Resistance to accepting things as they are is the root of all suffering
“Resistance to accepting things as they are is the root of all suffering.”
Currently reading “Songs of the Doomed” by Hunter S. Thompson. Believe that directly resulted in the title of this post. Hunter was an “unhindered” soul. If he thought it, he then did it. Hence, his awesome misadventures. Grab a copy here if you’re curious. (Buckle up for safety.)
Made me think of Resistance and how it applies to building the life you truly wish to live.
Marc has taught me a lot about resistance and what he’s had to say both mirrors and validates other folks’ teachings about how it gets in the way of getting the Big Work accomplished.
- If there is a block in your thinking, you will not achieve whatever goals you have set for yourself. This is resistance.
- If the way you wish to go is not working but you stubbornly soldier on, regardless of the mounting evidence that your path is a bad one, this is resistance.
- If you wish things would just stay the same, or go back to the way they were, rather than stand and face your new challenges, this is MAJOR resistance!
Resistance leads to quicker death and more pain
In many ways, I have been one of the most stubborn people I know. I am also someone who digs mercilessly for answers that will help me to improve my life or help me achieve what’s most important to me.
It looks like this: I want things. I find proof that maybe I’m wanting the wrong thing, or going about getting what I want in the wrong way. Then I refuse to alter course any time soon to get back on the right track.
I have somehow managed to become, at times, a close minded seeker. Boy. There’s some irony for you.
But I am aware that I do this
So when the conflict in my head gets too active – starts buzzing around too loudly – I’ve learned to pause, take stock of the situation, RELAX, and then see if I still believe whatever I first believed before the chaos kicked in.
I leave the fight and search for the ease
When I relax, calm down, take a breath (key!), get quiet for a bit – I find it’s easier to then solve the problem or at least not let the problem become directed by anger or anxiety. That’s the plan, anyhow. It takes work to not work so hard. More irony.
I get better at this all the time. NSA has helped me to develop this way of thinking. The ability to become aware was something I’d already been nurturing in a few key areas of my life. NSA is helping me to let it spread throughout all the nooks and crannies that make up me day.
Although pain relief is still what keeps my visits regular, I have a deep interest in the really trippy, self growth aspects of NSA
Part of why I write these posts is to make that learning process stronger, more effective and more of an active part of my life.
Awhile back, I was DEEP into learning about NSA and ROH, SRI and the rest. But I sort of plateaued in my learning process. Not a big deal but my life has been going through monumental changes lately and I’ve, once again, become aware that I must step up my self improvement game.
I need to evolve to handle the new problem sets
So you all out there, in a way, are helping to keep me honest. These posts keep me accountable to my own mission. To a degree, they have nothing to do with readership or even anyone’s opinions about what I share. I am doing this for me first.
This is the level of awareness that takes care of my main priority: becoming what I must to have the life I want and to be of the best use to those I care about most.
And it isn’t selfishness. It is mastery. What right do I have to talk about all of this with any authority if I don’t already have my own head screwed on right? That would seem to be potentially hypocritical of me.
I can’t get a damn thing done right if I’m not doing ME right
Another way of looking at it is comparable to air travel: In case of cabin pressure failure, put the oxygen mask on yourself first, then take care of your kids.
My secondary priority is making sure these posts actually serve someone other than myself. As a layman, I hope to make clear some of the more seemingly “far out” aspects of NSA and to give concrete examples of how NSA brings improvement and functional success into one’s day.
It took Marc four years to convince me to even try NSA. I figure many of you might be in that same boat right now.
