Shake Yourself Loose

    Here's a simple but very interesting phrase I've often used to move me off dead center and into a new direction:



                                 If you keep doing what you always do, 
                        you're going to get what you always get.



You really have to smile at its simplicity but it's filled with THE STARK REALITY of the results we get from continuing on a path that has NOT brought us peace or happiness.  

Recently, I decided to take out this little gem, dust it off and give it a whirl.  And the place I chose to use it was the very human preoccupation of JUDGING MYSELF.


I have oftentimes read and heard about the folly of going down this path...but the practice is so EASY to slip into.  It feels as if someone has to punish us when we feel we have screwed up and somehow we elect ourselves for the job.  And so there have usually been years of practice creating and reinforcing this type of default behavior.


I was definitely clear about how demoralizing it felt  to beat myself up about a choice I have made.  This I knew from having experienced it often but what I didn't know was HOW MUCH ENERGY this behavior was draining from me.


I finally realized  that my spirit was weeping from all of this judgment...it was GIVING UP VITALITY FROM ITS LIFE FORCE...and for what?  No good was coming from subjecting myself to criticism and condemnation.


But it was VERY, VERY difficult to give up this practice. 

Finally, I was able to give it a try because I considered it an EXPERIMENT.  On some level, I still wanted to say "bad girl" and punish myself, but I chose to override the Impulse and this was the beginning of the transformation.  I consciously chose a better path even though it felt so difficult.


And, when I put this new resolution into practice, I was astounded to see HOW MUCH ENERGY I WAS FREEING UP...

Strong, Powerful, Vital Energy...energy my Higher Self began to take and use in my best interest, helping me actually do things I had aspired to but had not yet been able to accomplish.

And, best of all, (to my surprise) this made change...transformation...easy, almost effortless.


So what have I learned from this process?

I learned that compassion (in this case for myself) is what is needed to help us navigate life...NOT criticism.

I learned that I can override old default behavior by conscious choice.  I do not have to be a victim of my old experiences.  And, as Ilanya Vanzant, spiritual life counselor,  says, "Every new choice we make overrides every other choice we have already made.

I also learned the fun (and unimagined success) of experimenting with doing something in a new (if unfamiliar) way.


And so my message to you is to SHAKE YOURSELF LOOSE from old behavior that you feel is not serving you well. 

Try an EXPERIMENT...even if you have to drag yourself kicking and screaming to the starting line.  

Your Higher Self will be elated at your commitment and tenacity and will use the freed up energy to move you forward in your evolution.  

You are sure to be surprised at how your life will naturally transform itself and happiness will follow!



image from vivianinjapan.blogspot.com