Monday, July 25, 2011

Memories...RIP!

Memory...a powerful part of our life.  Really just old thinking, and not to be confused with accuracy or fact.  An old story from an old perspective, yet it has the ability to create new reality and experiences in real time.  We call up our memories without much awareness of the process, and then experience whatever feelings surface.  This, of course, colors our mood in the present moment, and then dictates the nature of our reaction or behavior.  When it is put simply like this, it begins to make sense that we should be careful what memories we pull up, but somehow this simplicity turns to complexity and the truth gets lost in our overwhelming experiences from yesterday.

Our society values memory.  We even believe that it is our experiences from the past that make us who we are today.  This limits us so vastly!  Losing memory is seen as devastating, leaving others around us to feel upset and personally impacted by the loss of data.  What if, though, loosing memory (or the grip it has on you) actually was seen as a great gift allowing you the willingness to be comfortable in the unknown?  A fresh start where you are aware of your creation of meaning-making as you go.  No old, out of place fears...no supposed to's...no shouldn'ts...no struggle with forgiveness...no resistance to healthy change.

We all have experiences from our past that represent a time when deep rooted patterns began.  These traits or personalities that develop are then rarely questioned later, despite the negative impact that often comes from living out of the moment. 
People are willing to give up on dreams, loose a loved one, deny themselves, etc, but we are not willing to question the quality of our thinking.  This keeps us on auto pilot...status-quo.  More importantly, it makes us all feel powerless to, or at least inefficient at, rising above our past.
For me, this just isn't good enough.  There are too many painful memories...too many regrets...too many hardships to carry.  Luckily, I know that the only one who keeps me experiencing my past today is me!  I also know that being aware of today's surprises is exactly what creates the life that I want to live.  When I pull up old memories, I know it right away, because I feel insecure...vulnerable...like a lost soul.  When this feeling comes over me, I simply look around and notice how my feeling does not match my environment.  It is easy to see that I have gotten lost in my thinking.

At this point, I don't do anything.  I don't work hard.  I don't become hard on myself.  I just remind myself that I have created my experience based on my personal thinking.  I know that in this state of mind, I have lost my awareness of "now" and I have blocked off my ability to have new insights.  I have muffled the voice of wisdom that is always buoyant inside of me.

By doing this, I become distracted from my current thinking, and the past dies a quiet and instant death.  RIP!  Now things can happen for me that I couldn't even see before.  Suddenly clarity is mine, and I don't feel the need to take other people's thinking personally.  We are all just here on this earth doing our best.  Most of us don't have an understanding of the power of thinking, and we therefore are living a life that is below our potential.  If we could all pay attention to the times when our perspective no longer seems to fit, memory would loose its power.  The power would be returned to us as individuals who are not here to know everything, but are here to willingly be in the unknown.  It is only in this place that we can be aware of our opportunities today.  It is only here that peace and well being can replace fear as the driving factor in our lives.  It must start with you...today's you!

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