Greetings One and All ....

 

Most of us get 'out of sorts' from time to time and it can be totally disarming -- that feeling of being powerless and out of control. Today I'd like to talk about how we can regain our power and control, 'get our groove back', as it were.

There is a difference between a ‘rut’ and a ‘groove’ - it is simply our attitude.  Both are engineered by our own design. Yet, it is our perception, the way we view it as to whether we are stuck in a rut or flow with the groove.  Imagine if you will that a rut has jagged edges, while a groove is smooth and free flowing, the jagged edges being smoothed over by continual use.  When we allow life’s changes to overcome us, we stop filing down those jagged edges of our rut, but when we go with the flow, we keep the edges of our groove smooth and clean.

Getting back in the groove means change. We had to change to get out of our groove in the first place and to get back in means more change. Besides being emotionally exhausting, change can be a frightening proposition because being creatures of habit, we find a comfort level and tend to stay put, even if there is pain or discomfort involved.

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading".
Lao Tzu

There is an element of mastery involved in getting our groove back - the ability to reinvent ourselves through spiritual and physical exercise. Masters all, we have options and choices to make that will either propel us forward or force us to remain behind while life continues to revolve around us. The decision is ours -- do we stay in the rut we have whittled or do we move forward forging new experiences ? To get back in the groove of life and out of our rut we need to take control.

" Do not let circumstances control you. You change your circumstances. "
Jackie Chan

Often we give up our control to another and this may work for a short while, sort of like an emotional vacation and may have its merit. However, relinquishing our control to another debilitates our abilities to think for ourselves and once control is given over, it may be very difficult to wrestle it back. Control-freaks love the weak. Being a thinking people, we don't need to have others make our decisions for us. When we were growing up, we needed the loving guidance of our parents and family, but now as adults, we can stand on our own two feet. Beware of the power-mongers who under the guise of wanting to ‘help’, effectively remove our control by controlling us.  We don’t ever have to give up our power .. to anyone.  This is a spiritual right.

So, you may wonder … how do we retake our power .. how do we change…?  Og Mandino, a powerful inspirational speaker and author says it best.

How do I change?

If I feel depressed I will sing.
If I feel sad I will laugh.
If I feel ill I will double my labour.
If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.
If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I feel incompetent I will think of past success.
If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.
Today I will be the master of my emotions.

-Og Mandino, “The Greatest Salesman in the World”

 

Don’t be afraid of change.  Change offers us an immeasurable experience to learn and to grow.  Get out that shovel and dig your way clear of that rut, smooth out the edges of upsetment in your life and get back in the groove of things by smiling more .. at yourself and at others.   And most of all … be KIND to yourself.  You are your own best friend when it comes down to it.

Groovy !

Be blessed one and all ..