I've been reading Leo Babauta's ideas for many years now and I enjoy his style. Come to think of it, the way he thinks, experiments, reflects and writes about all his experiences and personal growth is an inspiration to me. I enjoy that he is not too loud. He does not follow me on social media. He does not track me on Google. He is just there in my email box. He writes a lot and that is positive. His ideas move me.
His latest insight is that many of us are operating from an old programming, often from childhood. This programming has grown into a set of beliefs, a self-image, and a set of actions that feel like the only way to do things. He has found that they limit us every day.
Leo focuses on growth and expansion because we are much more unlimited than that.
I love that belief!
I too believe that we are capable of so much more than we are right now.
Sometimes I have a lot of thoughts looping around in my head. This often leads to confusion on my part. I feel overwhelmed. A feeling of sadness lurks around the corner. I feel tired and a little lost.
This is a great moment for the art of letting go.
The way we perceive the world is from the inside out. Our thoughts are triggers. They trigger how we feel.
When I think about the art of letting go, I remember Buddha's suggestion: "Let go of the thought."
Deliberately letting go of a thought is a skill that requires discipline. Often I hold on to the thoughts that go around in circles. And then, after I have thought a little more about dropping the thoughts that are bothering me, they are gone.
Just like that.
They have left me without even saying goodbye.
I want to believe that they left me because I let them go. This belief strengthens me.
There are other ways to let go too.
One particularly successful and quick way is to do something different right away. You can move your body, drink a glass of water, or breathe differently.
Dan Brulé wrote a book called "Just Breathe". This is a great book to read if you want to learn new breathing techniques. There are many suggestions for breathing styles that can lead to significant immediate changes in your well-being.
Another way is to shift your focus to another issue. If you have a greater thing to strive for, focusing on it again will help you to let go of the disturbing thoughts as well. Moving toward your greater cause is always better than clinging to negative thoughts. The greater cause will absorb everything.
I have noticed that my thoughts are also better when I am swimming, walking, or running. This is not just while I am active. It is also true on days when I am less active.
Good thoughts lead to good feelings, which lead to enjoyable activities. If I do not enjoy the activities, I do not feel good and I think demotivating thoughts. This leads to the understanding that new and better thoughts lead to better feelings and therefore motivating activities.
Bring on the new thoughts!
