It Starts With You

Today, I have a special workout for you that is designed to release stress and evoke a sense of self-acceptance and peace within you. When you treat yourself with kindness, the world will reflect that back. And if we are going to make any significant change, we must focus on love.

But first, I want you to talk about reclaiming a sense of power within yourself when things feel out of your control.

That is what today’s post and workout is all about.

My Way of Thinking Isn’t the Only Way

Here’s a story for you.

Back in June, I had the privilege of going to Israel with an incredible group of wellness entrepreneurs, funded by the amazing Schusterman Foundation.

We spent time on the Syrian/Israeli border and dove into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. We had the opportunity to hear facts about the events that have taken place there over hundreds of years, and we also heard personal stories of heartbreak from many different perspectives.

After one particularly emotionally charged day, we ended up on a hilltop near the Syrian border to watch the sunset.

Everyone was feeling the weight of humanity. We were feeling the sadness of lives unnecessarily lost.

Many of us were feeling overwhelmed by the idea of having such little control over any of it.

After being up there for a few minutes, a small subset of our group peeled off and formed a little singing circle.

The singing evolved and became joyful as more people joined in.

But some from the group did not think the singing was appropriate after what we had just experienced—including hearing gunshots coming from not too far away.

At first, I was one of those people.

Let me be totally candid with you, my friend.

I wanted them to stop singing.

The weight of my emotions was too much. The singing did not feel right. And the more they sang, the more irritated I became.

Why did they think this was an okay time to be celebratory? Why weren’t they taking the time to mourn like the rest of us?

At the root of my thinking was this: I am right. They are wrong. They are VERY wrong.

They should be acting and thinking the same way I am acting. They should be respectful. And because of that, in this moment, I am unwilling to accept their point of view.

Instead, I will see them as other, less than, and different.

However, as I let this linger on my mind, something very clear occurred to me.

I began to realize, “Oh my goodness. THIS is the problem. My way of thinking in this moment, is the exact same problem we experience on an individual and societal level.”

When we take on the perspective that our way of thinking, being and feeling is the ONLY way, we close the door on any sort of forward movement.  

Moving Into a Deeper Sense of Acceptance of Different Feelings

With this perspective, there is no room for negotiation, no room for growth and truly no room for change. We shut the door on the idea that perhaps there is, in fact, room for all of it.

I know, it’s hard to swallow.

You see, in this moment, there was no reason they couldn’t sing, while I could also have my more intimate moment. We could co-exist.

And while I realize this is not as easy as it sounds, if you are interested in making not only the world a better place, but also want to feel better yourself, I encourage you to open your mind to the idea that more than one feeling, idea or thought can co-exist within you and around you.

And the moment you allow for this, you will begin to open. When we are open, we have access to higher level thoughts and solutions.

While this applies on a societal and community level, I believe it also applies to us as individuals.

What happens when we are supposed to be excited but we also feel a sense of sadness at the same time?

What happens when a situation like loss arises, but somehow we also feel a sense of relief that perhaps something has finally come to an end?

Usually what happens is that we do everything in our power to SHUT. THOSE. FEELINGS. DOWN.

We don’t want them to see the light of day. And it is often the same way when someone from “the other side” starts to speak and we disagree. SHUT. THEM. DOWN. Do not tolerate it for a single second.

But as humans, we are not just one way.

And certainly as a society we are not just one way.

We have the capacity to hold and embody a variety of emotions and thoughts, some of which are in complete and utter contrast to others.

Isn’t that bizarre?

But I believe that by moving ourselves into a deeper sense of acceptance of our own varied feelings and emotions, we have the opportunity to extend that compassion and understanding to the world around us.

A Special Workout to Help Relieve Stress and Evoke a Sense of Self-Acceptance and Peace

The next time you notice yourself judging someone who does not believe what you believe, perhaps you can check in with yourself and ask yourself why this scares you. As an inquiry.

Ask yourself, “What am I most afraid of here.”

The same goes for when you are judging your own feelings and thoughts. Ask, “Why am I so uncomfortable with my own feelings? What about this scares me?”

They are great questions to simply begin a self-dialogue that hopefully promotes deeper understanding. Additionally, you can apply these same questions in a loving, gentle way to a person you might be having a conflict with. (Provided they are willing to have a dialogue.)

Don’t forget to download today’s workout.

Of course, when we can feel into our own bodies, we can feel more powerful in this moment.

As always, I really enjoy hearing from you. Do you allow different emotions to live inside of you? Do you allow others to feel what they are feeling? Is that challenging for you? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment over below.

Here’s to positive change and compassion for those we agree with—and those we don’t.