There was a Japanese Zen master named Nan-in who lived during the Meiji era (1868-1912). During his days as a teacher, he was visited by a university professor curious about Zen.
Being polite, Nan-in served the professor a cup of tea.
As he poured, the professor’s cup became full, but Nan-in kept on pouring. As the professor watched the cup overflow, he could no longer contain himself and said, “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
Nan-in turned to the professor and said, “Like the cup, you are too full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
When you want to have a different life experience than you are having now, there is are a few things that you should start with and the first is empty your bucket.
How? Just by deciding you will. You can at any moment in time empty the bucket. Let go of the ideas that you believe that define you.
I heard Bentinho Massaro say once that if something were crucial, if it would be a matter of life or death, you would definitely change in an instant.
If you heard that you had created cancer in your body, and you knew without a doubt that only positive feeling and positive thinking could help you create a healthy body you would be vigilantly positive and you would STOP anything that would not serve your healing process. Or?
I remember when I created having to create a new place to live and quickly too. First I thought of and felt this Seth quote: “ You set yourself problems in the hope that you will solve them, not like millstones around your neck.” And I realised I had created this because I wanted to experience the magic and the power that I had in my own body, mind and soul.
There were times that I wanted to break down into misery, self-pity and panic and I always stopped myself knowing that I would create a lot of problems in finding a space.
I hung reminders throughout my whole apartment saying: Let it Be Easy, I Allow it to Be Easy, Let it Be Easy. And whenever I would read these reminders I would feel the relief of them.
I emptied my bucket. The bucket that said [through other people too!] it’s not possible to find something perfect so quickly, especially in Berlin. I got a lot of replies to my inquiry for housing for my and Binkie saying that cats where not allowed in the place, etc. etc. But I knew it was possible, I knew that I would arrange it, I knew I had to empty my bucket and fill it with trust, with ease, with belief in myself.
What are you working on? Is it more money? Is it a better love-life? Is it health? Focus on one of these at a time, and empty yourself with regards to this topic.
First decide that you’re doing this. Then become aware of the story you tell yourself constantly with regard to this topic, because you are telling yourself something to the contrary, otherwise you wouldn’t have your current life experience. It’s not in the debris of your mind, really, it’s on top you can catch the thought, all you need is a clear intention.
Every time you catch a thought, be happy you caught it! Don’t judge yourself or beat yourself up, say: YES! I caught one, and say the opposite. Feel the opposite, conjure up the opposite feeling within yourself.
Find a meditation on Youtube that focuses on this specific topic and listen to it before you get out of bed first thing in the morning, when you’re still drowsy for about 15 to 25 minutes.
And when you go to bed, fall asleep with it.
Before you know it you will see your life start to change. I promise you. You are constantly moving through versions of yourself, why not move through versions of yourself that are constantly changing into an even happier version of you and towards and into the you that is beckoning you from “the future”.
Nothing in your life is random my dear. Not you being here in life and not reading this blogpost.
Everything works towards creating something great for you.
Before I leave you to ponder this, also consider this: When are beliefs formed? Well when can they be formed when there’s only simultaneous time? That’s right…
NOW.
With Love,
Monique