Fact or Feeling?

Why are we humans so gullible? What I mean is, it seems like an awful lot of us believe anything and everything our minds have to tell us---especially the negative stuff. This morning my yoga teacher said (in so many words), "The mind is good for two things--being a janitor and being a secretary. The heart is good at the rest."

So, basically, if we want something clean, organized, and well-planned we need our mind. Otherwise we can quite confidently defer to the heart.

Another wise person offered me more good advice today (when it rains it pours). I was telling her my vision for how I would like to live my life and what I would like to do for my livelihood. When I finished she asked me, "If you weren't scared of anything, how would you proceed with making this happen?" I had just finished telling her exactly what I envisioned but this question caused me to freeze. She made a suggestion and asked me what I thought of it. All that came to mind was, "That scares me." Then she said a most remarkable thing: "That's a feeling not a fact. Set aside your fears for a moment. Consider the facts. They may lead you to new possibilities you haven't thought of before." She then proceeded to give me some very concrete, logical steps for how to get where I said I wanted to go. She wasn't buying into my "story"--in fact, she changed the whole plot completely! From my "It's too hard and scary" story to an "It's really not that hard or scary and here's why" story. Brilliant!!! Why hadn't I thought of this stuff?

Answer? Because I was so focused on my feelings that I got swept away by them and forgot all about examining the facts of the matter.

This was my big lesson today: you can't always believe your feelings...or your thoughts for that matter. Most of these come from our past anyways, and what good are these stories to us now? They don't describe who we are today. Sure, they helped mold us into who we are now and we can honor that process, but we are not tied to the stories in any way, shape, or form. We are who we are right now, in this moment! Who do we want to be right now?

So, now I've got my list of not-so-scary, easy tasks that will lead me down a path that is more satisfying than the one I have settled for up to this point. I like what Marianne Williamson says.... "a miracle is a shift in perception." I believe her!