Worry Myths
Choose Wonder Over Worry by Amber Rae
As we turn toward our voices of fear, shame, envy, imposter syndrome, comparison, and perfectionism, we’re moving in the direction of joy, beauty, magic, flow, love and wonder. As we peel back the layers of our conditioning to connect with our truest truth, there are the three C’s – Courage, Curiosity, and Compassion – who are here to be our guides. I like to think of them as Wonder’s sidekicks.
The Three C’s To See Yourself More Clearly
- Courage – Discomfort is a call to be courageous. Courage is not the absence of discomfort; courage requires discomfort. Courage walks hand-in-hand with discomfort as we unravel our worry myths to discover who we truly are. Courage says, “This is messy. This is scary. I kind of don’t want to go there. But I’m going to go there anyway. I know it’ll make me more me.”
- Curiosity – Curiosity is the art of noticing that we’re feeling something – we’re triggered, our emotional world is on fire, our body feels tense and tight, something is off-centered – and then wondering how those feelings are connected to a belief or thought. Curiosity says, “What were you thinking about when you felt that? What story were you telling yourself? What was the trigger? Where does that belief come from?”
- Compassion – Diving into the patterns that stifle us can feel uneasy at first. This when self-compassion is key. Compassion say, “You are human. You are loved. I’m here for you – no matter what.” We are all a product of generations of deep-seated stories, and w’re all doing the best we know how based on our own level of awareness. Compassion reminds us to cultivate empathy for ourselves and others because we’re all navigating our own damaging patterns of unworthiness, shame, guilt, resentment, and pain.
With Courage, curiosity, and compassion by your side, every moment becomes an opportunity to see yourself more clearly. An invitation to step into the wholeness of who you are.
Aging
Living in the Now by Gina Lake
Aging is one of the things the ego rails against because, to the ego, aging means loss – loss of beauty, strength, energy, and abilities. The ego doesn’t see what is gained by aging, which is much more valuable than any of those other things. What is gained is wisdom, patience, understanding, compassion, and love. Isn’t that like the ego to see only one side of things?
You might argue that not everyone becomes more wise, loving, and patient as they age. That would be true, at least perhaps in a particular lifetime. But as we evolve over many lifetimes, we do become wiser and more loving, and aging is one of the ways that happens. As we lose the things ego loves, it is humbled, and the suffering motivates us to find other ways to be happy. When we get older, we need to discover how to be happy even when the ego doesn’t have what it wants, and that’s the great lesson of life!
Aging is relative, of course. Eighty year olds refer to sixty year-olds as young, and they are, fro that perspective. Aging is a matter of perspective, a matter of what we compare ourselves with. Most people suffer over aging because they compare themselves with their former, more more youthful self, which they will never be again. Whatif you compared yourself, instead, to your future self? Then the self that you are now comes out looking pretty good! One simple way to overcoming the ego’s suffering over aging is just to realize that you are as young right now as you will ever be! What a blessing.
Why waste time and energy – life – bemoaning the fact that you aren’t what you were? The ego loves to do that. It loves to create problems,
Aging is the universal challenge: No one who lives long escapes it. As a result, a lot of wisdom about aging exists to draw upon. Unfortunately, some people never let go of their ego’s perspective, and they suffer all the way to death.
Those who suffer over aging usually spend a great deal of time and energy looking in the mirror, thinking about aging, and trying to do something about it.
What we put our attention on becomes our reality. Giving our looks and the aging process a lot of attention creates a particular experience of life, one that has considerable suffering, since going to battle with aging is a losing battle.
Whenever you focus on the me, you suffer. It’s a simple as that. Aging can be an opportunity to finally give up that focus and give your attention to something more fulfilling. Focusing on the me is a stage of life. As we mature, we realize what makes for real happiness. That is the gift of aging, and it’s the most precious realization. Then, aging stops mattering. You see that you never were the me that worried so much about what you looked like anyway. That was just your ego. What a wonderful discover! Then you are free to just live, without having to cater to the me anymore.
Positive Balancing Thoughts
Worrying won’t stop the bad stuff from happening it just stops your from enjoying the good.
Don’t think too much. You’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.
99% of things you worry about never happen.
The greatest prison people live in, is the fear of what other people think.
Aging is an attitude
I’m aging like fine wine. I’m getting complex and fruity
“I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don’t have to.”
“My favorite age is now.”
Never let your fear decide your future.
