Have you Ever Felt Overwhelmed by The Work?
It’s a complaint I sometimes hear from clients who are starting to get into The Work.
They experience how liberating this simple process is. But then something happens: they start thinking big. They extrapolate to the future. They start imagining how good it would feel to be free of all stressful beliefs.
And then they get overwhelmed.
They look at all the stressful thoughts they have. And they start to think, “This is hopeless.” It’s infinite! Impossible. Depressing. And then they stop, or slow down, doing The Work.
This Is Just What the Mind Wants
The mind would rather not be questioned. It likes being in control. And one of the quickest ways to lose control is to allow questioning. Every totalitarian state knows this.
So the mind tries to trick you out of doing The Work. That’s why it grabs onto the idea that there’s an infinite row of Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheets between you and your freedom. It’s a great way to knock the wind out of your sails and get things back to “business as usual.”
So How do you Combat this Tricky Mind?
You guessed it. By questioning it. By questioning that there is an infinite string of worksheets to do. And by questioning that you need to get some kind of enlightenment, or state of perpetual happiness, before you can relax.
Questioning either of these beliefs can open the mind to another side of the story.
Here Is Some of What I’ve Found
When I question the idea that I must “get enlightened” in order to be truly happy, I find that it’s pure conjecture on my part. Who’s to say that the happiness of enlightenment is any different than the happiness of any other experience in life?
I make enlightenment out to be larger than life. Yet every saint I’ve read says that it is the simplest experience in the world.
I paint a pretty picture of enlightenment. But when I look closely, I notice that the effect of this is to leave me in a state of yearning and discontent now. And now is all that matters. Without that thought, ironically, I’d be happier–more enlightened.
So I Leave Enlightenment to God
All I know is that when I question my stressful thoughts, they loosen and often leave me more peaceful. That’s good enough for me. I don’t need to know about enlightenment right now. Let me just do this one worksheet here. It is enough for me that my mundane life is getting more balanced in one small arena at a time.
And I don’t care if there are an infinite number of worksheets I could do. I find that doing just one worksheet brings me happiness. That happiness is enough for now. Each future worksheet is just another door to knock on. Maybe it will will bring another piece of happiness to add to my growing load.
That’s the Difference
One way to look at it is that there’s an infinite number of worksheets ahead. What a terrible thing! So much work to do before I rest.
But another way of seeing it is that there’s an infinite number of worksheets ahead! Yay! Each one is an opportunity to find another bit of awareness.
Suddenly, I feel like a kid in a candy store with all these worksheets I could do. And I don’t have to do them all. One sweet from the counter is enough to make me happy for today.
Have a great week,
Todd
“People talk about self-realization, and this is it! Can you just breathe in and out? To hell with enlightenment! Just enlighten yourself in this moment. Can you just do that?” — Byron Katie, Question Your Thinking, Change The World, p. 200.
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