There is a common thought, that you are born and you must comply with what all grown ups want. You must enter an institution called school and comply with rules, regulations and regurgitate all the information that they feed you. You must enter the institution of employment and comply with rules, regulations and perform an act of some kind. This with moderate time for yourself, your family or your own creativity. I suppose if you look at it like a well oiled machine it would work for the people running the show. You were not born to do anything that you don’t want to do. You can do, be or have anything that you wish. For the most part life is not so bad. There is great satisfaction in parts of the above. Graduating from school or learning something that you didn’t know before brings great satisfaction, as does having an interesting job or career.
The part that doesn’t work well is that some people think once they get into a cycle of work, home, sleep, stuck in a rut or day cycles that have their head spinning, that there is no way out. There are simple ways to change the cycle that you are in if you don’t want to be caught up in it. I am not telling you to become radical, give your children away or quit your job. What I am telling you is that there are ways to change the experiences you are having. Living a life that feels like you’re living the same day over and over again is not reasonable. This is especially true if you don’t like the day that’s repeating and it moves by so quickly that you feel exhausted, or so slowly you think it will never end. It isn’t what you were born to do and I do hope that resonates with you. If you do want things to stop repeating you have to pay attention to the items.
When I speak about items I am speaking about things, situations and people that you care about. For instance: your family, your job or career, your health and things of that nature. Items can also be specific people or things such as a car, house and things of that nature. I am simplifying here. The point I want you to get is that if it causes you no emotion to think about then it is of no consequence and is not an item.
What to do
Change your story. Turn the repeating pattern of your day into a different pattern.
How to do it
1) Changing the story isn’t a difficult task so I don’t want you putting effort into it. Just do it when you feel like it and let emotional momentum carry it forward. Think of your life the way you would like it to be. Write it down or think of it in the form of a daydream. Make it real by feeling it, smelling the smells, taste the tastes. Whenever possible introduce your imaginary or real senses. Feel the emotions that you would feel if you actually lived that life as you imagine it. What this does is define and allow the new probability thread to gain momentum.
2) Meditate. I don’t like the word but simply put it means focus on just one thing. A sight a sound, something that is rhythmic and neutral is best. The sound of a fan, motor or your own breath. A flickering candle or your hand on your heart to feel your heart beat. I listen to the inside of my head but others prefer other focuses. I won’t tell you how long to focus for because asking you to do it longer than you are comfortable with isn’t helpful. Practice it and it will become easier.
Focus on one thing and if your thoughts stray off of that one thing pull your focus back on its original target. While you are successfully meditating you may feel as though you are floating or some other sensation. Allow this to happen but be easy about it. Don’t force anything. Just relax and sit with the intent of focusing on one object and clearing your mind. What meditation does is stop the momentum of unwanted thoughts. Sleep is also good for this.
Meditate every day in the morning when you wake and in the evening after you wind down from your day. Don’t make it too late or when you are tired as you may just fall asleep.
3) Follow your impulses. Don’t let others dissuade you. Strong impulses are “you” talking to you and should not be ignored. After meditating a stream from your inner being will send clear impulses to you.
4) Minimize unwanted thoughts to a few seconds or less. Oust them immediately if you have that ability. If you have thoughts that won’t leave you alone tell yourself you can think about it later if you want and push them aside. Do this every time the thought returns. The frequency with which it returns will be less and less. It helps to have a go to thought when unwanted thoughts are a relatively bothersome thing. For instance tell yourself if that thought I don’t want to think about comes back I will immediately think of the word “lilacs”. You can choose any word that appeals to you. When you choose a word, think it whenever the invading thought comes by. Say “lilacs. I love to smell them in the spring. I think everyone should have them in their garden.” Keep going on about the subject you have chosen. Do this until the invading thought is gone and a more pleasing thought comes along. As an alternative count from one to twenty slowly and then focus entirely on what you are doing in that moment. Minimizing unwanted thoughts will allow better feeling thoughts to become more dominant. In turn paving a way for your new story.
If you don’t know what you want your new story to look like then omit number one and follow the rest. You don’t have to know what you want, your inner being knows, so let that information out. Meditate, limit unwanted thoughts and follow your impulses. If you have questions please use the questions button on the home page. I chose the picture representing the movie groundhog day because it best represents the type of feeling that I am talking about. One day that appears to stay the same and repeats.