Noticing, Allowing, Shifting

Woke up today with a real sense of restlessness.  Four hours later, and I’m still in that space.  Have tried to channel it a bit — clearing, purging, following up — essentially doing tasks that I tell myself need to be done, and that once done will alleviate the jittery feeling in my stomach.  And yet, the restlessness continues. So, what to do?

My sense is that, from a leadership perspective, restlessness is a signal of some sort.  What it’s signaling I have yet to figure out.  Is there something I’m forgetting?  Is there something needing my attention?  Am I sensing something in the energy “out there” that I just haven’t yet been able to name?  Or is it simply a signal to take a break and get out of my head?  I’m really not sure.  Each of these possibilities has resonance to some degree or another.  And given this uncertainty, it would be really easy for me to “get stuck” today — and stay stuck.  But I’m determined to not get stuck.  I’m determined to stay in the flow, the flow that has been so much a part of my experience of the last few days.

Now here’s an interesting realization; lines up with a “stick  flowing in the river” metaphor.  As I picture this stick, I envision it getting stuck along it’s route, likely between two rocks or something of the sort.  Being determined to stay in the flow, doesn’t actually serve it in getting unstuck.  “Stuck” is a real part of it’s journey.  So maybe, rather than trying to get unstuck, there’s something to be said for me in allowing the stuckness/restlessness as simply part of the flow, rather than contrary to it.  Maybe that’s what will ultimately shift the restlessness — allowing, rather than resisting.

That’s where I’m at in this moment.  Going to go allow the restlessness, even as I know my objective is flow.  It’s all part of the deal.  Moving with and through the restlessness is bound to take me forward.  time to stop resisting and judging, and start allowing and shifting — and ultimately leading.  This is good.

Allowing the Emotions to Flow

The human condition is characterized by a spectrum of emotions.  Everything from anger and sadness to joy and exhilaration can be experienced by one and all, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.  When it comes right down to it, your ability to feel all of these emotions is what distinguishes you from other living creatures.

This ability, however, is often seen as a bit of a curse.  While humans can, in fact, experience any and all of these emotions, the tendency is to only allow a few of these to be okay.  Generally speaking, people are more inclined to allow feelings such as joy, excitement, happiness and love, while trying to avoid or stifle emotions such as sadness, fear and anger.  Why is that?

Well, one reason is obvious…the feelings that arise with sadness, fear and anger are less pleasurable than feelings of happiness, joy and love.  Given the choice most people would naturally lean towards the joyful end of the emotions-continuum than the sadness end.  The challenge, however, when you only allow one end of the spectrum is that you actually start to deaden yourself to life as a whole.  There’s a way in which, denying the feeling of any one emotion lessens your ability to truly feel other emotions.

To paraphrase Deepak Chopra, life is an experience in contrasts.  If you truly want to feel happiness — and appreciate it — then you’ve got to be willing to feel sadness — and appreciate it.  Now admittedly, trying to appreciate sadness or anger or fear can be challenging.  Sometimes, when feelings such as these get overwhelming, it can be difficult to determine what to do with the emotion.  You need to take care not to let it cloud your judgment and move you to make harmful choices.  That being said, when you can allow yourself to simply be with the sadness, to feel the anger or fear, more often than not, it will dissipate and naturally give way to more pleasant feelings.  In other words, allowing the emotions to flow — whatever those emotions are — can actually move you to genuine happiness, joy and excitement quicker than trying to stifle them ever will.

The bottom-line is this:  despite our social conditioning to deny certain emotions in favour of other ones, it actually serves our experience best when we can embrace it all.  There actually is room for it all.  And all emotions serve, when you allow them to flow and be without judgment.

Staying the Course

You know, in these “tough economic times” (in quotes because I’m not completely convinced that they are all that tough!) it can be really easy to turn tail and run.  Heck, even when times aren’t tough it can be easy to turn tail and run.  I know from my own experience that sometimes it just feels like it’s time to stop chasing the dream, whatever it may be.  Believe me, I get it.

And here’s the other thing I get: while stopping the chase may be what’s actually needed, letting go of the dream altogether often isn’t.  Henry David Thoreau (at least I think it was him) said “we are not given a dream without also being given the capacity to make it come true.”  And Nathaniel Hawthorne talked about the wisdom of allowing happiness to catch up with you, rather than chasing it endlessly.  When I put these two ideas together, what I realize is that sometimes life is about waiting and allowing, more than it is about chasing and pursuing.  And indeed, my own life echoes this idea.  Sometimes, when I just sit still for a minute, the thing I’m chasing actually comes to me, seemingly effortlessly.

Bottom-line:  no matter what’s going on, even if you feel like you’ve gotta stop running for a bit, stay the course nonetheless.  Keep your eye on the ball, and know that sometimes the ball just comes to you.  It really can be that simple.  Them’s my thoughts.