Breaking Free to Love What Is // Ep 2

Aug 16

Strengthening your skills to navigate and work with your own brain and emotions is absolutely crucial for the peaceful life. Doing so truly sets us free, liberating us from being a prisoner of our past and our fears.

In this episode I share a deceptively simple, deeply powerful & life-changing skill to set yourself free & experience peace TODAY.

Yes, that's right... no need to keep trudging through life, or wait for peace once you've finally healed yourself and/or overcome everything (eek!! That's a tough and impossible quest. Been there, done that. No thanks.)

Not only is this skill crazy-simple to learn and apply, it's also completely free.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "it's probably not worth much then."

But that's where you're wrong.

It's all too tempting to believe that the things that will really work are expensive and hard to achieve. We tell ourselves stories about how "if only we had more money, more time, more support, etc." then we'd finally be able to live the life we want and be our best selves.

Spoiler alert: that wouldn't work anyways.

As one of the great Masters alluded to about what actually brings us peace and makes life a lot lighter:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)

However, one of the biggest things often missing from western religious experience is actual skills to help us open up to the "lightness" and "easiness" of life.

Why do we need skills?

Because we all arrived here on Earth with these incredibly powerful tools -- like our brain and our body -- and largely have absolutely no idea how to use them. Any competency we have has come mostly from trial and error, as well as what others have told us along the way.

And to make matters even worse, all too often (because it can be pretty intense here) we even start thinking that we ARE our brains and our bodies.

...which just amps up the anxiety, stress & overwhelm even more.

... and makes us think we should do some really crazy, messed up things and shouldn't do some really beautiful, amazing things.

NOOOOOOOO!!!

Think this doesn't apply to you?

Well, let's just ask yourself a little question to see:

What would you be doing right now if you weren't afraid to fail?

... and why aren't you doing that right now? What's holding you back?

You can put the blame on everything and everyone around you, but ultimately, you won't get very far at changing your outer experiences unless you start pointing that finger back around at your own brain.

And YOU, the one who has been believing it.

Our buddy "Webster" defines a skill as:

The ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance
A learned power of doing something competently
A developed aptitude or ability

One of the most important and life-changing skills we can ever gain here on earth is knowing how to work with our own brains.

>> Enter the incredible work of Byron Katie <<

20+ years ago she wrote an incredible book called "Loving What Is" which outlines the very best framework I have ever seen for getting quickly out of pain and into seeing reality for what it really is.

If you've read or experienced her work before, take this as your love letter from the universe to revisit it.

If you've never heard of Byron Katie, get ready for your world to expand and for life to become more rich and beautiful than you could have ever imagined.

This isn't manifestation or anything else that you have to work towards over time. It's a simple process called "Inquiry" that gives you 4 questions to get out of the illusions that are making your life miserable and get to the Truth.

"Reality is always kinder than the stories we tell ourselves about it." - Byron Katie

Byron Katie's "Inquiry" process looks like asking yourself these 4 questions about any of your thoughts (especially the ones that freak you out or are disturbing your inner peace):

Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to question 3.)
Can you absolutely know that it’s true? (Yes or no.)
How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
Who or what would you be without the thought?

In this episode I share my experience with really building the skill of inquiry into my life over the past year and how it's absolutely transformed everything for the better. I also share real-life examples of what Inquiry can look like to show you how approachable and easy it is to build this life-changing skill.

Believing your thoughts and that you are your brain are surefire ways to stay stuck and in pain.

Simple skills/practices (like inquiry) can help us go “sane” and actually get to the heart of what is really True in our lives (which can dynamically transform how we do life and make decisions).

It really is possible to step out of fear & anxiety, no matter what’s going on in your outer life when you use skills like inquiry.

Still not sure?

Think of someone you're struggling with right now and dump all your angst and frustration into this "Judge Your Neighbor" Worksheet from Byron Katie. Let it all out. Don't hold back. Then, ask the 4 questions about everything you wrote down (following the steps at the bottom of the worksheet).

Can you feel some breathing room now?

Can you see things more clearly?

Is your heart more open now?

I thought so. :)

Learning the skill of "Inquiry" can do the heavy-lifting to transform everything in your life because it changes your experience with your life from being in resistance & staying stuck in old, familiar, unhealthy patterns to be open, adventurous and even joyful.

It's time for more of us to get out of our heads and into our lives.

Really hoping this episode of the In Flow + On Fire podcast helps you to recognize that the really big feelings you’re experiencing (or afraid to experience, like anxiety, stress, depression, apathy, overwhelm) are pointing you towards greater peace if you work with them instead of resisting them.

Also hoping that knowing you can turn on Byron Katie's books in the audio format (especially Loving What Is & A Thousand Names for Joy) any time you need some additional support will also give you some confidence and bring that bounce back to your step.

Cheering you on!! You've got this!

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Resources mentioned in this episode: