How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? There are some established roads to make your travels easier.
The Work of Byron Katie is a big highway allowing anyone open to it to move from feeling stressed and stuck to experiencing more freedom and happiness. Just like a freeway, it is simple and efficient. It just sits there. It is up to you how far you go.
I have been doing The Work myself for many years, and I have supported others to do it for just as long. Observing myself and others over the years, I see three main stages in the journey. Many people stop at stage one. Others go much further. I encourage you here to stretch beyond your normal way of being with The Work.
The first stage of doing The Work is not to do it but to watch others doing The Work, to listen as they work, or to read their work. By being exposed to the work of others, you can get a lot of ideas for your own freedom in different situations.
This is also the stage where you can start to examine any doubts you may have about The Work. It’s a safe, noncommittal way to join The Work party and enjoy some of the insights. It can also be inspiring even as an experienced practitioner of The Work.
This is like the entrance ramp onto the highway. If you want to go the distance, you can’t stay here forever. But it’s a great way to get up to speed before merging onto the main road.
There are many ways to engage in The Work like this. I list here the practical ways that I can support you in this respect:
Once you watch The Work for a while or read or listen to it, you may be inspired to give it a try yourself. This is the next stage. Actively participating in doing The Work is very different from passively experiencing it.
This is like coming off of the entrance ramp and starting to accelerate. You’re still in the slow lane, but you can start to gain more velocity than you could on the entrance ramp.
Engaging with The Work is when the process of self-inquiry starts to wake up more fully. You are dealing with your own personal stuff and you are asking the questions to yourself. This is when new confidence begins to form. You start to listen to yourself, to look to yourself for your own wisdom. And it starts to become less intellectual and more of something that touches your heart.
Again, there are many ways to move into this stage. Here’s how I can support you to accelerate your experience of The Work.
This stage includes two things: doing The Work and training in how to do The Work. All of the options above include both things. Engaging in these ways can strongly accelerate your progress and proficiency in doing The Work.
This last stage is a special lane on the highway (the fast lane), where you can start to really pick up momentum and there is no obstacle in the way. When you do The Work every day or every few days or even once a week, the experience of The Work changes.
Instead of being a process to use in case of emergencies, The Work becomes a way of living, a kind of preventive maintenance, and a joy to practice. Results are so normal and effortless that you hardly count them. In this stage, I notice more buoyancy and happiness in every area of my life. I look forward to work sessions because they are so enjoyable.
This is like driving an amazing new car down a smooth, open road. In fact, as you continue down this road, don’t be surprised if you start to lift off. The spirit of The Work starts to be alive to support you in every moment, giving you a lot of freedom and the ability to navigate any situation with increasing ease.
Here are the ways I can support you if you want to use The Work to the fullest.
Three stages: I encourage you simply to see where you are. If you want to take it to the next level, there is a well-traveled road you can use to go wherever you would like to go with The Work.
My job remains the same in all cases: I’m a facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. The word “facilitator” comes from the root “to make easy.” If I can make it easier in any way for you to engage with The Work of Byron Katie, it will be my pleasure to support you in this way. You can learn more about any of my programs here.
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Further reading: Tips for Making The Work a Long-Term Practice
"I couldn't stop hurting my children and myself. But as I realized what was true for me, with the questions alive inside me, the doing changed. The problems stopped. I didn't stop them; they stopped. It's just that simple. "
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