Day 140 - A Year to Clear - Check In WEEK 20 - Changing the Channel

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Lesson 140: Check In WEEK 20 - Changing the Channel

This week has been to challenging to bring about more mindfulness. You really have to catch yourself in your thoughts sometimes. Anything that doesn’t serve you well, you should definitely recognise, assess why you had that thought and then ready yourself for release. I think this can be especially difficult if you’re very emotional and get stuck within that thought. For various mind clutter, I think it’s easier to do. It’s really about assessing what you need and what you don’t need.

There are always going to be situations that make you uncomfortable, and I think the lesson is trying to teach you that even though you may have a negative or upsetting thought, that’s fine, but it’s about striking those that are no benefit to you or turning the thought around to something that does serve you.

I find that I am still very much trying to teach this to myself. I find that most of my frustrating thoughts occur at work. I have to really not get caught up in my emotions and feelings, stopping myself from blowing up and just thinking of a better way to do things. I try not to lose myself but it can be quite hard. Sometimes situations and people rub you up the wrong way, so you can’t help but rage. In those moments, I’m really trying to apply myself in thinking of better outcomes and trying to make my work environment a more accommodating place for myself.

The exercise this week has really tested me to be more mindful. It takes a lot of self-awareness to think about the thoughts you have and how you can think better or differently towards your situation. It’s definitely a good skill to have if you can master it. Right now, I’m very much at hard work with it and will continue to do my best to get rid of the mental clutter that does not serve me well.

Day 139 - A Year to Clear - Change the Channel

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Lesson 139: Change the Channel

Today is about watching some good TV and some bad TV. If you don’t really watch TV, use music. The exercise is to be more mindful and really tune in to how your body reacts to the differences. You want to choose a show or music that really uplifts you – makes you laugh, smile and bring about general goodness. Then you want to watch a show or listen to music that “dumbs you down, scares you, or numbs you”. Write down your experiences and every time you feel a rise or negative thought pop up, you want to note the emotions, the body sensations and what’s going through your mind. Every time a negative thought comes into play, remember to use the words “strike that” to allow the channel to be changed from your monkey mind.

So, when I was at one of my jobs today, I was dancing around in the store because Viking folk music was playing. For some reason it always makes me feel good and want to dance, so I do. Didn’t even care if a customer walked in, I just went with the music. I really enjoy Viking folk music.

I’m not going to listen to the music that makes me feel like insects crawling in my skin and that’s heavy death metal type of music. I can’t stand the screaming and I just want it to be over. I don’t understand how anyone can listen to that type of music, but each to their own. The only negative I know that flows through my head at that point is “this is shit” so I applied a “strike that”. I was shaking my head as I was imagining that music playing, so I applied a “strike that” to that also.

I now understand the exercise – we don’t have to allow negative thoughts to swamp us if we just let it go. Yes, it can enter your mind, but you don’t have to hold onto it and let it dwell upon you. Just have the thought and let it escape as quickly as it entered. Gosh, this is going to be a hard practise but good for our overall mental wellbeing.

There is a lot of work to do and it’s going to take time.

Day 139 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - As You Master the Heart of Compassion

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Lesson 139: As You Master the Heart of Compassion...

Today is noticing how we use compassion as the first response to any situation. As we try to lift our vibrations, we should start to see the ease of moving into compassion as an answer. We should start to see anger, misunderstanding, hurt etc start to dissolve as we bring about compassion to the forefront of our minds.

I personally have been trying hard to apply compassion to my situations. That’s not to say that I still don’t rage or get upset for silly reasons. What I am practising is to be more mindful of my reactions and think of a better resolution if something bothers me. I think this is integral to my growth. I am trying to act with more compassion and I am definitely saying that it is challenging. It takes a lot of patience, tolerance and understanding, and sometimes, I still don’t understand why people do what they do. I think what I am practising to do, is not let things get to me. It’s all about not allowing things to consume your mind if it isn’t going to serve you in some way.

I am not perfect but I am grateful that I do try and also don’t give up.

How do you see yourself changing by applying more compassion?

Day 138 - A Year to Clear - Reeling In The Monkey Mind

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Lesson 138: Reeling In The Monkey Mind

Today references a Buddhist term “Monkey Mind” that involves all the noise we create in our heads – doubtful, fearful, over thinking, over complication, internal fights, attachments, unsettling, upsetting, impatient, anxious thoughts. This is the clutter we create and it takes practise to tell them “no” or train ourselves to think differently. We are “reeling in the monkey” and usually these thoughts are usually stuck because of our own habits.

When our mind is becoming frantic, all we need to do is stop, close our eyes and breathe. At first, we may resist but the idea is to keep practising it. The more we give the monkey mind space, we will find it calms down. I know the practise of taking a moment, really calms my mind. I think if can take those moments, then we really see ourselves calmer and clearer to make decisions.

Stephanie Bennett Vogt describes this as “spacious detachment”. The way I interpret that is detaching yourself from the noise to welcome in spaciousness. I don’t think it’s to ignore those thoughts, but to have a more mindful approach to the noise that enters your mind. Is it a thought that you can mentally throw away? Or is it something you need to work through and then let go? Either way, it’s about reducing the clutter in your head to be clearer.

Day 138 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - If The Entire World Could Exist...

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Lesson 138: If The Entire World Could Exist...

Today’s lesson stems what from I said yesterday in regards to compassion – if we all applied it, then we would live in a much more peaceful state. There would be love, understanding and care. Most of our issues would cease to exist. Today’s lesson highlights that we probably won’t see this on a global scale within our lifetime, though we can be the pioneers to raise the vibration. We are to write down our thoughts surrounding the fact that the whole world may not follow this path in our lifetime and how that makes us feel.

I hope that we could achieve this level of consciousness – that with compassion we can solve a lot of issues. Imagine the world if we all spread compassion – there would be so much love and peace. I think it’s a challenge because we rely on our leaders to govern our countries, which for them is a tough job to do. They can’t always lead by this example of compassion because of the heavy duty issues they are trying to resolve. So, if they can’t do it, then it’s up to the likes of you and me to raise the vibration right? The world requires so much healing and I think it starts with simple acts of kindness to lift our frequency. Compassion not only makes someone else feel good but it brings about your own inner peace.

I mean, part of the reasons why I do these posts is to expand someone else’s thinking. I get the lesson from a course and express my opinion in hopes someone else resonates with it and applies it to their life. I think that’s my part to play in something more expansive and it’s a start in raising awareness and people’s vibration. If I can succeed on a small scale, then I think it can only go up from there. Well, that’s what I hope for anyway.

How can you raise the vibration of those around you? And how do you feel that the world doesn’t share this view?