Take the First Step

“You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”?– Martin Luther King

What is it that causes us to constantly battle stress, anxious thoughts, and worry?

Why are some people calm in the face of life’s many challenges and others are significantly traumatized well after the event is over??

To understand this fully, we must understand how our surroundings and conditioning early in life, have influenced the way we see our world currently.?

As an infant, we arrive into the world filled with wonder and awe without judgement or wondering if something is good or bad, right or wrong, dangerous or safe. Completely dependent on adults for everything, an infant begins their journey of learning what is okay and not okay from their parents, caregivers, daycare providers, and families.?

Once we have reached school age, more circumstances and influences from teachers, friends, and more social settings, mold us into conforming to what is expected of us.?By the time we reach adulthood, there is a LOT to unpack.?

Witnessing the development of personality from infancy through childhood is fascinating and revealing,?as to what forces may have altered the way of seeing the world from our original state of happiness, trust, and curiosity.

We cannot change the past, how we were raised, or how it has effected us.?It took me a long time to understand that this was also true for my parents.?They, like myself, were products of their conditioning. We inherit generational trauma and conditioning, but we are not doomed to continue the pattern.

Everyone faces situations daily that challenge us. No one is immune.?In the face of a challenge, we reflexively fall back into how we have been conditioned to react, unless we have learned how to see life differently.?This is something that will challenge us the rest of our lives, especially when we are not paying attention to what is going on inside of us (instead of reacting to what is going on outside of us).?

If we believe circumstances outside of us have total control over the life we experience with the power to actually cause our feelings, we will remain trapped in endless worry, stress, anxiety, and depression.?

How can we change the way we see the world??

It is crucial to understand that we are not our thoughts or conditioning.?

You are a spiritual being who came into this world to inhabit your current body and to experience mortality for a little while.?The way out of stress, anxiety, worry, and more unhealthy patterns of thinking, is to understand this concept. You are so much more than your body and human brain!

Your brain is a complex, amazing computer-like organ of your body that collects data, recalls circumstances, and patterns. Its job is to protect your physical body from danger and allow you to survive mortality. It is NOT well equipped to be the master of your spiritual identity.?The functioning of the brain is often at odds with the workings of your spiritual identity.?

Focusing on the present moment, right now, exactly as it is, without reliving the past memories or catastrophizing?about an uncertain future, is the key to change. ?

When our thoughts are trapped in past memories and future worry, our feelings will be attached to those unhealthy patterns of thinking, blocking access to our inner spiritual wisdom. Guidance from our spiritual essence creates feelings of calm, peace, self-direction, and choice in what the best course of action is in this moment.?It creates brief moments of clarity in the midst of our constant thought storm. ?

Taking the first step away from anxious thinking and worry is the hardest. ?

It is not necessary to see clearly what the future may hold. We are not meant to know. We are here to experience life one moment at a time. Happy moments and painful moments do not last. We are meant to experience both, so we can evolve and grow.?

You can return home to your deepest self in the space between breaths, in the still of the night, in the quiet moments of the early morning.?In silence and reflection, you will find your way back to your spiritual home every time. ?

Take that first step.?The next step will become easier and easier with practice.?

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For Resources and Support:?Linktr.ee/elykins?

• Get Chapter One of My Book: Reflections on Transcendence - Second Edition ?is a mindfulness-based book of meditations and reflections,?featuring the artwork of renowned expressionist artist, the late Steve Lyons. Sample the first chapter for free!?
• Transformational Coaching? - If you are a professional having a difficult time managing stressful thinking, unhappiness, and constant worry, in spite of your successes,?message me to schedule a call to see if we are a good fit.?