You Are So Much More Than You Think You Are

When people realize that who they are is so much more than the contents of their mind; when they realize that they can see what the stories in their mind are saying rather than believing them, there is a breath of freedom that comes along with a twinkle in their eyes. But oftentimes, very quickly, fear takes over and they say, “Who would I be without all my thoughts?” We have been so caught in our minds, for so long, that our minds are afraid of letting go, of opening to life as it is. In discovering how to relax into life rather than always trying to control it, you learn how to use your thoughts rather than being lost in them.

There are two things to remember as life is opening you up: the first is that you won’t lose your mind. In other words, this isn’t about stopping thought. We’ve tried that for a couple of thousand years (it’s called trying to get enlightened) and it basically has not worked. Rather than trying to stop thought or trying to make your thoughts be a particular way, enlightenment is about learning how to observe what is going on in your head, discovering you are the awareness that can see what thought is doing.

The second, and most important thing to know it that the more you can see your thoughts rather than identifying with them, the more you will……..

come home!

What do I mean by that? The best way I’ve ever described this is to imagine the most beautiful ocean you can. This is the ocean of being. It represents the essence who you truly are, who I truly am, who everyone truly is. Floating on this ocean is a small opaque bubble I call the bubble struggle. That is where most of us live, most of the time, caught in our ideas about life, caught in a seemingly endless conversation in our head, which is fueled by fear and glued together with judgment. This bubble is opaque because it cuts you off from knowing and living from the ocean of being which you truly are.

Even hearing this, your mind may still be afraid to open into this moment where the ocean of being always is. No need to judge this or even try to fix it. It doesn’t work to try to get rid of it, or rise above, or even redecorate your bubble of struggle. Freedom comes when your heart can see how scared your mind is, how hard it has been trying your whole life to do life and do it right. And even though your mind is afraid, it passionately wants to trust enough so it can again rest in the ocean of being.

Because you are reading this invitation, you are on the path out of the bubble struggle and back into the ocean of being. Will this happen overnight? No. When Stephen Levine, my main mentor, was asked how long does this take, he said, “It is the work of a lifetime.” Rather than allowing impatience to take over as you hear this, know that from this moment on, everything in your life is for you. In other words, everything that happens is either an invitation to get to know your bubble of struggle, or an invitation to simply rest in this moment.

Be willing to access your natural courage that is willing to accept this invitation from life so that you can more and more come home, resting in the ocean of being and becoming a healing presence in our beleaguered and struggling world.