Don’t Believe Everything You Think

Photo: Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Irleland, August 2007, Renee Trudeau

The two weeks before Thanksgiving were really stressful for me. I was feeling pulled in too many directions by work, had countless deadlines breathing down my back and I was feeling discouraged by the amount of time/resources I was putting into a project–that was only just getting off the ground. I felt overwhelmed by my inbox, requests from others for help and demands from family–I was cooked!

One of the things that most frustrated me about that crazy period was that I had lost perspective–and I knew it.

My thoughts were tiresome, stressful and repetitive. I could feel how “stuck” I was and all I could do was pray for a change in perspective.

Author/teacher Byron Katie (www.thework.com), says “An unquestioned mind is the world of suffering. There are no new stressful thoughts. They’re all recycled.”

So true. I’ve always loved the saying “Don’t believe everything you think.” When I’m feeling stuck, I try to remember this phrase and not take myself–or my thinking–too seriously!

And, finally, clarity and relief did come (it always does in its own sweet time, doesn’t it?).

After slowing down, going for a hike on the greenbelt with my family and releasing some of my self-imposed ideas about how things “should be going,” I was able to finally ease up, relax and start living in the present: the only place we can be assured of true inner peace, right?

The photo I took above of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland–a stunning sight–helps me gain perspective on my life. The vastness of the rock wall and ocean reminds me of how trivial my problem du jour really is and how essential it is that I trust in that which is greater than me.

Thank you God for the opportunity to–at any moment–change how we see things.