Sometimes, our conditioning is so strong that we can't see how much we're getting in our own way.
The old storylines can become so well rehearsed, so familiar, that we might not be able to see where we're fooling ourselves.
For many people, life has wounded us in unspeakable, often heartbreaking ways and many folks operate in life from those wounds long after the wounds originated.
The human mind can be very tricky in this way...
We are more capable than ever before and yet, we forget our creative potential and capacity for change.
We have more freedom and opportunity today than our ancestors did, but we stay stuck in unfulfilling relationships and soul-sucking jobs.
Culturally, we emphasize self-development and inner work but still wait for something external to shift before we allow ourselves to begin to live fully.
Sometimes, we sense, feel, and know that more is possible, but we can't see beyond our old ways of operating to truly create change.
And not because we're bad or wrong, but because we're actually at a moment in time when there truly is no blueprint for what we are creating next.
The old structures are vastly in need of an upgrade and crumbling quickly. Humanity, our Earth, and the world need something brand new in order to create a sustainable future for everyone involved.
We are being asked by life to upgrade our conditioned ways of being so we can create the change(s) we so desperately wish to see in our world.
For ourselves, and each other.
And everything is being called into question:
How we spend our time
The ways we produce and consume
Where we spend our money
How we relate to rest
Who we gather with
How we relate to each other, our bodies, and the Earth...
Our old ways of relating seem to be demanding something new, and in creating this new way, all of our old coping mechanisms are dying (which can be very uncomfortable btw).
When there is death, especially when this death means that the path forward is largely uncertain, we may feel stuck, frustrated, lost, or even alone.
The purpose of death, however, is not only to teach us about letting go, it is also about bringing new life forward.
In these moments of death, life is simply asking us to explore what else is possible. Life is inviting us to let go of the old so that new life can take shape.
It is within each and every one of us to create something new, even when we feel we are the most stuck. How we live, speak, walk, and embody what we choose to believe, moment to moment is the path forward, uncertain as it may be.
We are never truly stuck, but when we feel like we are, it can be helpful to ask:
What might life be asking me to learn from this experience, right here and now?
I believe there is always a way forward and that way comes from tending to the parts of ourselves that are hurting, afraid, or out of alignment with our own love and attention.
Offering our full presence to the parts that feel stuck, overwhelmed, or helpless can help us to re-align ourselves back toward wholeness and thriving when done with love at the center.
Remember, the path forward is created in each moment. One step at a time.