I had talked earlier about acceptance. I think to fully accept your challenge a good question is - if my challenge never went away, what would it teach me? So I asked myself that question – what if my challenge (of not falling asleep quickly at night) were to stay with me forever? What if that was just the way things were meant to be and no matter what I did it would not change the situation? I sat with that for a moment and then asked myself if that were the case, what is this challenge meant to teach me? I immediately heard a voice in my head say ‘patience, to slow down'.
Okay I thought, that resonates with me. I am often in a hurry, I want to get places quickly, get things done efficiently. What if my challenge was not at all about sleeping but it was about my lifestyle, my attitude and my ability to slow down and be more present in the moment?
Cool. Now I have a new focus, a new and exciting challenge, one that I feel motivated to work on and to experiment with. So I invite you to do the same exercise. Ask yourself if your challenge never goes away, what is it meant to teach you, how is it meant to guide you? You may get an immediate answer or it may take some time but I think the answer or guidance will come to you – maybe in a dream, maybe in a meditation, maybe some advice from a friend will resonate for you with regard to your struggle.
By using the complete acceptance exercise and some of the other exercises we have done, I believe you can discover what your challenge really about! So you could say that complete acceptance, exploration and openness to the guidance that follows will bring you a deeper truth and maybe a new focus or an area to pay attention to. Like I tell my clients - focus on what you want more of, so I am taking the focus off my struggle and putting it on slowing down and being patient.
I would love to hear how you do with this exercise. Feel free to respond to this exercise or leave a comment below or on my Facebook page.
Blessings,
Jackie