Anything Can Be Faked, Even The Work
Here’s how to do it.
First of all, make sure you bring nothing real to The Work. Keep your “stressful” situation safe. Don’t expose anything to The Work where you are actually confused about something. That will ensure that you don’t uncover anything too inconvenient during your inquiry. CAUTION: This may backfire. Sometimes trivial situations can reveal dangerous things about yourself.
Secondly, make sure that you answer questions 1 and 2 randomly. This should be easy because they are true/false questions. Don’t actually think about the questions, just come up with a quick “yes” or “no.” TIP: Say your “yes” or “no” with confidence so that it sounds like you know what you’re talking about.
Being Right Is Everything
And one way to be right every time is to ALWAYS answer question 2 (can you absolutely know it’s true?) as “no.” Because, of course, you can never absolutely know anything is true. This is a wonderful way to always be right and not have to actually do your work.
Question 3 (how do your react) is easy, of course, just start ranting and raving and complaining. KEY POINT: Make sure you don’t actually take responsibility for any of your reactions. Try to keep the blame on the other person. This will help you save face a lot.
Question 4 (who would you be without the thought?) is a great one for B.S. Here’s what I always do. Just close your eyes, and pretend like you’re really feeling something, then say, “I’d feel peaceful and free without that thought.” Add a smile if you like. I’ve fooled many facilitators with this trick. High five, baby! I never understood why people have trouble with question 4 when it’s so easy to fake.
Turnarounds Can Be Challenging
But here’s a key point. Always remember what you’re supposed to say, and say that. That’s my favorite thing about spiritual lingo, it’s so easy to learn. Just say stuff like, “Yeah, that is true, I am like that.”
You’ve got to avoid giving really specific examples, though. Those will kill your buzz every time. Keep it really general. For example, if the turnaround is “I don’t listen to him,” then a good example would be, “Yeah, I was just really focused on myself.” Most facilitators are going let you get by with it. The beauty is that it sounds right on the money, but luckily you didn’t put any specifics in there so guess what? You’re off the hook. I love outsmarting facilitators.
OK. Here’s another important point. If you can, keep your turnaround examples outside of the actual situation as much as possible. For example, for the turnaround, “He does listen to me,” find as many examples as you need to please the facilitator from other situations. Like, “He does listen to me at other times, like when I tell him that I want to make love with him. And he does listen to me when I ask him who won the game,”
This is such a subtle point. You’re literally doing The Work, and nobody can deny it, but the benefit is you still get to keep the belief that he doesn’t listen to you in the situation you are working. Which means YOU GET TO STAY RIGHT! I love examples from outside the situation. They really do keep me safe, while giving the appearance of me doing my work.
It Took Me Years To Develop These Tricks
And I’m giving them to you because I want you to have the same great experience I have of being able to do genuine lip service to The Work without actually letting it touch me inside. Remember, safety first!
And, with practice, you may get really good at this.
Oh yeah, one more really helpful example for turnarounds that ALWAYS works. I love this one. If the stressful thought is, “He shouldn’t lie to me.” And the turnaround is “He should lie to me.” Then the one-size-fits-all example is “because he did.” This is a real beauty. Use it with care though. Your facilitator might figure out that you’re B.S.ing if you use it on every turnaround.
What I love about this example is that it is actually true. You can’t argue with it. If you keep it in your arsenal, you’ll be able to get out of some sticky situations where you might actually have to offer up something a little closer to home.
Have fun with this, guys! And if you find any tricks of your own, drop me a line and let’s talk shop! Byron Katie says The Work is checkmate. I say, “My ass!” LOL!
Have a great weekend,
Todd
“For people who really want to know the truth, this Work is checkmate.” Byron Katie, Loving What Is
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