It’s so easy to throw up our hands and walk away when we feel stressed or overwhelmed—turning to the nearest “Rescuer” (TV, a drink, sex) to numb ourselves from the pain of holding the tension.
As you know, that’s not a good idea.
We’ve gotta remember to put ourselves into Creator-mode, ask ourselves: “What do I want?” and then figure out what the next thing is that we need to do.
I love the way Byron Katie describes it (see Notes on Loving What Is). She calls it “Doing the dishes.” :)
She says: “What I call ‘doing the dishes’ is the practice of loving the task in front of you. Your inner voice guides you all day long to do simple things such as brush your teeth, drive to work, call your friend, or do the dishes. Even though it’s just another story, it’s a very short story, and when you follow the direction of the voice, the story ends. We are really alive when we live as simply as that—open, waiting, trusting, and loving to do what appears in front of us now… What we need to do unfolds before us, always—doing the dishes, paying the bills, picking up the children’s socks, brushing our teeth. We never receive more than we can handle, and there is always just one thing to do. Whether you have ten dollars or ten million dollars, life never gets more difficult than that.”
Brilliant.
The fact is we pretty much always know what we need to do next. The problem is that we often ignore that inner guidance system.
As Katie says: “When a thought appears such as ‘Do the dishes’ and you don’t do them, notice how an internal war breaks out… The stress and weariness you feel are really mental combat fatigue.”
So, what’s your next baby step?
… And, as you start rockin’ those baby steps, remember: “Some of the steps you take may end up being detours or out-and-out mistakes. By staying focused on your vision, though, you’ll find even those steps useful in the creating process.”