prabhaelectronics01

[prabhaelectronics01]

The Perfect Teacher Is What’s Happening Right Now!

The perfect teacher is what’s happening right now!   Just today, as some unexpected news came into my inbox, right at that moment, I felt agitated and annoyed.  What’s happening right now is the perfect teacher? That’s often very hard to accept..let alone be open to learning and changing! 

Those of you on a journey of personal growth have probably heard the saying, “Everything is perfect right now, just as it is.”  And then there is, “Right now is all we have.” Well, that can be pretty hard to stomach at times when what’s happening right now hurts me, or those I care about; when it’s embarrassing or humiliating; when I have judgments about it; and when I wish it were different! 

Let’s explore this a bit more deeply. Years ago, a motivational speaker was giving her sermon at a Unity church service. At some point, Edwene said,  “Yes, indeed, everything is perfect right now, AND you need a project.” Well, that was an interesting twist I hadn’t heard, and it opened new doors for me. When I remember to bring this fullness to challenging moments, I actually do have a chance of seeing the Now Moment as the perfect teacher, for overcoming some challenges. 

Living fully in the moment gets a lot of good press in spiritual, and even secular circles.  Be Here Now, Ram Dass’s famous book is just one of many illustrious teachers who build on this inspirational quote. Right now is all we have. The past and the future don’t exist. OK, OK. But how do we allow or invite these moments to be our teachers? What the %$#@& does that really mean? That’s the project!

Here’s an example. One of my stuck places, a very old pattern, is that I often wish things were different: I resist, instead of acknowledging and accepting what is. (It’s really important that accepting does not mean condoning. More on this later.) Something challenging happens, an election outcome, a friend becomes ill, or a flight for a family vacation gets canceled…fill in your own examples. If we resist what is, and wish it were different, the startling truth is that we create suffering for ourselves, we struggle, whine, groan, can even make ourselves sick. The way out is to learn to say Yes, OK, this is what is. And that’s the learning, the lesson, the life transformation. Right in the messy, sticky moment of resistance is the opportunity. The perfect teacher is right now!

Saying Yes Is simply not Easy, but it is possible. If I can say A Resounding Yes to Life, I’m creating a success story. Instead of falling into complaining, feeling like a victim, or worse, If I remember that there are gifts of learning possible in every challenging, scary, or frustrating moment, this shift in attitude helps me get curious, keep an open mind, and look for potential life transformations. The big question is whether I am ready to learn the lesson and be open to what the universe could tell me? A growth mindset helps, that’s for sure!

A DailyOm inspired this for me.  Your Perfect Teacher: “All the situations in our lives, from the insignificant to the major, teach us exactly what we need to be learning.” Is it Patience? Is it flexibility? Acceptance? Is it joy or awe? 

What is your perfect teacher teaching you right now? I’d love to hear how this landed with you, and what your current experiences are! We are in this together. 

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING invites self-reflection and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Your feedback,  forwards, tweets, and likes are most welcome. 

[prabhaelectronics01]

Focus on the Possible — to Thrive, not Just Survive.

Focus on the Possible–to thrive, not just survive.  Recently I was mightily inspired by a short TED Talk by Angus Harvey, one of the authors of Fix the News, a newsletter I treasure for its offering of inspirational, groundbreaking good news — happening right now all over the planet.  After listening several times, I was struck by how focusing on what’s possible is a radical change from our normal response to challenging situations….often we fight, flee, or freeze!

Here’s another reason for focussing on what’s possible.  Early in my training in collaborative conflict resolution at the Justice Institute of BC (a life-changing course for me, my family, my work, and my life), I came across William Ury, one of the pioneers and luminaries in the field.  Ury has now written a new book called Possible:  How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict.  It is possible to thrive in these very days we are experiencing, as full of conflict and challenges as they are!  

To get a flavor of this potential, I suggest you listen to even the first ten minutes (after the intro), of this podcast interview between Ury and Tami Simon, the founder of Sounds True.  Ury considers himself a possibiiist.  He invites us, in challenging situations, to become curious, take reflective breaks, learn to listen….  Let’s each of us — in our own ways, and in our own lives — put our energies toward focusing on what’s possible…for our health and well-being, our communities and families, our work in the world, and our futures.   Focus on the potential–to thrive not just survive.  Indeed!

