Have you picked up a copy of our The Broad Place Book Club book The Untethered Soul yet? You can jump on our forum and start contributing at any time don’t forget!
I do love this quote as I so often hear my mind running riot inside. For example at a dinner party about what an awkward thing I just said, and how ashamed I should be, and god what an idiot I am, and how can I resolve this, and why do things like this just fall out of my mouth, and my god, I am a meditation teacher for heavens sake and blah blah blah. You know this line of thinking too I am sure! And when we buy into this thinking (and take ourselves from the present moment) we really do feel deeply unhappy.
And to make it even harder on ourselves, we then also tether our happiness to other people’s behaviours too. If you do X I’ll be so much happier. If only you loved me more. If you respected me more. If you could read my mind and preempt my unhappiness and solve it thank you very much!
Michael says it perfectly, because our inner happiness isn’t determined by our behaviour. There’s something beyond our behaviours and our thinking that is always expansive and open and happy. And we must remind ourselves of this daily.
I have found it helpful to at times when gripped by ugly low grade thoughts to literally softly chant inside for a while ‘I am not my thoughts, I am consciousness, I am whole’. And when feeling like I could blow a gasket at someone else’s behaviour (through my lens outrageous behaviour) I have to quieten down and firmly remind myself that they too are seeking happiness and wholeness, perhaps just in different ways than I would go about it.
This usually gives my ego a little run for it’s money. And it quickly shuts the hell up. Then there is peace. For a moment. Then something else happens, and I start over again…
Sent with love,
Jac x