November 2013
"Paying attention and awareness
are universal capacities of human beings."
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Welcome --
How many people do we come across in our daily routine who have it all figured out for themselves -- and others?
Yet -- their lives remain stalled, chaotic or unmanageable.
They pay lip service to their practice, yet don't have ownership of their actions or consequences.
This circles back to having a lot of awareness about one's patterns and tendencies, yet, the awareness is where the practice stops. Unless we act on what we've learned, it's all just buzz words without meaning.
For example, I've an acquaintance who's spent years in analysis. He knows his foibles, and challenges to a tee.
He's more than willing to expound on them. And yet --
despite all he knows, his life is small, incomplete and a disappointment to him (his phrases). His words nod at
awareness. His actions belie it.
Over the next little while -- perhaps at the seasonal family gatherings -- instead of falling into the same dynamics, why not allow Your Self to track the words of those around you? Is that where the practice stops? -- as if knowing our Achilles' heel is enough? -- and just the knowing gives us a pass on doing our work?
The practice?
Pause
Breathe
Listen
Watch
Do the actions deepen the words or are they incongruent?
Is there resonance or dissonance? Are you witnessing lip service or ownership?
Dare to distinguish the two. Your life will be a lot smoother and more streamlined.
I promise.
