The Life Skills Approach

Today is a rather significant date in my life. 29 years ago I was diagnosed with MS and have been on an incredible journey since then. As of today, I have had this struggle for half my life. When you face a challenge you cannot control, you begin to focus on the reality you can control. I think the biggest thing that I can control to help me deal with this challenge is to go beyond thinking into the silence beyond my thoughts and connect to the Wisdom of my Body. Without this struggle, I do not think I would have been able to go beyond the thoughts that I call my life. Sometimes, the worst challenges in our life provide the most incredible opportunities.

What I am finding in silence with the Wisdom of my Body is what creates real quality in my life. Of course, I would never choose to reach this quality through an illness, but when you do not have much choice, you might as well go all the way to this depth. So, on my 29th anniversary of a tremendous hassle, I would tell you that a light shines brighter in darkness and it is an amazing gift.

The Art of Waiting
Waiting is a skill we often ignore. It may seem to have as little value as nothingness, but in Zen, nothingness is a profound state of Being. When we focus on thinking, we tend to aspire to conclusions. This could be attempting to achieve a goal, attaining a desire or simply ending what we are doing, but the art of waiting has a different focus.
With the focus on thoughts, we are much more aware of time. When our awareness goes beyond thinking, we enter a timeless moment where the Wisdom of the Body choreographs our life. The frustration of waiting is our resistance to letting go of our habitual habit of focusing on thinking. Imagine if waiting opened the door to creativity and spirituality. If that happened, waiting would be a gift that was not resisted.
Now let us look at impatience. That is when your awareness has no comfortable place to land. Maybe you were expecting something, but there is nothing comforting to land your awareness on. Let me propose an alternative; you do not have to look to thoughts to comfort you.
If you developed a habit of having your awareness and breath entering the silence beyond your thoughts, your wait would find a comfortable place to land. You do not have to be a philosopher to appreciate the silence beyond your thoughts; you need a habit that is associated to no understanding. If you just create the habit of breathing into silence, that simple comfort justifies your effort. To many, understanding justifies our actions, but sometimes understanding limits you. When you want to go beyond thinking, understanding that justifies your actions limits you to focusing on your thoughts.
In Life Skills Inc., I develop the skills that embrace silence. There inner wisdom finds the comfort we all need. Go to http://ahealthywaytobesick.org to download an e-book that teaches you this simple skill.
© Marc Lerner and Life Skills 2010