We've all been there. "If I just move, get a new job, a new relationship, find new friends, then my life will be different." While this may work for awhile -- like a vacation lifts your spirits and refreshes your body and soul -- it won't last. Why? Because, wherever YOU go, there YOU are. It is impossible to escape yourSELF.
While moving may give you a fresh start, before too long, if you haven't dealt with the issues that made you unhappy in the first place, those issues will eventually start to rear their ugly heads again. Sadly, you can't escape them.
Outer experience is a reflection of inner reality. This means -- whatever we are feeling on the inside is reflected in our lives on the outside. Have you ever been driving while in a bad mood and it seems like everyone is cutting you off -- pissing you off even more? Or you're feeling happy and relaxed and everyone you meet greets you with a smile? If you haven't noticed this -- pay attention and see what happens. You might notice that what you are feeling on the inside is reflected outwardly. This is because you are creating your experience. This is not to say that you won't experience people cutting you off or get stuck in traffic when you're feeling great, it just means you won't care or even notice. You'll happily let people in front of you with a wave, instead of giving them the finger. Not that I would EVER do that. You know the type...
I realize this may be a hard concept to grasp because we live in a world that focuses so much on victimhood. "He did this to me." "It's not my fault." "My life would be great if SHE would just do this or that." Come on, we can ALL relate! But wouldn't it be easier and more empowering to know that you can change your outer experience by taking responsibility for your own inner work? Okay -- maybe it's not exactly easier. It's definitely easier for us to blame everyone else for our unhappiness, BUT that won't change it. It'll just put the blame outside of us and, yes folks, we're just going to keep experiencing the same upset over and over again until we deal with it on the inside.
You can run, but you can't hide. Sorry, but you can't just run away by getting new job, relationship, or house in a different city. You can't run away because you can't outrun yourSELF. Eventually, yourSELF will catch up and force your to face it. Damn! That dang shadow won't stop following me!
We are all here to learn our lessons. And every experience, whether we perceive it to be good or bad is meant to teach us something. Sometimes it is necessary to make a change with a new relationship or job or to move to a new city. A fresh perspective may wake us up. Or maybe we've outgrown the past situation and it's time for new lessons. Or maybe we weren't living from our hearts and now we are, so our outer experiences change for the better.
But don't forget -- if you haven't done the inner work, you may find the same "people" or experiences showing up in disguise. If you do, it's time to ask -- what am I being asked to heal at this time? What does my soul want me to learn? Trust me, it's better to pay attention, learn the lesson and move on. Who wants to keep repeating the same class over and over again? I certainly don't. It's exhausting!
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