I was driving up to Big Sur a couple weeks ago listening to A Course in Miracles when I got struck over the head by one of the passages.
“Fear is always a sign of strain, arising whenever what you want conflicts with what you do.”
This strain comes up when you do something like eat a tub of ice cream when you want to lose 10-lbs. However the strain is also there if you really want the ice cream and don’t allow yourself to have it.
So what do you do? You can not have the ice cream and be happy about it or have the ice cream and be happy about it. It’s really not about the ice cream at all. It’s about being in alignment with what you want and how you act.
So how do you know which course of action to take? Simply pause when you are in the moment of choice and you want to hit snooze, or have that extra glass of wine, or don’t want to hit send, or pick up the phone and ask yourself,
“Is _____________ in alignment with what I want to create in my life? “
Taking this moment, prevents you from acting mindlessly. You have brought a consciousness into your decision making process that is impossible to ignore. You will more than likely get a clear answer. You are tuning into your knowing for a split second and that is powerful. To be transparent, I don’t always listen to my knowing. Sometimes my old habits and ways of thinking are stubborn. Sometimes I’m afraid of missing out. However, I’m clear about what happened. It’s interesting to take responsibility for your fear and anxiety and worry and to be able to tie it back to a decision that you made. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised. In doing this I would assume my higher self would be “strict” and “good” but it’s really not. It turns out I’m judging myself and my actions a lot more than I need to. In other words, my higher self is cool with getting up and going running and having the ice cream. It’s not as driven by rules and ideas as I thought. I’m new to this practice. But I like it. I like asking for help from my higher self. I like pausing and turning inward. I like the sureness that comes when I do listen. And I can see that the more I do it, the more peaceful I feel.
Ali you and I are in alignment! I love this practice.. Thank you so much for sharing… Love you!!