“There’s only one reason why you’re not experiencing bliss at this present moment, and it’s because you’re thinking or focusing on what you don’t have…. But, right now you have everything you need to be in bliss.”
~Anthony de Mello
You may not realize it, but your attention is your most valuable resource. Because what you pay attention to creates your reality.
Feel into these three possibilities for where your attention might go:
You’re walking in nature and focusing on the sounds of the birds and the sun glistening through the trees. You experience a peaceful presence, expanded beyond yourself and your problems.
You’re attached to your thoughts, hanging onto them for dear life by paying attention to them. You experience stress, negativity, worry, and the anxious feeling that things aren’t okay.
You’re caught up in the drama of a situation, feeling agitated and out of sorts. Your attention goes to statements like these:
- What should we do??
- I can’t believe he did that—again!
- She’ll never get it together!
- This situation is terrible!
Suffering Is Optional
I listen to people chewing on their problems a lot. And I do it myself from time to time.
What I always notice, without fail, is that we have a choice. I may be sitting with someone who is suffering, but I absolutely know that freedom from this suffering is one split second away—with a shift of attention.
I always hold the possibility for their freedom—and for yours. Even though you may not know it, I know that whatever suffering you’re experiencing is not who you really are.
Just because negative thoughts come through, you don’t have to think them. If you’re caught up in drama, know that your involvement in it is optional.
Trust Yourself
What happens when you open your attention beyond the thoughts and into the present moment? It might be scary at first because you don’t know what you’ll find. And the stillness may feel way outside your comfort zone.
But this is the only way to be sane in your life. Only by coming home to yourself can you love the tender feelings that are here so they don’t drive you. Only by being with yourself can you be objective about what’s going on and gain clarity.
There is infinite support available to you in any moment, but you won’t find it in your thoughts or other people.
Bring your attention back to yourself. Put your hand on your belly, breathe, and feel your feet on the floor. Be still, and open to everything. Experience the vibration of life moving through you.
Listen deeply for the whisper of truth that offers you just what you need to know. This can be trusted.
Sonia Cotarelo says
Hello Gail,
I always look forward to your Friday Inspirations and try to find correlation between them and whatever’s going on in my life. Reading this one made me think of a good friend who has been suffering from depression following the death of her son from suicide four years ago. I wanted to share this with her but worry that implying she “not think about” those sad/devastating/negative feelings is insensitive given the circumstances. I want to share something positive and uplifting, but what can one say in a situation like this? Any advice you could give me would be much appreciated. 🙂
Gail Brenner says
Hi Sonia,
I really appreciate that you want to help your friend. She might need a different approach at this point, as she has been grieving now for four years. There may be some thought process that is making her stuck. I think the newsletter from last week might be more applicable about getting stuck and letting go. Here is the link.
But before you send it to her, maybe you can ask her if she is open to reading an article that might help. And don’t be attached. If she says no, that’s fine. She may be dealing with it in her own way and may not want this kind of help.
Love to you…
Sonia Cotarelo says
Thank you for your time and advice Gail, I truly appreciate it.
Manohar says
Hello Gail, I always look forward to your post on Friday as an inspiration and guide to help me process my feelings and thoughts that have been percolating throughout the week. I often or invariably and truly find solace in your post such that my FRIDAY NIGHT and the weekend become a good refuge to rest in with assurance that I’m not alone in it, and that I’m part of a shared common humanity. Your words and the quotes are truly very compassionate and uplifting indeed. Keep it up and thanks for your gifts to all.
Gail Brenner says
So sweet, Manohar. Thank you…
Brenda Sinkoe-Moore says
Well my 22 year old daughter advised me to get out of my head. So I googled how to get out of your head and into your heart and found GB.
I signed up for the daily inspiration, liistened to the sample audio meditation
tonight too. GB has a soothing pretty voice. I’m going to sign up for the audio meditation
This will be a great start. Thanks for being you and putting it out there for people such as myself to discover.
Best
Brenda
Gail Brenner says
Lovely to hear from you, Brenda. I’m glad what you’ve found here resonates with you.
Much love….
Anil Raju says
Trusting yourself is the antidote for all your troubles.It helps you to see yourself from a new perspective and opens new paths which you couldn’t have seen before.It is the foundation for originality. Reminiscing a saying
‘you are born original, don’t die a copy’. As always it’s great to hear from you, Have a pleasant trip to London and thank you for your invaluable thoughts.
regards
Mia says
Hi Gail,
you wrote: “There is infinite support available to you in any moment, but you won’t find it in your thoughts or other people.”
Could you define this “infinite support”, what can it provide me with – and how exactly would I access it?
Oh yes, that stillness seems way outside my comfort zone – I seem to resist it so much. But I keep on practicing. 🙂
Gail Brenner says
Hi Mia,
This infinite support is found in the options available in any moment. At any time we can feed stories and resist the truth of the moment – or we can investigate where our attention is going that is causing suffering, we can stop and breathe and come back to the direct experiences of sensation in the body, we can open our eyes to what is here right now rather than letting the content of our thoughts take us away.
There is an ease that we experience when we let ourselves be aligned with the natural movement of life. How do you access this? Look outside your thoughts, let yourself be present with what is, stop the momentum of conditioned patterns and open to what’s here right now.
The resistance you mention is a choice – know that you can make a different choice always. And in making this different choice, there is kindness, relaxation, and simplicity.