What is Life offering you?

You have heard the term “perception”. It is a term used in psychology that describes the way we see others and the world. Perception is made of beliefs, values and your own philosophies about life. They are your unconscious programs. 

The root of our perception comes from childhood. From 0 to 7 years old we learn our deep conditioning in the environment we live in, we get most of our imprints, positive and negative ones.

After 7 we start paying more attention to the world outside. We go to school, we may get teased, bullied, validated, honored, and those experiences become part of our beliefs - perception, in others words how we define the world and how we see ourselves.

Then as an adult, we still program ourselves by making positive or limiting decisions , which lead to limiting beliefs. Example, in freshman college your heart gets broken, you were so in love and the pain is so deep that you decide to “never” open your heart that way again and just focus on career. That is a common decision. 

Of course many forget that decision that is deeply programmed in the unconscious mind and they will get in many disastrous relationships, until the program is changed. 

That is the power we have, the power of our unconscious mind which rules 95% of everything we do. 

We are living in an era right now of major changes. None of us has lived through a pandemic before, during lock downs, or had to wear masks. The side effects of the pandemic and the fear are creating tremendous transformation in our lives. More for those who lost their jobs, lost income, lost a loving one to the virus, got locked at home in an abusive situation or got divorced as a result of the stress. 

It would be very easy to look a life now and say “life is taking way” so much from us. 

Is it? 

I am in the midst of closing my fitness studio, after 5+ years. The studio has been my playground, a place of teaching health, connecting, a place of creating and for economical reasons, it is time to close. 

I went through the emotions of sadness, anger, grief, depression, anxiety, fear…all the normal emotions that come when we “lose” something or someone that we care about. 

Since I was a teenager, I had this wisdom in me: I believed that we never really lose, that by letting something go, we create space to attract-create something which will serve us better, that will be for our highest good. (not in regards of death of a loving one)

I know this sounds mumbo jumbo for many, like a positive thinking b.s. when the truth is life sucks and let’s admit it. I am able to admit that life is hard and at the same time, it is teaching me something valuable. You can feel both, that way we stay open to potential and possibilities. That is the key. 

The art comes in opening our hearts to life when we feel like closing. 

I still believe that, even more now at 50. That perception does not take away the pain of loss. It takes way the suffering, it takes away the temptation to create a new limiting decision, like “ I will never open a business again or that I am not made to be an entrepreneur”. That would close my mind and heart to new potential and possibilities. I have no idea what Life has in store for me or for all of us as a collective. That is believing in the magic and mystery, which I feel we lost specially in the Western culture. We became so materialist, so fixed minds, so focused on matter that we disconnected from nature and the mysticism.

If we approach each day as life is always working for us, we can see life as a teacher. Things are in constant movement like nature and the suffering comes when we want things to stay the same, so we can feel secure, which is an illusion. That is an ego's need. Our spirit always feels safe and secure and we access that feeling by connecting with our deep heart. Suffering comes when we don’t accept conditions or people as they are and/or when we disconnect from our hearts - our spirit.

Life is changing in a pace that I never felt like before. Maybe is me, maybe is the Universe, not sure. I just feel like the moment I cling to the need of security, need for life to be other than it is, need to have guarantees, I suffer. I get highjacked by fear and that is suffering because we lose our true power in the state of fear.

What comforts me so much right now is the idea of possibilities. Is the curiosity in me that begets the question - “What great things will come from this transition? From making my life simple, working from home?”

Curiosity tames fear and anxiety. Curiosity expands us, anxiety constricts us. They both refer to the future, so where we place our attention, possibilities or limitations will determine how we feel and experience this life right now. That is perception, the lenses you choose to look at things right now. 

I am not encouraging anyone to be in denial of life, in denial of a virus or a crisis. 

I am just inviting you to deny beliefs-perceptions that might not be serving you. Deny judgment, deny fear, deny separation, deny closed mind. 

We have so much power to influence how we feel and how we perceive life. 

I believe life is magic, that life is beautiful, even in the pain because pain teaches us. Pain might teach us to open our hearts, to care for our bodies with more love, to be more compassionate, more humble, to live more simply, to practice more stillness. 

Life is asking us to heal. Life is offering us time, space to go inside and really heal our wounds, let go the past, let go the limiting beliefs, so we can all rise, live in higher levels of consciousness and find what gives our lives meaning. 

Many are asking questions about their career, relationships, spirituality, values…when we watch structures in our own lives and outside collapsing, we must pause, question and reflect. We must have the courage to question ourselves.

We cling, we attach and that promotes suffering because that is resisting the changes. 

We are being challenged to question our beliefs, our values. We are being pushed to transform and we can work with this force, or resist it. Choice is yours, just know that nature is much stronger than us. Resisting would be like swimming against the current of the river.

Go in the current. Let go the old oars that are worn out. 

I offer you three qualities to work on because they help us to navigate these times with positivity, love and strength:

- Courage, curiosity and compassion. 

Look at your challenges as opportunities. What is Life offering you right now? 

Much love, Alex. 

P.S.: Want book a coaching session? Just contact me at alex@vitalestudio.com