Petites Pensées Lundi: How Choosing to Be instead of Do Creates Space for Even More Solutions and Beautiful Outcomes
Monday November 25, 2024

Thank you for reading TSLL. The first two posts are complimentary. You have 1 free post view remaining this month.

Become a Member for as little as $4/mo and enjoy unlimited reading of TSLL blog.

The Setting:

  • Lieu: A sun-drenched sofa, with two tuckered pups napping on either side
  • Thé/drink: Palais de Thés’ Montaigne Bleue
  • Des Sons: BBC Sounds’ Sunday Morning program (app)

The sun can only shine fully and with its full intensity when the clouds part or disappear leaving the vast and wide blue sky to serve as the stage for which the sun can “perform”.

Our lives can only welcome a new idea, or a new approach, solution or connection, if we first, bravely, open up space on the stage of our life for the ‘new’ to appear. If we feel a persistent disquiet about something in our life, yet continue to chock our days full with not only oodles of plans and thus a bursting schedule, but also relationships and responsibilities of all stripes, not all of which enrich our lives, but which leave our wellbeing depleted and fraught, we are impeding the opportunities from crossing our paths and we seeing them and seizing them. If we don’t make space which arrives when we prioritize being, we will not discover what it is we say we wish to find. Our fear of letting go and being is the road block which means we have the choice, and it resides in our control to relinquish this fear.

As Andy Puddicombe shares in the quote above, especially when things in our life are unsettled, our impulse is to do something in order to fix it, but actually, it is often the impulsive doing, which is reactionary, that perpetuates our constant state of anxiety during a transition time that must happen in order for us to grow should we have the courage to do so (which I know can be extremely difficult as we aren’t guaranteed where we hope to arrive nor if what we hope will transpire actually will).

Instead, through exercising awareness (a skill learned through regular meditation), when we witness that we are taking up a new task because we are anxious about anything that isn’t as we would like, the first step is to pat ourselves on the back for noticing what we are doing and why we are doing it. In these instances, we are doing because we are uncomfortable with the way things are at the moment. And that last part is key to understanding – at this moment. This moment will not last forever. No moment does. We have to make space in our days and lives for the aha, for the opportunity to be observed, and that is why we first have to be in order to discover.

Once we start noticing our reflex to do more in moments of uncertainty, and in catching ourselves, let go and just be, magically, yes it is true, ideas you couldn’t find before, people you’ve never met before but who organically cross your path, and solutions that will seem but a dream but now become possible to achieve, start to arrive on the stage of your life, just as the sun arrives on a clear wind-swept sky – brilliant, majestic and inspiring growth in new and reason-to-cheer ways.

Premierecontentmentcourse

Tempimagekoe0sb

5 thoughts on “Petites Pensées Lundi: How Choosing to Be instead of Do Creates Space for Even More Solutions and Beautiful Outcomes

  1. This was timely and poignant, Shannon.
    Thank you.
    To “being” as well as a little “doing” this Thanksgiving week.
    Grateful, as ever, for your continued worthwhile content and heart, which accompanies the former.

    1. You are most welcome Jen, and thank you for your loving words. Happy to know this post offered what you found applicable to this week full of a myriad of out of the ordinary moments, meetings and feelings. 😌💛 Take care.

  2. I believe this is one of the most important gifts you can give to yourself, understanding this. I did a few years ago and it has changed my life. But I have to remind myself, it is not automatic. The contentment class is a great way to develop this and many other skills. I’m 37% through now and it is so well done, I look forward to each session 😊

    1. Martina,

      Thank you very much for sharing your experience with making space and being still instead of doing to fill an uncomfortable lull in the life journey. Also, so heartened by your experience thus far through the Contentment Masterclass. Thank you very much for sharing. 😌

  3. I needed to read this today. I find myself in an unwanted situation, one that is affecting me emotionally.. and my instinct is to try everything I can to fix it. But it is not one that I can fix myself. It is out of my hands.
    I need to accept it is out of my control and let go. Move through may days being, and see how things develop.
    Thank you for reminding me of this truth, as hard ad it can be to accept things we aren’t happy about!
    Sarah

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

From TSLL Archives
Updated British Week 1.jpg
Updated French Week 2.jpg