“Every moment in every person’s life contains the teaching most needed at that time.”
One of the principal learning foundations in 100Pedals is “Embrace Responsibility” — we are where we are at this point in our life because we are supposed to be. When I read this quote and the studied the subsequent thoughts, I easily and readily related to it.
There are many situations in our lives which lead to negative feelings. These emotions – fear, anxiety, worry, pain, distrust, or mistrust — prevents us from discovering the real educational lesson of the moment. Most times when faced with an obstacle or a crisis our reaction is to gear up for battle and brace ourselves to fight through it — looking forward to the moment when we can put it behind us. Lost in this battle mindset is the thoughts that every adversity, crisis, or challenge is also a learning opportunity. It is an opportunity to learn about ourselves, to discover new ideas, approaches, or options, and to embrace the challenge as an experience to celebrate once we have moved through it. And, it is very likely something that we need to learn and experience in preparation for the rest of our journey.
Working through these obstacles in both a positive and productive fashion requires us to embrace, in trust and confidence, this is an experience we have been tasked to engage in while living and learning from it in the process. Introducing negative, adverse, or ego based emotions into the situation only slows our progress and blocks our ability to embrace the true educational opportunity in the experience.
According to this teaching in the I-Ching, when faced with the reality of our adversity…
“…our only task is to trust the process and allow the lesson to seep in…Let go of dark thoughts and aggressive actions. By returning to acceptance and neutrality, you dissolve the opposition within yourself and open the way for understanding…“
When I was struggling to gain my footing and find peace in the midst of my issues with Brandon’s addiction and my subsequent business challenges, the more I fought for what I defined to be the desired outcome, the more I struggled to find it. Once I got on my bike and started riding, I discovered the peace and energy that came from the meditative, positive experiences of those rides; I was able to let go of what I could not control and I became open and more receptive to the learning opportunities that were placed before me.
In letting go of what I could not control, I learned to become more clear about my passion, my purpose, and my vision for my life. As I became clear about who I was, what I stood for, and where I was going, I found an incredible peace in that reality. Despite the pain, chaos, and frustration around me, I was able to step back, accept the situation for what it was, and begin to embrace the powerful lesson of the experience.
Much of what occurs to us and around us is beyond our control. Trying to take control over what we have no control over is a waste of time. Trying to understand why this is happening to us, is an exercise in insanity.
The best course of action is to go to that place of peaceful clarity, trust there is an important learning component for our journey, and embrace the lesson and the experience placed before you. Once you discover and embrace that mindset, you will move forward in relaxed confidence that this is where I am supposed to be at this point in time and I am okay with it.
