Wow! I Could Never Do That!

Have you ever watched someone doing something extraordinary and heard yourself saying, “I could never do that!”? I’d bet you have. Why? Because that’s how the aspect of the ego-mind I call your ‘sense of otherness’ works. This inner censor is creatively swift at diffusing any desire that may arise when you see another person do things from a place of fearlessness and full presence.

You may not necessarily want to do the same thing that person is doing, but wouldn’t you love to do the things you want with the same passion, commitment, and abandon as those great performers, artists, and celebrities you admire? What do you think is the difference between them and you? Why do you think they go for what they want without apologies while you remain stuck in the mental pattern that repeats, “I could never…”?

I’ll give you the answer before your sense of otherness comes up with a million excuses: they’re completely focused on what they’re doing and do not care about what others think. Absolutely nothing outside their current goal matters, so they do not let anything get in the way of what they’re doing. In other words, they’re completely committed to themselves in the present moment, unknowingly touching the spark of their divinity: that’s why they’re on fire!

I used to do Vipassana retreats when I first started on the spiritual path. Vipassana is the original meditation method taught by Gautama Buddha; it’s a very effective system aimed at clearing the ego to gain a global, truer vision of life. Vipassana means “to see things as they really are.” My first 30-day retreat was a bit too austere and quite hard on my knees, but it certainly taught me how predictable the ego-mind is.

I observed how each one of the participants went through the exact emotions I was going through. We all complained about the food; we all got a ‘spiritualized’ ego and felt above everyone else; we all saw old physical ailments come up to the surface; and of course, we all wanted to stop and leave the retreat at some point. And so on. We were all one and the same mind going through the same ego-based resistance!

Removing Emotional Resistance Is What It’s All About

I learned ever since to watch my reactions to everything I engage with, both the internal subtle emotions as well as those reflected on the outside world through others, because I know that my sense of otherness (the inner judge and censor) is going to try to stop me whenever I set out to accomplish something I really want. The same applies to you. Whether you want to build a business, write a book, learn an instrument, create a work of art, or get to know who you are to feel emotionally free, you’ll invariably reach stopping points along the way.

If you stop, well, you obviously won’t be able to accomplish what you wanted. If you deviate because you think you need to learn or add something else, then you’ll stall your process. Now, if you don’t stop, you’ll reach a higher level of awareness and self-empowerment. This happens with anything, really, but the more aligned with your soul purpose your goal is, the stronger the resistance from the ego-mind becomes.

In truth, growing on a personal or spiritual level is the process of removing resistance: resistance to experiencing the love, joy, and peace that is your true nature; to uncovering the sense of self that connects you to the cosmos and the Oneness of all; to living from the true YOU that hides behind the mental and emotional layers of your soul; to becoming one-in-yourself, free to do what you want and express who you really are.

Those people you admire—who live life from their center and not the sense of otherness that compares and separates—are no different than you. They’ve simply chosen to delve deeply in what they do and use their emotions to fuel the fire that keeps them going. They’ve decided to get out of the rut of patterns like, “I could never do that” and make the leap into new beliefs such as: “I can do that, and I can do it my way!”

No matter how stagnant you’ve become or how identified with the sense of otherness that keeps you small, it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. After all, the only thing stopping you is you, which is also the only thing in life you can really gain control and take charge of. So contact me today if you’re ready to drop your self-defeating patterns and own your unique spirit with its extraordinary creative potential for love, for success, and for life!

© 2015 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.