You Have What it Takes

Stress, fear, lashing out, pain - We have all had these outbursts. They leave us exhausted and, if we are honest with ourselves, feeling empty-handed and alone. But what do they really mean? Could these destructive experiences teach us something easily overlooked about who we are? Far from being isolated or unwanted, what gets us into this mess has been central to many religions and contemporary systems of psychology. We will unpack the driving forces that make us stress-packed creatures and reveal why being a raging machine that screeches in pain can prove highly valuable to our desire for transformation. SHOW NOTES: (01:30) - You are a controlled hallucination - We are dreamers who never start. Then why do we chase illusions?  (06:50) - Your are the creator - But the truth is that you are a creation of your own mind. Are you good at patching the different parts of yourself together into a coherent identity? (08:47) - Something bad will happen to you - Sometimes you experience pain no matter which way you turn. Why is that?  (12:00 - Are you hardwired for failure? - Even the biggest pain you have experienced has not managed to move you from the spot.  (17:00) - Mindfulness as a band aid doesn't work - We have all experienced the temporary relief of meditation. But we must keep in mind that transformation requires energy and power. (19:45) - What is your choice? - You have a choice in this mess, but you may be far from seeing the efficacy of a choice in the present time.  (25:55) - Immediate pain and stress relief - More often than not, you choose immediate pain and stress relief. That can involve you in significant illusions.  (29:20) - Be an infant - So do you really have a choice? Think of when you were an infant and took your first steps. Did you have a choice? (33:35) - It's fine to be a machine - We always manage to push through to the next steps, after all. But what you don't know, won't hurt you -  until it does.  (44:40) - Exercises on making better choices when you are overwhelmed. Take some time to reflect on how to release these immense cognitive burdens you have been laboring under. They have been placing massive rocks on your soul.  Accompanying voluntary reading: The Visionary Path, From Stress to Purpose: 9 Steps to a Happy Brain Depth of The Light: The Third in The Cave Sun Series