The next step is always up to you! A Warm Invitation
Originally published February 6, 2017
Well, 2017 is shaping up in ways that none of us expected and have ever experienced. As surprising national and global upheavals continue, we are all being challenged to stay present, centered and focused on the priorities in our lives.
Over the years of doing this work, I’ve heard repeatedly from great teachers that the world we see is simply a reflection of what we believe, and is always reflecting parts of ourselves back to us, including things we dislike and would prefer to avoid. I’ve learned that if we truly want to change our life experience, we must begin with an honest and unflinching self-assessment. Real change begins when we earnestly commit to “tearing down the house that fear built” and are willing to grow beyond the programming and conditioning we inherited.
It’s one thing to read that in a book and to entertain it as a concept. It’s another to consider it more seriously when life is suddenly full of uncertainty and the unexpected, as many of us are experiencing right now! If, as I’ve often seen, “the darkest hour is just before the dawn,” then a bright new day will be arriving soon!
Since you’re reading this, it’s likely you’ve already begun doing some self awareness and introspective work, and yet remain frustrated by seeing yourself avoiding, compromising and negotiating around the discomfort that is often a part of growing up. The process of getting real and discovering what lies beyond the stories that have defined and indeed created your life experience can be daunting – but it can be done. Eventually, we all must come to the sobering realization that the only way out is to go in and through the “false evidence appearing real” that has run our lives.
We come to know that growing up means moving beyond our concepts of who we think we are and what we learned to believe about ourselves – which puts us face to face with the unknown. There’s no doubt that what I’m describing is hard work – most likely life’s greatest challenge – but also the most fulfilling and rewarding endeavor we can undertake. And, of course, life doesn’t wait for us to feel strong and well prepared – we rarely feel “ready” for the next big step.
It seems as if there’s never enough time or money or even interest in doing your work, until a difficult situation or circumstance compels you to focus your search on what is real and true. There are many reasons not to take the steps that are calling you out, but only one compelling reason to move forward: It’s the right thing to do.
At the Awareness Institute, we see unmistakable opportunities and unprecedented possibilities in the years ahead. Our workshops and classes focus on embracing new perspectives that enable all of us to break free from the limitations of the past, leading to much more fulfilling and enjoyable lives. What happens next is always up to you!
And, that’s what our workshops are all about: Finding a way to lovingly, compassionately, yet insistently work together to pry ourselves loose from the cage of limiting beliefs and self deception, so that we can live authentically and in integrity, embracing the whole of life. Of course, we can all hang with the herd and play the game of fret and fear, but why make that choice? Deep down, we know something else is now being called for…and is available to us all.
Shannon Eddy
Shannon is the Facilitator for the Awareness Institute.