational. Again, thank you for being the person who found my check.
Most Appreciatively -
Greg"
The humans on the other side of the blank check got my note and wrote back. They definitely didn't have to. I definitely didn't expect them to. But boy, did it feel uplifting to have participated in that exchange of GOOD! I sat with that card and just smiled. Even as I write these words, I experience JOY and CALM washing over me.
Time to Thrive
It is a gift to the up-leveling of our humanity, to shift out of negativity bias (and survival) into a place of thriving and living life fully.
I promise you this: you cannot spread peace in the world out there (in any lasting sort of way), until you cultivate peace within. And you can't cultivate peace within, unless you are willing to experience peace right where you are.
This goes for love, healing, plenty, hope, kindness, joy, wisdom, balance, order...all those qualities that we are naturally drawn to and desire to have. If you want to have it, if you want to share it with others, if you want to heal the world, SEE it now, BE it now.
5 ways to SEE it and BE it:
1. Slow the F*%# down.
2. Feel your feelings (the frustration and the love - nor sure HOW? Let's talk)
3. Clarify what you desire, by naming {ONE quality} to focus on. {kindness}
4. State this affirmation for yourself throughout the day: I SEE {kindness}, I AM {kind}. c
5. At the end of the day, name 5 instances where you SAW {kindness} and 5 instances where you acted {kindly}.
Rachel Sartori is an Embodiment and Wholeness Coach. She is kick-ass and heart-centered whether she is showing up as a workshop/retreat facilitator, a private coach, a writer or a speaker. Rachel invites you to exercise your soul, and participate in the healing of your own heart and the world around you. With Rachel, all is welcome, all the time.
Read: Exercise Your Soul: Ignite Healing and Wholeness in your Life and Live from the Inside Out
Follow Rachel:
Comments