Life in the Balance …

Have you ever noticed how most of us have a tendency to wait for an adverse situation to happen or wait for a new a year, before we make self-change a priority in our life?…  Nevertheless, lets start 2011 with giving ourselves honest time for reflection… How did I do last year, what do I truly want to change this year, and how do I consistently live a life of equanimity?… These are just some questions we can ask ourselves.

It is a wonder that as humans we have an ability to make such change. However many don’t understand this to be a choice and so struggle against, rather than flow with change. In adversity there is always benefit. We can choose to see these opportunities and recognize our responsibility to act on them, or we can bury our heads in the mud and say … why wasn’t I told? It isn’t fair! … Life is short, we can not wait for others to point the way, we are all responsible to stand in our own Power and be true to our own value.

If I receive praise one minute and defamation in the next, what will my stage be like? If I swing from positive to negative in one second, how do I remain balanced? How do I stop my stage from fluctuating when I rely on others to validate me?

Balance starts with self awareness. When I don’t pay attention to my own attitude, I will only see the weaknesses in others, feeding my own carelessness and confirming how I actually see the world. When I pay attention to my own thoughts, words and actions – checking and changing them frequently, I will notice the beauty of others more readily and cooperation is guaranteed.  When I show such love and care for myself first, I will not be pulled by the negativity of others and I remain stable – even in chaos. No matter what is happening in the world, I am in control of my senses, preventing me from fluctuating.

Look at how nature is fluctuating, trying to balance herself out. I see this as a mirror of the chaos that reigns within many one of us – when we step off our royal stage of elevated and loving thoughts and step into the mud, our clear thinking becomes soggy. When we step of our stage into the mud, our perceptive window becomes dirty – our thoughts become ‘muddled’ and control is lost – just as nature cannot control herself any longer. We compromise our ability to make rational decisions and clear choices are abandoned.

Due to all the rains and floods in Queensland, we have been evacuated to higher ground and will be here for a few more days, as the rain keeps falling. I can become afraid, angry and panic or I can see the benefit of being on higher ground. I can use this time to meditate, remain calm and send good wishes to those facing extreme adversity.

Remaining vigilant on your own thought processes is the easiest, most effective way to remain calm and balanced in your life. Checking and changing your attitude from negative to positive whenever necessary is the best charity you can give to the world at present. There is so much fear and chaos experienced – nature is just one example. A silent, peaceful mind can calm even the most panic-stricken.

It takes effort to ‘be’ calm as we are so conditioned to ‘do’ something … yet ‘doing’ is not always the best thing.  Our responsibility to the State Emergency Services (who are doing an amazing job at present) would be for us to remain on higher ground rather than to drive onto dangerous roads to ‘help’ – we may just be another one they need to rescue.

Thoughts are energy wanting to burst into expression, so check yourself – every day, every hour, every minute – am I contributing to the chaos in the world, or am I ‘doing’ my part of bringing the change that is so desperately needed through changing my mind?  Balance is needed and it starts with ME …

Be smart and safe and may you experience balanced happiness and health in 2011.

Question: Do you experience fluctuation in your life?

Contemplation: Why do you think you swing from one extreme to another?

Activity:  Until the end of January, practice throughout your day to apply a brake, no matter what you are doing. Stop for just one minute – check your thoughts and attitude – if it needs changing, do so immediately (don’t find reasons). Just be grateful for the opportunity to recognize and change it. This helps delete outdated limiting habits and helps create new healthy behavior.  Start by setting an alarm on your phone every hour to remind you to stop … so please give yourself permission … STOP, BREATHE & BECOME PRESENT

Annemarie 🙂