Lorraine E. Castro, LMFT

IS LIFE CAUSING YOU PAIN AND SUFFERING?

Life can be a real challenge unless you understand the rules. We are taught from the time we are born that the rules are something external to ourselves. We learn how to act through our families, school and the world around us. Certainly we have to obey traffic laws, harm no one and follow the general guidelines required for an orderly society. There’s no getting around this. But what rules we really need are not the things anyone ever teaches us, with rare exceptions.

I am talking about how to navigate this unwieldy process called “Life”. If you really want to have ease and comfort, you must have trust that everything you experience is exactly perfect for you, even the difficult times. This is a challenging concept. We think no one would willingly sign up for a disability or a life filled with abuse and neglect. This is not true. We sign up for what we need to learn to advance our soul’s growth.

We have all co-created this script with God prior to our births. You knew which challenges you wanted to face, how many betrayals you wanted to navigate, yet when they show up, since you don’t remember signing on for the experience, you feel hurt and betrayed. We all do this.

There’s a way to get through these experiences with more ease, and that has to do with surrendering to the betrayal or whatever else is presenting as a challenge in your life. If you have the faith that everything happens for the highest good of your soul, you can pay attention to the dynamics. Instead of feeling like a victim of these circumstances, you can learn from them. We are all trying to learn how to be successful adults. Mastering the challenges you are faced with help you become smoother, more fluid, in flow.

Flow is the state of being where you allow everything to happen, rather than kicking and screaming along the way. We are all control freaks. We need to feel like we are in control or we don’t feel safe. Actually, we are always in control because we are the only ones who ultimately decide whether we are going to play along in a drama or not. Usually we get involved because we think we need to defend ourselves or react to what’s being thrown at us. All we really have to do is decide not to play.

DO YOU FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE OR WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE?

Having gratitude for everything is the easiest first step toward taking responsibility for your life and being able to change what you don’t like.

Remember, when any part of you refuses to take responsibility for everything about you, you are allowing someone else to run that part of your life. Whomever this someone is, they get to set the tone of your emotions. They get to decide whether you are happy or sad, anticipatory of good things or defeated. They get to do this because you are giving them permission to project at you whatever they desire, no matter how untrue it may be.

You can either accept your own individual truth, which may differ greatly from theirs, or you will agree with something untrue about you. It comes down to this choice; In every moment of life, you will either take your power or you will give it away. Each time you give your power away, you diminish your choices, your possible outcomes and you increase your separation from joy.

What do you choose for your life today? Happiness is a state of mind you have to choose from within. Nothing outside of yourself can make you feel satisfied or content with your life. You must choose this in the way that you take responsibility for all of your choices.

Choose to be in charge of yourself, it’s the best thing you can do to make your life more enjoyable. And remember, choosing ease and happiness regardless of how your life looks at any particular moment allows you to stay young and vital. ~ STAY JUICY!

~ by Lorraine E. Castro on December 2, 2014.

Posted in LIFE AFIRMING CHOICES
Tags: abundance, attitude is everything, be good to yourself, Every day's a new beginning, GOT GOD?, Hard to find happy?, help yourself, how to live, it's all simple, life lessons, New Beginnings