Compass Bearings

Inner Compass's

bi-monthly on line personal development magazine

• The main article: How to end suffering
  
• Stuff that works: Free articles, The Organising Place
  
• Inner Compass Updates: LOA for Coaches
  
• Featured Links: www.thework.com
  
• Laser Thoughts

It always astonishes me how perspective can shift immediately when confronted with the planet’s natural grandeur. The bush is grounding and expansive at the same time: it knocks you out of your own little bubble of concerns and immerses you in the wide grand marvel that is the universe. We are at once a tiny fragment and part of the immense wholeness of the universe. Cool.

It’s been a series of these kinds of moments this week. Life is both eternal and fleeting, and this week I share my wish for the world: to end suffering.  

Thanks for letting me share with you.

Mountain path

The main article: How to end suffering

Last week Justice Terry Connolly, a prominent Canberra judge, passed away from a heart attack on a morning bike ride up Red Hill. He was 49. He left behind two teenage daughters and a grieving wife.

When someone dies young it causes us to stop in our tracks and wonder. Did he do everything he wanted to do in his life? Did he die happy? And then thoughts turn to our own life: if I were to check out tomorrow, would I be happy with my life? Would there be any regrets?

These kinds of events, death and illness, are a call to savour precious moments. They remind us we never know how much time we have left on the planet. All we have is the moment we’re in. And this is the secret to happiness: it is the mind that makes that moment a heaven or a prison.

When I start working with a new client they sometimes feel imprisoned by circumstances. They want to change the job, the relationship, or the neighbour’s barking dog. They soon discover however, none of these are the real cause of suffering; it is their thoughts about the job, the relationship, or the dog that cause the suffering.

This is good news. You can’t change anything or anyone else, but you can change how you think and feel.

This is the tricky part: how do you change a belief that you’ve held close for so long? Some people are so attached to their beliefs that they wear them like a badge of honour. They display them proudly, a raison d’etre. Take for example, an angry young man I met recently. We’ll call him Doug for fun.

Doug told me, “All business owners are thieving bastards.” He said a great many other things about the state of the economy, the rich getting richer, the unfairness of workplace legislation, and so on. He was really worked up about it: red-faced, gesticulating, and grimaces. When I suggested that if he changed his focus and challenged this belief about nasty business people that he might have a different experience, he looked horrified. “But it’s the truth!” he said.

Yes, it is. But it’s his truth, not mine. I don’t believe that business owners are out to screw the punters and wring them for all their worth; I believe that business people intend to offer products and services of value to their customer, that they care about the quality of their work, and generally want to help people get what they need. As a result, my interactions with business people are delightful, engaging, and supportive, while Doug’s are full of complaints, disappointments, and getting ripped off.

Doug would not question his beliefs about business because this would mean challenging his own sense of purpose. With no corruption to denounce, what would he do with himself? Well, he could enjoy his life a little more for one. He could create something positive to share with the world that brings joy instead of anger. However Doug could not yet see there could be purpose in peace instead of suffering.

And if it was Doug who pushed himself up that hill on his bike and fell to the ground, would he be happy with his life? Could he look back with gratitude, peace, and fulfilment?

When I put myself in that position, roadside and looking at the end, I want to feel that I enjoyed every second, that I loved myself, I loved my life, I cherished each day as a special gift. I don’t want to lie there thinking, “I wasted all that time feeling miserable about that darn dog.”

There’s only one way to free myself from regret: forgive myself of any past anger, resentment, and fears and end the suffering. I choose thoughts and beliefs that feel good, and guess what? They bring experiences that also feel good. What I sow, I reap.

Please, don’t let yourself suffer for one moment longer. Challenge the beliefs that cause anger and sadness, and choose new ones that bring joy and freedom. Life is all too short: let yours be sweet.

Stuff that works

Free articles

Did you know that there are over 150 free articles on the Inner Compass website and the Law of Attraction for Inspired Living blog? This is a quick way to change your thoughts and beliefs – immerse yourself in the feel-good stuff.

iFILE it™ -The Web Based Records Management Solution For Your Business

The latest product from superstar Amanda Sarden of the Organising Place. Do you have trouble finding your paper based files? Do you want to save time, space and money? Would you like to streamline your records management system? iFILE it™ is an exciting new web based filing cabinet designed to organise, track and manage your paper based files instantly! Whether you are a one person business or a large company, iFILE it™ will identify the precise location of any document, quickly and most importantly when you need it. If you are tired of trying to locate the paper documents you know are located in your conventional filing cabinets you will love iFILE it.™ To find out more visit http://www.organisingplace.com.au/op014.nsf/pages/ifileit

Inner Compass Updates

LOA for Coaches

Featured Links

This is Katie Byron’s website that features some sample videos where you can watch her in action live with clients. Katie’s methodology to change beliefs is simple and powerful. It consists of four questions that challenge the thoughts you believe as truth, leading to a turnaround in thinking (and therefore in how you feel and behave in your life). It is terrific stuff and I’ve used it on myself and with clients with powerful results.

Laser Thoughts

“Life is something that everyone should try at least once.” - Henry J. Tillman

“I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may - light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful.” - John Constable (1776 - 1837)

“We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.” - H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946)

“Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you”. - Wally 'Famous' Amos (1936 - )

“If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” - Meister Eckhart

 Thanks for reading!

Photo by Rob