Most of us run at some point during the day, we run to Facebook and Twitter, Reddit, whatever
your favourite social media is, Instagram. We run because we are avoiding something.
Every time that you procrastinate, every time you run to distraction,
every time you open your phone to check on things real quick,
you are running from uncertainty and discomfort. Our minds just don't like that
shakiness under us. Which is the basic foundation of life.
Every day we have to wonder whether we are good enough.
Whether we're gonna be okay. How people will judge us.
And so we run from that in some way.
We have three main responses to uncertainty and discomfort.
These are things that there's lots of variations on them and there are other ones,
but these are some of the main ones. The first one is running and
avoidance, procrastination. Most of us run at some point during the day,
we run to Facebook and Twitter, Reddit, whatever your favourite social media is, Instagram.
We run because we are avoiding something. So, that's one of the main ones.
Elimination and control. Is anyone here, make to-do lists,
have systems, have routines, a few of you guys. So, there's nothing wrong with that, we all
want systems, we all want routines, but that is a form of control.
And that's great, but at the end of the day,
we actually don't control everything in our lives. And so, that's another way of dealing with it.
Lashing out and resentment. Whenever we lash out in anger and frustration,
and fear, even criticising
ourselves, that's a form of lashing out in resentment. It's also a form of control.
So, these are our three main responses and it turns out
these aren't necessarily the best strategies.
The secret here is that this is based on a very limited view of life.
And it's a view that we're all very familiar with because it's the view that we mostly have
as we walk around the day, as we walk around the world, we are in a self-centred view.
And it's nothing wrong with that, that's just a natural way of looking at life
is that we are the centre of the universe. And so, we're walking around
and we are worried about our own desires. We are worried about the things
we don't like, our discomforts. We're worried about the uncertainty of being us.
But it's a limited view. Because we are the centre of everything and
it's a narrow, closed in view. So, running from uncertainty
comes from a limited view of life, it's also a limitation that we place on ourselves.
We are putting that on ourselves, and when we do that,
when we run to distraction, when we procrastinate, when we lash out,
we are actually hurting ourselves. We are keeping ourselves from connecting to life.
From being fully present. From opening our hearts to
the beautiful people around us.
From doing the things we really wanna do in our lives.
And so, it's a limitation. Let me give you guys the good news.
I've given you bad news so far. There are some amazing rewards to
uncertainty and discomfort. So, I'm gonna leave you
with a practice, my time is up. The practice is to put yourself in the beautiful
practice-space of uncertainty and discomfort. I came up with an acronym, NWCOLA.
Memorable and beautiful. Notice what's going on.
Welcome the sensations in there. Be curious.
Open yourself in front of your narrow view.
Feel love and interconnection in the middle of that space.
And then, go out and act with intention and devotion.
Put yourself in this beautiful practice ground every day, with gratitude.
Savouring the deliciousness of the groundlessness.