FEELING OUR WAY

It’s appealing to feel our way through life...to just “go for the feeling,” that is, spend our time, energy and resources attempting to create the external circumstances that will generate the internal feelings we desire. Frankly, most of us do just that--just about all the time! In fact, we’ve gotten so adept at it that we’re no longer even aware we’re doing it. It’s been our modus operandi for so long that now it’s become our default (unconscious) mode.

Heeding our feelings is important. Extremely so! It may actually keep us alive. (Think saber-toothed tiger.) But at any given moment, what’s informing our feelings? Our thoughts.

Try it. Think a scary thought. You’ll FEEL fear. Think a pleasant thought. You’ll FEEL happy. Get good news? FEEL good! Bad news? FEEL bad. Surprisingly, it just takes a nymph’s worth of news to do this. Also surprising, our feelings can shift 180 degrees with the ease of a summer breeze. Not surprisingly, we do this to ourselves. We’re at the controls.

There’s more. Some say feelings are fickle. Not so. They are as loyal as the day is long--to the thought that conceived them. Some say feelings are frail. Not so. Thought-inspired, they can be incredibly strong. (Ever fallen in love?!) But when we let our feelings lead, we’re basically at their beck and call. This is the emotional equivalent of playing Russian Roulette. Yikes.

But there’s another way.

We can LEAD OUR FEELINGS. That is, we can consciously choose what we want to feel--then build our day and our life around that feeling. Joy. Happiness. Courage. Contentment. Peacefulness. Empathy. Compassion. We can choose (consciously focus on) the feeling we desire and then build our day--and our life--around that feeling.

You already know all this. I’m just raising it up in your consciousness in case you’ve forgotten...because it’s hard to remember you came to drain the swamp when you’re up to your you know what in alligators.

Once again, please...please...please don’t take my word for it. Actually try it. Practice it. Retrain your brain. Start now--no matter which swamp you’re in or anticipating.

TODAY.

LET’S GIVE THE WORLD AND OURSELVES A GIFT.

LET’S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE THINK.