Episode 27 – Our battle with life

• I believe that often we battle with life
• Our life. The life we’ve been given
• For One – We don’t accept it
• Its starts in our childhood
• I am amazed how many people have lived through some kind of drama in their life
• Abuse, disengaged parents, harassment in school, isolation, and more
• So it starts there
• We feel somehow responsible for it all
• And knowing we carry this load we single ourselves out
• We often believe to be different from everyone, not fitting in with the rest
• And we seek a different way of life
• Instead of healing, working through whatever troubles us – we let it be a stain, a burden that we constantly carry around
• We let it define our life
• And it creates a sense of deficiency within us
• A sense of things missing
• and out of this deficiency, we then build an agenda for the rest of our life
• this agenda is a notion in our mind of what life should look like
• an image of the life we want
• we attach to Expectations of what our life should be like
• there is nothing wrong with wanting from life, desiring a certain life
• the problem is that our wants and needs come from this place of insufficiency
• We perceive we need to have things to fill that void inside
• That void that we never really addressed
• And therefore, whenever we fill it with something – it appears to fulfill our needs for a while but soon we have another void that we are looking to fill yet again
• And that leads to – Two -We are living in distance from ourselves
• We always do stuff
• We run from one task to the next
• We are in a constant pursuit of the life we think we need to live
• You heard me call it the hamster wheel – the endless hunt for the next big thing to fill that void
  • A better car
  • A bigger house
  • A promotion
  • More clothes
  • And so on
• We distract ourselves so we don’t have to face ourselves
• We are afraid of the emptiness we might face
• The emptiness of this endless hunt for more things
• Deep in our heart we know the futility of all this
• And maybe that is why we don’t stop to pause
• We are afraid we might not like what we hear or see
• You know how you are disconnected?
• When you are angry, bitter, feeling depressed and unhappy with life –
• You are constantly judging yourself, basically telling yourself that you are not good enough
• It’s a sign that you are separated from your heart
• When you’re chasing your expectations, and notice that you can never really meet them – then dissatisfaction arises
• And you drown your dissatisfaction and your unmet expectations – alcohol, food, drugs, TV, material possessions, other addictions
• When you have it all but you really don’t have anything
• Because your heart is still yearning to be heard, to be paid attention to
• Because that nice new Ferrari or that 300 inch television or that newly installed pool – they don’t involve the needs in our heart
• We simply close ourselves off from our heart

• Material possessions and a rich life are not bad
• We all deserve to live well
• But they are not the means to a happy and fulfilled life
• They contribute, yes, they put our mind at ease
• But our heart hasn’t been paid attention to

• End the battle with life and start living in truth
• Address your pain and your bitterness first
• That’s what we came her to do – to heal and find your purpose
• Material possessions are the icing on top of a fulfilled life
• First – we have to do the work
• And that work may first involve some healing from past hurt, whether conscious or not

• Find you pain, find your heartbreak, and the disconnect with yourself will become clear to you
• That’s why loving yourself can be so hard
• Because there are barriers to overcome first
• Whatever they may be – you need to face them. Address them, and be very clear about what they are
• You can’t ignore them
• You can’t pretend it didn’t happen
• You have to face up to it – look your fear and your pain right in the eye and then move thru it with courage – one step at the time
• Then – and only then – will the world open up for you with all its beauty
• Anything else is not living in your true self
• Its merely a distraction from your true life

• In order to heal, in order to end this battle with life, you first have to listen
• Become quiet and listen
• That is the one major task so many of us can never get to
• It’s the most important task
• We don’t need to cover anything else – if you cannot become quiet and listen to your inner self, to God, to the universe, whatever you believe is the guiding force in your life – then our work has no direction

• We always have noise going on – mostly its our own talking – either aloud or in pur minds
• We talk way to much
• Text, and email, and in our head – we always talk
• Even when we pray – we always talk
• Saying the same things over and over again
• Just to make sure God really is clear on how important things are
• We never listen
• Why ? because we don’t want to hear the answer
• When we don’t talk, we shop, we buy, we create needs in our mind – what else is wrong with our life that we need to address?
• We battle with life
• We don’t accept what is
• Become one with yourself first
• Bridge the gap of separation
• I have listened to a lot of people speak – people that shine in this world and make a difference
• And I noticed that all of them went through some sort of pain or struggle
• And in their quest to overcome, work through, address and find acceptance – they have come to see the light
• They often use their healing process and turn it around into something amazing – by giving back, by contributing to a greater good in some way

• You can do the same
• But you have to become still first, and listen
• Then ask the questions you need answers to and if you are dedicated and serious, the answers will come to you
• Maybe not right away – but if you practice listening, they will
• That’s why praying for the same thing over and over again doesn’t lead to anything
• Ask once and then allow room for answers by listening
• They will come
• You need faith
• Faith means believing first and then seeing
• And faith will guide you through your healing process
• Remember your heart – you first need to live in harmony and connection with yourself
• Be kind and loving to yourself first
• Listen to your guiding voice for steps to lead you through your healing journey
• And from there life will take on a different meaning
• Worldly possessions will enrich your life, not filling a void
• Because you have filled that void – you have addresses the pain and now you come from a place of balance and harmony with life

So ask yourself –

• Do you have a daily practice of devotion?
• When do you become still?
• Find that time to be quiet with life – its essential
• You will be amazed what will revealed to you in such a quiet time

Ending with a quote from the Stoics, who understood this as well:

Epictetus, and Stoicism in general, is captured with this phrase: “Happiness is not getting what we want, but wanting what we get.”

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