So much of what we hear is tragedy and doom and horror and disaster and grizzly projections.  They are not to be discounted or ignored.  Still, when we are in conflict or things are difficult, if/when we focus on our differences and our problems, we usually stay stuck, differences and difficulties harden and grow, and things often fall apart.  When we focus on what’s possible, on what’s working, when we learn to build bridges and look where we want to go, the world all of a sudden is completely different,.  It doesn’t just look different, it IS different, and full of possibilities.

In the face of all that is, let’s turn our attention to what’s possible.  Here’s to focusing on the good, the uplifting, the possible, the opportunities, sending appreciation for all you do, and thanks to those who share their insights and inspirations with me!

Here are some new and reprised posts that might interest you:

•  A Resounding Yes to Life. A Resounding Yes to Life is the last thing I sometimes feel or feel like saying!  Still, when I recently came across an offering from a fellow named Douglas Harding, an English philosophical and spiritual writer, (who founded The Headless Way… an intriguing path to our True Nature and deep freedom), I laughed and felt a resounding Yes. Check it out!

* The Power of Positivity. The power of positivity is not about being a Pollyanna and denying dark sides, challenges, hard emotions, or actions, our own or others. It’s actually a matter of where we put attention, our focus, and our thinking.

• Dancing with the Dark Side:  What about pain…physical, emotional? Struggles, challenges? I talk about a Dance because this deep work can be done with curiosity, openness, and even lightness… not the sinking, hopeless, sense of being caught in quicksand, a jungle, a dungeon… Let’s dance!

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING invites self-reflection and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Your feedback,  forwards, tweets, and likes are most welcome.

[prabhaelectronics01]

Inspiration For Hard Times

Inspiration for hard times is a fitting theme for our current world situation!

I love the word Autumn…it just sings to me of the richness of the season: the colours – golds, crimsons, the subtler ochres and soft russets; the sounds – the wild geese, the acorns and chestnuts cracking underfoot, the rustle of leaves. Oh, and the smells and the quality of the air! Autumn is definitely my favourite time of year!

For those interested in the way the earth turns, here’s EarthSky on the September Equinox. The EarthSky site offers lots of cool, starry stuff! Scroll down a bit to find signs of Equinox in Nature and some lovely Equinox images.

I offer the following piece by Howard Zinn, about hope in hard times, as inspiration for this time and season:

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

This autumn, let us hold all those struggling and suffering with the devastating events and aftermath of war, terrorism, hunger, loss, uncertainty, as well as the disastrous effects of climate chaos, unprecedented storms, fires, floods, and more.  May we all experience healing, inner and outer, find courage to speak out for what matters, and is important to us, find the resources to live with peace, gratitude, generosity, and compassion in these challenging times.

Abundant autumn blessings, encouragement and love, and active hope for positive outcomes in the important elections to come,

If you would like to delve further into how hope can help us in such times as these, here are some resources:

Active Hope. a book by Johanna Macy, about finding, and offering, our best response when facing concerns about our world situation.

Hope is a Verb. an inspiring podcast by Angus Harvey, of Fix the News

Hope is a Verb: Six Steps to Radical Optimist When the World Seems Broken, a book by Emily Ehlers

PSS As a bonus, September 21 is World Gratitude Day!  How perfect!

Some posts relevant for these times:

Do a Little Bit of Good  On an inspirational quote from Desmond Tutu about doing good…very fitting, even inspiring, for our current times.

What Are We Living: Fear or Hope?  An essay tackling this thorny question, offering perspectives and resources for your consideration.

Stonehenge at Autumn Equinox.

What wonders our precious world contains!

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity. BECOMING invites self-reflection and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth. Check the website for a sample chapter or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume. Your feedback, forwards, tweets, and likes are most welcome.

[prabhaelectronics01]

With the PEPL Camping Valve, ensure your outdoor adventures are hassle-free and safe! 🌲🔥 Built to withstand up to 1.67 MPa of pressure, this high-quality valve is a must-have for any camper.