So much of our lives involves confronting uncomfortable situations. These situations, whether they happen in the outside world or within us, all have one thing in common: we are the experiencers of them.
That might sound obvious, but it's important.
In order to effectively deal with discomfort, regardless of how it shows up at our doorstep, we have to know who we are, the one who is dealing with the discomfort. If there's discomfort, then who are you that knows there's discomfort? Getting to the bottom of this question is fundamental to the path to well-being.
Without a solid grounding in who you are and how you relate to your heart, mind, and the outside world, you really have little chance of finding inner fulfillment.
It's too easy to get lost in the mess if you don't realize that you're the one experiencing the mess. It's too hard to create distance between you and the inner turmoil if you lose yourself in it.
There's nothing wrong with life when something happens that you don't want to happen. The problem is not with life, or the universe, or really any other person for that matter. The so-called problem is that you need things to go a certain way in order to be okay.
Why are you not okay already? What is preventing you from feeling the peace, love, joy, enthusiasm, creativity, and playfulness that you think will come in the future? What's stopping you from experiencing those things right now? Have you ever asked yourself that?
Perhaps the problem isn't that you have to face all of these uncomfortable situations. Maybe instead, the problem is that you're not willing to confront them. Maybe the reason they're uncomfortable for you is because you've created a whole blueprint of how the world needs to be in order for you to be okay, and now that they've happened, they're messing with that blueprint. Have you ever considered that?
The point isn't to stress you out about not living your life correctly. The point is to get you to ponder why you're so unwilling to face discomfort, and maybe get you to see challenges from a different light.
When all is said and done, life will carry on. The universe will do its thing. The question becomes: will you dance with it, or will you push it away?
Live with substance!
Gabe Orlowitz
