by Murray Oxman from How to Tune Up Your Life
Here is a Great tool to keep you on the upward path. The world has so so many distractions. People have lost their ‘sensing’ that they should be climbing and not settling into the same boring existence by believing they have a dream life when in reality it’s a nightmare. There is a way out.
Tool 3–Hold to the Straight Line
The quickest way between two points is a straight line. We all agree on that. The problem is, that it is so easy to believe you’re going in a straight line, and actually be going in a circle. In fact, most of us have had the sensing that our life just keeps repeating itself. It does until we see what we need to see to prove it to ourselves. Then things start to change.
Here’s your tool: In everything you do make it your aim to go in a straight line. To have the aim is extremely important, because to go in a straight line one must first notice when he doesn’t. Remember–catching yourself failing is success! The further you go with these tools the better you’ll understand the importance of catching yourself failing.
Examples: You decide early in the day that you want to make yourself a big salad for dinner. Later in the day the thought comes to you that tacos would taste a lot better for dinner. Stick with your original plan for salad. Or maybe you’re home, cleaning the place up a bit (you’ve been putting it off for days) and the phone rings. It’s a friend inviting you out for a fun time. Say no, tactfully, without explaining yourself and go back to your cleaning.
Stick with this tool for it holds thousands of magical insights. By the way, the rewards of all the exercises will never be what you expect. At first they don’t seem to be rewards at all. Then, once again, the Light surely dawns and one sees everything anew.
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Inner Life Exercise
~Vernon Howard
Think Wider
“If we say, ‘There is a vastness to life which is unseen at present,’ we are stating a fact. It may not be our experience as yet, but it is still a fact which nothing can destroy. So we are in a good position. From this position we can begin to see life in a different way, the way of non-division, of wholeness. We can begin seeing the entire ocean instead of individual waves. What are some of these waves? Obsessive ambition; finding false comfort in crowds; demanding respect; pretending to know. Individual waves cannot support a ship. But the smooth and entire ocean easily does so.”
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‘Stick with this tool for it holds thousands of magical insights.’ When you realize that the sky is the limit (No limits) then a whole different feeling directs your day and you don’t get stuck on big or small things anymore. Simply, Its’ better to be happy than sad. Catching yourself being sad is actually a rope that helps you see the mistake you have made and pulls you to a safer place inside. No event or person is doing anything to you. Your wrong thinking is the problem which you can change by seeing clearly what has happened.
Today I’m setting a small aim of getting to work 1 hour early. It will be interesting to watch all the distractions tempting me to go about this in my usual way, like rushing and not allowing myself to have plenty of extra time so I can be relaxed as I start my day. It’s impossible to see how mechanical we are unless we set aims , because knowledge of this is not enough. We must have a direct experience to understand for ourselves.
Slow Down…Slow Down… Slow Down. Pain reactions hide in the ‘rush mode.’
Update! I failed to get to work 1 hour early. That is actually good news. To catch yourself failing is success!
This simple sounding tool exposes a lot! All I have to do is make a to-do list and try to stick to it.
How many days do I continue listing the same items over and over again. Why? The person who made the list gets taken over by someone else who has other plans. So when making a list, watching myself from moment to moment is the perfect solution to actually getting things done. Then, if I’m watching, maybe I catch the thoughts, “It’s too hot to mow the lawn. I can do it tomorrow.” That’s an opportunity to go against those thoughts and stick with my list. I always feel better when I do.