Close your eyes and relax. Unclench your jaw, your fists or
any areas of tension. Breathe deeply and take a few cleansing breaths.
Breathing in all of the beautiful energy of nature and now exhale all the noise
and chatter in your head. Float along this current of nothingness. Now allow a
thought to take residence in your mind. I can shift my mind to a better place.
The planet around us is struggling to survive. Global
warming- sudden shifts in the earth - catastrophic weather patterns all bring
their attention to us in a very loud way. Wake up! it seems to shout – Stop
ignoring your environment – we are all connected and if we are hurting than you
are suffering as well.
We are living in an age of technology that has connected
our world in a way that no generation before us has ever seen. This
communication can work both for and against us. It can bring encouragement and
truthful insight or it can lead to utter chaos. We all like to think of
ourselves as strong knowledgeable individuals, and many are, but many of us
will follow a fool off a cliff. The only way to actually be led by this is to
ignore your own inner voice and allow others to think for you.
For example if we know a storm is coming and we are able to
use technology to “best guess” its course we should be able to decide for
ourselves (unless we are relying on others because of mental or medical impairments)
what the best plan of action should be. Many, many people have lived with the
threats of all types of weather throughout the ages as well as the pets and
wildlife that have gone before us. Did they have the weather channel, facebook
or CNN? No, they simply took the warnings they were given, the necessary
precautions and gathered with friends and family to wait out the storm. Many
had to leave their homes to find a safe haven and many returned to find their
dwellings demolished. We live with unforeseen natural environmental events that
will continue long after we part this earth.
No one is advocating that we do not heed a warning. But
there must come a time when we listen to our inner voice and “turn off” the
hype, because that is what it is – in actual fact it sells advertisement. STAY
TUNED…BREAKING NEWS…THIS JUST IN… If you were able to step aside and see how it
was commercially packaged and delivered to you, you would see it for what it
was, sheer drama which instills fear to make you come back for more. The music
– the lighting –the flashing scrolling red text – the newsman strapped to a
tree…none very helpful in preparing a community at all. You want to be able to
rely on calm rational decisions and not whipped up emotional actions. This is
when a mind shift is needed most. If you were trying to assist your children or
elderly loved ones how would you approach them- careful and quiet purposeful
direction to lead them to safety…or a burst of continued fearful updates?
There are many opportunities to practice this useful
mechanism and if we wanted to we could probably fill pages and pages creating a
list. Think of some events that you encounter in your daily lives in which you
have no control. For example: (and I will only name a few as they can bring you
down emotionally just listing them!)
-
Airport hell
-
Dr’s visit…the inner waiting room
-
Traffic jams
-
Unexpected weather…cancellations and loss of
power
-
Trip to the Motor Vehicle Office
As we look at these examples we can feel the groans as they
drag themselves through our lips. Now place yourself in one of these
circumstances. For example you arrive at the Motor Vehicle office and you pull
the number 63 and a voice calls out “number 31”. You look about and notice the
bleak faces…the room is painted gray and actually looks as if it is getting
grayer. But you need this document today and you have to wait. Others grumble
and some start talking on their cell phones and you can feel the air thicken
with negativity. It hovers about you like a cloud.
By quieting your mind and breathing easily allow your mind
to shift. You have complete control of your thoughts, perhaps you were meant to
learn something, and perhaps you were meant to use this very moment to
understand that you have power over your own emotions. This is YOUR journey and
you do not have to get swept along with all of the angry emotions of the people
around you. Can you sit and see how unique you are – not better than others –
no, just able to distance yourself enough to think upon positive things. Shift
your attention and focus to a happy place. Maybe it’s a loved one, maybe it’s a
good book or maybe a project you need to work out in your mind before you begin
to create it.
This ability to shift your mind can truly remove unnecessary
stress in your life. This skill can also help when you feel yourself spinning
out of control. When you begin to feel yourself stiffen as a disagreement with
someone is about to surface, catch yourself and say “mind-shift”… is this
really how I want to respond? Am I prepared to allow all negative emotional
energy have its free reign? What will this accomplish? Learn to use this mind
shift as a lifeboat giving you safe passage to the calmness that you thrive in.
When anger is all around you, don’t allow yourself to be carried in to the
debris of negative thoughts. If this means turning off the media – hanging up
the phone, than DO it. This especially means you will need to mentally turn off
the media - a challenge as it adorns all airports and public places which are
unavoidable today. Mentally tune away from the people on their cell phones and
yes they even have conversations on the toilet, riding their bikes and even
strolling a beach. Use your ability to shift your mind instantly.
Learn to take control of your emotions by adjusting your
mind to a positive thought. It may take some practice to remind yourself.
Sometimes I hear my spouse saying, “mind shift” as I become agitated and I
reply “Mind your own shift” as I huff and puff, but for the most part this
small technique has helped our relationship as well as our outlook.
Have you ever found yourself engaging in what started out to
be a positive endeavor and the outcome was tears and frustration? Something
wonderful and purposeful, and act of kindness shattered into hurt feelings and
silence.
If your intention was something for example, “Let’s gather
together to help our parents” and others have strong opinions of how this
should be achieved, how can you shift your mind to keep the goal in focus?
Another example may be joining together to help our children in sports, music,
clubs, etc. Others will have their opinions on how the road to achieve this is
pursued. Can you allow them to have an opinion in which you do not share? Can
you shift your mind to give your assistance to fulfill what your initial
intention was... to aid your children? If we begin at home perhaps we can help
others nationwide. It is a concept in which we should happily meditate about,
as focusing positive thoughts can move mountains.
By keeping this mechanism of your mind active you will begin
to find so many ways to use it to your advantage. Some people count to ten… not
me, nope too long. I think MIND SHIFT, and I have instant awareness and less
wrinkles.
Even if we are that one smiling happy calm person in the
storm we can actually make a difference. We can learn to move our anger, which
is absorbed, into everyone and everything we encounter and redirect it, finding
ways to create positive energy and harmony in our universe. We are all
connected – tune in and take control over the uncontrollable events and you
will be stepping toward a brighter future.
I have been given this MIND SHIFT information through the practice of meditation. To learn how you can meditate all on your own without any CDs for FREE please
click.
