Breaking Free

I wish I could save my blossoming, pink roses from fatiguing in the insufferable summer heat.  I wish I could admire their openness and sweet scent forever.  But all things come and go, and I cannot wrestle with nature.  It is enough to have paused for a moment to appreciate the incredible beauty of the roses, and to have connected with the vitality of nature.

My garden reveals many quiet moments like this – little reminders on how to look after the Self.  To nourish, water, foster germination, bloom and shine, to accept aging gracefully, recoil and surrender to the Earth. There is such energy in a tiny, tiny seed.  When the conditions are right the seed flourishes and brings so much life, joy and beauty to the planet.  When the conditions are not ideal, the seed struggles against the elements and does the best it can.

We all go through our own difficulties and challenges in life, and sometimes we expend a great amount of energy trying to avoid them, constantly sweeping them away like mud walked into the house from the yard.  We do everything we can to avoid facing them.  However, overcoming challenges and problems in our life can provide us with access to more possibilities and remove limitations.  As we solve our problems our lives improve, we grow, and we are able to stretch upwards to embrace the sun.

Consider what is at risk if you choose not to resolve the problems that are currently showing up in your life.  Is your welfare at stake, your happiness, your joy, your health, material items like your house, your finances, or your relationship with a loved one?  Although some of these problems may not be of your own making, how rewarding would it be to find solutions.  Would your heart be at peace?  Would you feel released to grow mentally, emotionally, physically?  Would it make you be a better person? 

Imagine if we are able to solve problems as they arise and come in our lives, to be as adaptable as the trees, flowers and shrubs in our gardens.  We would be able to move forward in our lives peacefully, instead of expending energy on avoiding how we really feel.  But how can we remain in touch and connected to everything that is happening in our lives, whether they are labelled as problems or opportunities. 

As we choose to face what we are resisting we subtly start living with integrity.  As we develop the ability to unlock solutions to problems, the worst day of our lives can turn out to be the best day of our lives.  However, solutions do not always just arrive because we have suddenly decided to do something about a problem.  This is the challenge of life.  Usually, solutions lie with the person who has the problem.  Sometimes we under-estimate our own ability and capacity to deal with problems because we have developed the habit of passing on these problems to other people, not realising the solutions are within our Selves.   In reality, we are extraordinarily empowered.  When we are able to strengthen our inner-core we are able to build a stronger life.  With a stronger foundation, we have more stability to deal with challenges, and are not easily swayed by the elements around us.  Like trees in a storm, we can hold our own ground.

When we consider our upsets, it might be good to ask ourselves:

Are the problems are fully coming from outside, or are the problems within us?  

Who is the one who is really upset here?  

Is there anything about the problem caused by us, can we do better, have we tried our best?  

What do we need to resolve internally, within our minds, our hearts, our body, so that we can commit to resolve the problem or move towards any particular goal?  

What is preventing us from moving forward?  

Are the things at risk enough to motivate us to muster courage and willingness to commit to resolution?  

Breathe.  Melt and release the tension.

We cannot always prevent bad things from happening, but we can control how we react to them.  How we react depends on our perceptions of life, our problems, our circumstances.  A lot of the time the key to the solutions in our lives lie within ourselves.  Instead of out-sourcing the solution, it is time to in-source.  As we contemplate and give our Selves time to believe in our Self, we can learn that we are stronger than we think.  Reflect on your past, and ask you Self what were you able to do that you never thought you could do?  The answer to this is evidence of growth, development of your willingness to confront your own fears and stretch beyond the limits that you created for your Self.

As you connect with your Self notice areas of your Being that you can break away from.  Let go of all the habits and tendencies that no longer serve.  Break free and leave the good parts of you Self.  Limits in our lives exist in our minds and egos.  As you explore your mind, how can you move forward and stretch beyond the limits that your perception has created?  

We are who we are now because of what we know.  As we learn new things about our Selves we learn to grow towards who and what we can possibly be.