The > Life

 

"Why" is where the juicy stuff that lies underneath every little thing we do resides.  It's information and information is power.

"Why" has the power to direct us away from a < (less than) life toward a > (greater than) life.    

The > life is what I referred to in my last post as "abundant life."   

Let me be clear, abundant life doesn't mean a life devoid of pain, regret or whatever despairing event that has caused suffering.   Suffering plays a part in everyone's life to some degree.  Life does not fairly allocate hardships and resources. I've met plenty of people who have suffered greatly and lack resources from a worldly point of view but illuminate a > life.  On the flip side, I also know people who have amassed large amounts of material wealth and worldly success who report emptiness and unhappiness.  

You know why?

A > life is lived from the inside out.   External circumstances need not define our internal state.  Ancient wisdom says "from the heart, the mouth speaks."  What is inside will come out but what's outside need not come in.  

Living from the inside out requires a lingering trip inside.     

My yoga instructor, Megan Dunne, encourages us to go inside the pose to see how it feels from the inside, to identify where it hurts or feels stuck and send our intention and breath to those areas.  As we breathe, we relax and are able to sustain our pose and fall more deeply into it.  

Inside looking out, what do you see, feel, hear and taste in relation to your life?  

When you stumble upon areas  that feel < search for the "why" underneath the discomfort.  

Write down what feels <.

Why is this a part of your life?

Why do you believe it is a part of your life or why do you do it?

What would happen if you let it go or didn't do it?

Why would that be so bad?    

How would it feel to be free of it?

What is one step you can take to let it go?  

Many times we believe we must continue with the things in life that feel < and do not satisfy.  In reality we are afraid of the unknown.  What is known, albeit insufferable, feels safer than what we do not know so we become paralyzed.  If we can muster the courage to face the fears and unknowns, we move towards a > life.   

Carol Pearson in "The Hero Within" describes the "wasteland elements in life" as opportunities to take a journey of transformation where we become the heros in our personal stories based on our innate hero archetype.    It's hard to live a < life whilst conquering kingdoms!  

A > life is a life marked with permission not restriction.   Permission to move in the direction of your joy.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Koren Motekaitis]

Oh my Dana, I knew there was a reason why I felt the need to read your blog this morning and postpone my other things.

This was exactly where I was this morning "In reality we are afraid of the unknown. What is known, albeit insufferable, feels safer than what we do not know so we become paralyzed."

Knowing what to expect even if it is bad can somehow be reassuring versus not knowing what could be good or even that the possibilities are not yet known. Learning to live and experience and let go of the plan.