Why the story loses its appeal

At some stage, the story and details you share to describe who you are no longer resonate. The drama, entertainment value and emotional triggers lose their appeal. You do nothing and watch elements of the identity you construct fall away of their own accord. The urge to offer credentials or opinions fades.  Listening replaces talking.

In essence, you systematically see through layers of your self-created illusions.  You recognize reasons for attachment and detachment, and outgrow certain ways of experiencing the world. You begin to realize it is part of life to feel and let go of all perceptions, not only those that evoke negativity, but also those that trigger positive and uplifing feelings.  Perceptions of lows and highs are all transitions guiding you home. What is natural unfolds through it all.  The mind has selective awareness.  The heart always knows what is meaningful.  As heart and mind are seen as one, be that.

"Renunciation is not getting rid of the things of this world, but accepting that they pass away." -Aitken Roshi

Take what is given

Everything is present now.  To want more or assume something is missing, is to block what is already given. In essence, you imagine barriers that block the truth of who you are.  You selectively forget.  The mind gets focused on its own dualistic ideas, beliefs and perceptions that come to shape what you see. You are conditioned to view yourself as separate from all others. The more you narrow and compare individual views, the more of reality beyond it is cut off. Instead of taking, you resist what is given

All-the-while, something within longs you to heal any sense of difference. Through the lens of divine love, all is one. Spirit is never confined as mind believes. As you let go of the part of the mind that craves, newer, better, different, or extraordinary experiences, the simple and ordinary are illuminated. Peace and contentment unveil themselves as constant companions. Awareness speaks. Nothing seen through filters has meaning.

"Take all that is given whether wealth, love or language, nothing comes by mistake and with good digestion all can be turned to health." -George Herbert

Untrain the mind

Everything you think and feel is a clue to the cause and effect of what you perceive in the world.  Each thought invites a comparison and then, judgment arises.   According to the conditioned mind, no neutral thoughts exist.  Notice how focusing on thoughts creates beliefs and habits.  Even before something happens, you assume history is to repeat or the future is worriesome. You dwell on fear unless you untrain the mind. 

Consider how you train the mind.  If, at some stage, you injure yourself while doing something you enjoy, physical pain may trigger that memory and fear may now hold you back.  If you applied for a job in an area of interest and were unsuccessful, you may be discouraged from applying for a similar role, fearing failure or rejection.  If, you have broken or difficult relationships, you may fear getting involved with someone new. If you regret something you said and dwell on negativity or are angry about something someone else has said, harbour grudges, this prevents you from moving on.  You see the world you have made but do not always register you are the source of all you see.

Recognize no thought is neutral.  The world does not think a certain way. It simply reflects back what you are thinking though your experience. Perception is not the cause of reality but the lens through which you selectively filter and choose to see reality.  You raise awareness by noticing your life unfolds based on choices to love or fear.  Notice your focus is not so much on what you see as how you see it. 

"Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them." 
-Rabindranath Tagore

Know the power of release

For everything, there exists a season. You may reach stages in life when you sense inner conflict and contemplate accepting the discomfort or, ignore it as long as you can. Whatever you believe and fear becomes what you perceive.  This also what you come to think you learn and unlearn or let go.   Notice what else is happening.

There is no conflict when you focus attention on what is consistent and real. The mind's decision about what is real does not change the truth. As you outgrow ego perceptions and willingly shift focus, you can also abandon what is felt as the source of conflict.  Know the power of releasing what is not you. That which remains is nothing.

"To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go." -Lao Tzu

Allow authenticity to speak

Every moment, the mind thinks and speaks using words.  What you choose to utter reveals your sense of self-worth and much more about you than you realize.  What do you hear yourself say? What are your word choices telling you about authenticity?

Authenticity is unconditional love.  Being this is doing nothing but implicitly accepting who you are without fear. It is seeing life energy, the shared force, in everything. It is all seen through the lens of love. You are aware the conditioned mind blocks you from seeing universal oneness. When you say "I think," this echoes a sense of doubt or dissatisfaction already. Notice what you imagine into being for whatever purpose you also imagine.  Allow or resist presence that is, the unwavering love that embraces all.

Choose to truly listen. What do you notice? Write down some of the words you use. Notice the feelings that aise.  Be aware of emotions. Words are defined concepts that are, by nature, limiting. Even now, you are invited to learn and unlearn self-perception. Notice thoughts and feelings may draw attention to reasons for feeling less than perfect, less than unconditional love, peace, balance and well-being, that are all inside.

"All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind."
- Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam