The Simplicity of Life

As human beings, we tend to complicate life. If we take a few moments to look around us and see what kind of world we have created for ourselves, it might be enough for us to want to make some changes… How do you want to live? How do you want to feel?

I want to live a peaceful and simple life. I want to be able to let go of fears and worries, for I know that they are often of my own making. I have complicated my life and I have been spending the last few years untangling my webs. It feels good. I feel light, free, loved, and inspired.

There are many books and workshops and websites aimed at teaching you how to simplify your life. I am sure that they are all filled with great advice. What we sometimes need however, is the will to go there, to look inside rather than at what everyone else is doing. We are the master of our own life and we can be happier living a much simplified life.

What worries you? Why do you feel anxious? Perhaps you need to say things that you have been keeping inside. Maybe you need to let go of certain ideas, or of the past, in order to embrace your life now. As my Teacher once said, “you have never lived this moment, this situation before: enjoy it”. Enjoy the moment, even if it is a painful one, as you may realize that it is not this moment you are longing for, but a moment in the past. Once you realize that the complexity of the situation you are living now is of your own making, you also have the power to stop it, to simplify your life.

And so, take a moment here to breathe. Accept that life may be sending you messages, things and situations you should now face. Understand that until you do so, these situations will always returned, disguised as something or someone new. It takes great courage to step up to the plate, to do what you have to do, but only you can. Choose to shed these layers of burden and dig down to find your power, your inner fire. Enjoy life, be happy. Namaste.

Worry bead

I worry a lot, not all the time, but a lot! I don’t worry much about myself or such things as what other people think of me, but I often worry about my friends and family. Granted, I worry about certain things in my life too, but usually not for very long or not to the same extent.

When a friend is sad, I wonder if she’ll be ok and I worry about what I could do or how I could help, wishing that I could be there for her. When my friends and family travel, I worry that something might happen and that I won’t be able to do anything about it. I worry about insulting or hurting people and I worry about being taken the wrong way. I even feel concerned when people I don’t even know are fighting!

I tend to feel other people’s emotions very strongly and this empathy has often made me vulnerable to negativity. Perhaps I care too much; is there such a thing? I’ve learned to control it somewhat, by not allowing it to affect me and by focusing on Ajna, but when it comes to loved ones, it is so very hard!

On one hand, I see this as a flaw because I understand it as wanting control over the situation. On the other hand, perhaps as the eldest of three, I feel it is my duty to protect. What I find most difficult about it though is when people perceive my concern as a lack of confidence in their abilities, which is not the case but which I can totally understand. Then again, worrying about people’s well-being is what fuels my compassion in the work that I do…

But what is truly important, is that when I worry about others or myself, it means that I have fear about something that may or may not happen (mostly the case!), which in fact means that I am not living my life now. As I believe that happiness is found in enjoying every moment life offers, worrying drives me away from this goal. I am working to find the fine balance between worrying for actual things I should worry about and not worry about the rest. It is a constant battle against myself, one side arguing “but I care”, whilst the other side recognizing the Ego’s work.

Only by acknowledging my True Self can I be freed from it. I am a worry bead trying to break free from the chain.