The Challenge: It Is What It Is

The Challenge:  It Is What It Is.

One of my favourite movies is Sliding Doors. If you haven’t seen it, the story is about the life of a young woman shown to you from two different “perspectives”.  The concept of the sliding door is that the woman has been given two distinctly different life outcomes based on whether she makes it to her train or misses it. The movie shows you what happens in both scenarios and how different her life will be based on that one event.

Although the movie was not a huge box office hit and did not receive the greatest reviews, it was the type of movie that left me, for one, contemplating my life.

Have you ever wondered what your life would look like if you had made a decision to follow a different path? I know I have. To be honest with you, there was a period in my life when I spent more time wondering and wishing that I had made different decisions than truly focusing on what was actually going on in my life.

In my soon to be released book, “Take a Breath, The Path to Living your Best Life”, I explore the idea that there are choices and decisions we can make to live our best life now and into the future despite what we may view as poor decisions from the past.   Much like what is offered in the movie Sliding Door, we can choose to board the train or not by making the decision to either live consciously or sub-consciously.   

The “human” brain houses our ability to think and connect to our surroundings.  When we are fully present in the moment we are living it is called the conscious mind.  It sees, feels, smells, hears, senses, and activates all of our attention to what is right in front of us. Our conscious mind will process the information and we can decide if what we are experiencing is something we want to or not.   Being fully conscious and aware is the first step in the decision making process.  

When we can acknowledge that what is happening “is what it is” and we do not filter it through the reel of thoughts cycling through our mind we can experience the moment fully whether it is a beautiful sunset or a traumatic event.  However, if we activate our sub-conscious mind, our perspective will change from what is right in front of us to all the things that have happened in the past. 

The sub-conscious mind is an amazing mechanism with two distinct functions.  The most important feature is that it takes care of all our biological and physiological requirements to survive and thrive, i.e., it regulates heart rate, breathing, activates immune system, breaks down food for digestion, along with many other different functions within our physical body. The second role is that the sub-conscious mind operates much like the hard-drive of a super-computer. It processes every piece of information flowing into your mind through your senses, including sight, sound, smell, taste, thought, feeling, and belief about your life.  It is in the sub-conscious mind that personal perspectives are created.

Basically, the subconscious will reach into the recesses of your mind, and pull out past data to use in the present without you consciously making a decision.  The “automatic” response can be extremely beneficial in times requiring us to react quickly and instinctively to dangers that may be present.  However, the downside of this process is that some of our past experiences may not be the most appropriate responses to the situation in the present.

Now that you understand conscious versus subconscious mind, I’d like to talk about what is happening with Covid-19. Currently, we are all experiencing a traumatic world event impacting the health and safety of all of humanity.  It is something most of us have never experienced in our lifetime. Each us will react and have a different perspective of what it means based on our personal life experience.

Our ability to stay fully present and conscious of what is happening in our areas of influence will unify all of us during this collective time of crisis. There is no disputing that this is a very scary and uncertain time, however, getting stuck in fear, shame, blame, apathy or the crazy of our “monkey minds” is not healthy for any of us. We need to stay present, awake and conscious of what is happening whether we like it or not.

Staying present and moving towards a common goal of meeting this virus for “what it is” and doing our due diligence to ensure we contain and refrain from making it worse is paramount.  I am sure you have heard the phrase that “we are in the midst of a collective pause”.  It is during this pause that we can collectively take a breath to calm our busy minds and allow the moment to just be what it is without adding individualized perspectives that can make this situation feel even harder.  Our collective consciousness focused on the same hope, prayer and desire for the health and safety of all would be amazing.

Everyone can participate by staying informed about this crisis through reputable sources. We are being asked to stay home and maintain social/physical distancing.  Essential services are being maintained and sustained by the heroes of this pandemic as they work the front lines in health care as first responders, hospital and nursing home staff, in food service/delivery, sanitation and mail delivery services, along with the many innovators and businesses that have stepped up to support the cause. The number of stories being shared about every day people doing their best at a time like this is inspiring and motivational.

What makes this time in history so critically important is that the world is experiencing this together at the same time. As I consciously focus on this thought I recognize that this is the opportunity to build bridges as we all stand on common ground. It’s a time when compassion, collaboration, cooperation, conciliation and community are necessary and required to survive and thrive as the whole human race is participating in this pandemic. 

So, how are you holding up? What perspective do you have?  Are you conscious and fully present? Or, are you lost in the “crazy” of your sub-conscious thoughts and programs struggling to find your footing during this time of crisis? What decisions are you making as you move through this unsettling time? Who do you want to be once you move through this? Has this experience changed you in any way?  Do you feel more connected/disconnected to your life as you self isolate, either with family or on your own? What are you learning about yourself?

In my book, Take a Breath, I offer a perspective on how to make a difficult situation less difficult.  It is based on the laws of energy and understanding the levels of consciousness that guide us in our life. The intention of the book is to offer information, data, knowledge and strategies that will help you to move through challenges just like this one from a place of power and control that only you can decide for yourself.

No matter what direction or path you have taken in the past, when you take a breath, stay conscious and present you get to decide right here and right now what you want to experience in spite of what is happening around you.  This pandemic “is what it is” we can’t change it but we can move through it.  You can decide right now to be the best version of your self in the midst of it all or not. It is your choice.

I continue to send love, light and blessings to everyone who is open to receive and pray for the healing and safety of all that are touched by this challenge.