Trying Times
“Birds don’t try to fly, they fly.”
Do you ever get into a "trying" cycle? You begin feeling like The Little Engine That Could,"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." Personally, I find it exhausting! I wish I could tell you that I catch myself right away and switch tracks to an easier route, but occasionally I just keep trudging up the steep hill carrying the weight ...until I don't.
I have a friend who echos the thoughts of many field experts. He says, "Do more of what you love - things that truly support you, and you'll naturally attract more of what you love into your life." He further says, "If you hold an intention clearly, not as an attachment, but as pure intention, it informs your moment to moment choices which inherently propel you toward your goal."
For me, these statements absolutely ring true. When I do what I feel passionate about, engage in activities that I enjoy and support me, and create time and space for the people I love and feel nurtured by, all while allowing space for future possibilities - I'm not trying. I'm not trudging. It doesn't feel like a burden to carry. From this place, I instinctively move toward my visualized intentions, while living in the present moment. There's no part of me that wants to skip over the work I love doing with clients, the richness of growing What's Next?! Workshop, and my continued growth in my martial relationship just to get to the other end of the rainbow. It would be like missing the race just to reach the finish line.
I notice, carrying the load of having to "fix" something or "make it okay" drains me. Whereas, the practice of living each moment for the moment, while embracing the possibilities energizes my being. I believe Deepak Chopra would refer to it as the"Law of Least Effort." In his book, Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, he states,"If you observe nature at work, you will see that least effort is expended. Grass doesn't try to grow, it just grows. Fish don't try to swim, they just swim. Flowers don't try to bloom, they bloom. Birds don't try to fly, they fly. This is their intrinsic nature...And it is human nature to make our dreams manifest into physical form, easily and effortlessly."
Even now, I find myself emerging from the shadow of trying. For a while I knew something was off, but couldn't place my finger on it, like being lost in a construction detour. With support, I returned to the present moment while honoring ancient feelings and memories that stirred from events in my present life. Embracing the opportunity to resolve an old wound is a "Least Effort" action. When we ignore the wound we enter a "trying time." And trying always uses more energy with lesser results.
In the same book, Chopra says,"Every single problem that you have in your life is the seed of an opportunity for some greater benefit in your life. And when you have that perception you open up to a whole range of possibilities and this keeps the mystery, the wonder, the excitement, the adventure alive." My recent "detour" experience provided me with a seed. And as we know, seeds don't try to grow, they grow; and the mystery, wonder, and excitement are alive within me!
I invite you to join me in putting the "Trying Times" in the past. Be you, by being YOU! Celebrate your unique gifts and passions, engage effortlessly with people you love, and enjoy activities that support you. And when you hear your internal refrain of,"I think I can,"take a peek at your cargo. Then, exercise the "Least Effort" by noticing what you're carrying with compassion and curiosity - within lies an opportunity - a seed ready to grow!
Living the adventure,
Joanne Lutz