Working with a client recently, I had the opportunity to share this incredible insight:
Nothing is ever a problem, until you say it is.
That means there can be no such thing as a problem, ever.
That is, there can be no such thing as a problem until you declare it so.
“Problem” is simply a label we put on a situation to deny acceptance of it. So, if your car transmission goes on the fritz, you might just decide that’s a problem.
The mechanic you take it to will probably see it differently. To the mechanic, it’s an opportunity. He’s likely to say, “Broken transmission? No problem.”
One person’s “problem” can be another person’s fortune—and acceptance of the situation is the determining factor for satisfaction and prosperity, or struggle and strife.
Even Albert Einstein once said that you cannot fix a problem with the same mind that created it. He meant that to produce a desired outcome, we’ve got to shift out of the “problem” mindset and into a positive state of being.
In his book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle writes that we create and even maintain our “problems” because they provide us with a sense of identity. This may well explain why some people hold on to old pain and suffering far beyond its ability to serve them.
Humans are, as far as we know, the only animals who persecute themselves by replaying their past mistakes over and over again in their minds. We continually punish ourselves by allowing feelings of shame and regret to shape our feelings and actions in the present moment. It goes something like: “This is who I am and who I intend to be until further notice.”
Others cling to frustration and worry about the future, as if this somehow gives them power; it really only makes them ill. Many hold stress in their minds and bodies, creating serious health issues, and eventually come to accept that state of disease as “normal” or genetic.
When my pain was at its most crippling, I thought AS was the worst thing that ever happened to me. It really did seem to be a towering and undeniable problem. Now I clearly see how it provided me with a hidden opportunity for shaming and blaming myself, and there was no resolution or recovery from there.
Yet when I shifted out of the “problem” mentality, my dis-ease opened a door to dynamic personal growth, which for me evolved into true and total healing.
A remarkable transformation can occur in almost anyone who honestly focuses on what they can gain from their challenges. It sounds simple, but this ancient advice says it all:
“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.”
In every moment of your life there is a chance to let go of pain and suffering. In the coming weeks I will share with you how to release pain, frustration, anger and stress from your life. Here are a few basic points to get you started:
How to Let Go of Frustration
- Change your perception and determine that your “problems” are opportunities in disguise.
- Channel your discontents into immediate positive actions. Read that inspirational book on your shelf, listen to uplifting music or choose another activity that empowers you.
- Use meditation or yoga to bring you into the present moment instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
- Make a list of your accomplishments—including the small ones—and add to it daily. This causes you to let go of discontentment in order to make space for self-satisfaction.
- Visualize a box in your head labeled “Expectations.” Whenever you catch yourself dwelling on how things should or shouldn’t be, mentally shelve those thoughts in the box and leave them alone.
- Let go of wasting time and energy on what you do not control. Instead, express your feelings through a creative outlet like blogging or painting. This creates a visual reminder that you have actively chosen to release hurtful feelings.
- Engage in a physical activity at least once a day. Exercise decreases stress and increases endorphins and other chemicals that improve your state of mind.
Choose the items that make the most sense to you right now, and use them. You will soon discover that these small steps can make a huge and powerful impact in your life.
To your lasting success –
Peter