Beneath every stressful emotion is a thought – a thought that may or may not actually be true.
- Once you question the validity of the thought, the accompanying stress in the mind and body start to fall away.
Our experience of life is shaped by a thick web of interconnected stories and beliefs.
- We judge ourselves. (“I am too fat” “I’m not good enough.”)
- We attach (“Nothing ever turns out right.”)
- We resist what is (“It’s too cold out.” “She should listen to me.”)
These stories and beliefs play in our minds like background music at a restaurant.
- We are so familiar that we are no longer conscious of them, but we hear their message anyway.
This web of stories and beliefs is powerful. It is the lens through which we view the world.
- If you think constantly about gaining weight, you begin to see the world through the lens of calories, workouts, and pant sizes.
- If you think constantly about making more money, you begin to see the world through the lens of financial rewards, status, and envy.
Without calling these stories and beliefs into question, we tend to just assume their truth.
- “My neighbor is being irrational” “My child’s soccer coach is unfair” “My boss is controlling”
These kinds of everyday stressful beliefs become our doctrine, and the more we cling to them, the more we experience stress, anxiety, and unhappiness.
Re-source: Recondition
condition again
The practice of inquiry invites us to shift our ordinary way of being in the world.
- “Is it true?”
- The simple act of questioning the thoughts that shape our reality has the power to unwind the web of beliefs, holding the set point in place.
- It opens our inner world to a new way of being and has a direct impact on our outer world, leading toward living our life with more compassion, ease and openness to new possibilities.
Zen tradition talks about the idea of not knowing as aspiring toward “beginner’s mind.”
- “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind, there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki
- When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self; you are true beginners. Then we can really learn something.
craving and resource from “Start Here” – Master the lifelong habit of well-being – by Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp
