"PEOPLE REALLY PISS ME OFF!" Have you ever said/thought that? Some days it seems like the world is against us. But the truth of the matter is, the people in the world are not thinking about you much at all. That !@#$%^&*ing person that cut you off on freeway was just doing what they needed to do for themselves. The perception that the person was trying to maliciously scoot in front of you to cause you to slam on your brakes and threaten your life is no more true than the opposite of that. That is right. Both the worst truth and the best truth exist at the same time.
Let me explain.Your experience of the truth happens entirely in your brain. You write a play, cast the characters, give them rich histories and endow them with emotions...in your mind. This happens with everything. Since you don't have all the facts, you fill in facts based on your experience, your instincts, your emotions. This is creative energy. Have you ever seen the test that looks like this:
If you had an easy time reading this, you can count yourself as one creative thinker. This paragraph does not say anything. Those are not words–other than the one and two letter ones. It is the same thing with a magic trick. You see the magician grab the ball with this right hand. It is in that hand. You know it...until the reveal. If he didn't do the reveal and walked away, your memory of the event would be that the ball went in his hand. You would recount the story that way and that would be the truth for you.
Since you cannot say with 100% certainty that the driver who cut you off had malicious intent, it could also be true that it was a complete accident or oversight. Believing the former, leaves you angry. Believing the latter, leaves you alone. I will challenge you to go a step further. Give the person your permission. You can say it or just think it. You can also tell yourself that it was necessary that you allow that person to do what they did.
This sounds so scientific or even self-helpy. This is not the power of positive thinking, this is choosing wisely. We gravitate toward the negative a lot of times. Doing so, hurts us and the negative, non-creative energy is palpable. Choose love.
Love doesn't always have to be felt overtly. Love has to be practiced.
When you practice love, you just feel better about everything. Your silent permission puts the power in your hands and allows you to move forward with your day. How many times has getting cut off on the freeway stuck with you and ruined your day?
Give your permission.
Let me explain.Your experience of the truth happens entirely in your brain. You write a play, cast the characters, give them rich histories and endow them with emotions...in your mind. This happens with everything. Since you don't have all the facts, you fill in facts based on your experience, your instincts, your emotions. This is creative energy. Have you ever seen the test that looks like this:
Arocdnicg to rsceearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit pobelrm. Tihs is buseace the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
If you had an easy time reading this, you can count yourself as one creative thinker. This paragraph does not say anything. Those are not words–other than the one and two letter ones. It is the same thing with a magic trick. You see the magician grab the ball with this right hand. It is in that hand. You know it...until the reveal. If he didn't do the reveal and walked away, your memory of the event would be that the ball went in his hand. You would recount the story that way and that would be the truth for you.
Since you cannot say with 100% certainty that the driver who cut you off had malicious intent, it could also be true that it was a complete accident or oversight. Believing the former, leaves you angry. Believing the latter, leaves you alone. I will challenge you to go a step further. Give the person your permission. You can say it or just think it. You can also tell yourself that it was necessary that you allow that person to do what they did.
This sounds so scientific or even self-helpy. This is not the power of positive thinking, this is choosing wisely. We gravitate toward the negative a lot of times. Doing so, hurts us and the negative, non-creative energy is palpable. Choose love.
Love doesn't always have to be felt overtly. Love has to be practiced.
When you practice love, you just feel better about everything. Your silent permission puts the power in your hands and allows you to move forward with your day. How many times has getting cut off on the freeway stuck with you and ruined your day?
Give your permission.
More times than I care to share! After 20 years of a hellish commute, it just became par for the course. But you are right. On the days where I just let it go, thinking, "What if that person has a serious emergency...I would be doing the same thing? How do I really know what's going on?" I realized how silly it was to be angry. And how easy it was to just let it go.
ReplyDeleteLove your focus on choice and practice...Everything worthwhile requires focus and clarity on the former, and time and patience on the latter. So worth it!
Love your posts! Keep them coming! :)
Thanks, Joan. You are my biggest fan. Sometimes when that one car just needs to go 15 mph faster than everyone, I not only give him my permission, but thank God he is now in front of me where I can see him The combo of permission and thanks completely deflects any negative energy. My memory of the event fades to a blur and doesn't effect me.
ReplyDeleteThis is when I remember to practice what I preach. :-)