When something good happens, we tend to think, ‘Great - what next’ and absurdly, when something doesn’t go to plan, we tend to dwell on it, ruminate and let it bring our energy down. This practice is about allowing joyful, happy energy to have a more significant impact.

An important component to mindfulness is practicing non-judgement. Non-judgement allows us to be more attuned to the present moment, instead of worrying about the future or ruminating on the past.

How we choose to move into our day upon waking is a golden moment. This moment can change everything. With this simple practice, we can create significant shifts in living consciously with self-responsibility.

In part 1, we looked at what cycle might take place before being able to take action and make changes. This essay will cover: the decision for change, is deciding enough, finding your why, accountability, discipline, vision setting, mindset, consistency, discomfort, self-sabotage, meditation and gratitude.

Over the last few years, I have longed for change in myself. Having spent a decade in self-discovery mode, I began feeling a shift from knowing that I needed to move slowly, gently and with self-compassion for myself to a sort of discomfort. The process of self-discovery is nuanced and non-linear. Trusting that the introspective work will offer freedom and a new way of being in the world requires faith.

As a youngster, we notice the seasons through the excitement of significant dates, Easter, your Birthday, Christmas and so on. Only as we get older do we begin to recognise that as the seasons shift, so too do we. We notice a vulnerability on the days when the new season unfurls and then a movement into a state of being that is familiar.

Sometimes I want to blindfold myself, block my ears and sit on my hands. The noise of this world can feel unbearable and overwhelming; we see and hear more information than at any other time in the history of humanity. How did we get here? 

Radical acceptance is a powerful tool; life is full of the unexpected, and understanding how to practice radical acceptance can prepare us to face the stickiest of circumstances. This approach is not about manipulating or blocking feelings and 'thinking positive'; this is not about accepting bad behaviour or social injustice. Of course, there is an element of stoicism, but self-compassion is required alongside.

Philosophy has long been pre-occupied with the nature of the emotions: do they belong to the body, the mind, or both? Where do they begin? And do we have any control over them?

Much philosophical thinking has tended towards highlighting our experience of passivity in the face of our emotions—and this emphasis on passivity seems to get something right.

Someone asked me recently, “what is my main learning from the last ten years?”. Although the years have been transformative and deeply educational, understanding what it means to let go and surrender has been the most significant learning and created a radical attitudinal change impacting all areas of my life.

What does it mean to be of service, and why is it important? I first heard the phrase ‘to be of service’ in my 12 step fellowship several years ago. To this day, I still believe that 12 step fellowships are so powerful because of the service element. There is no money exchanged in 12 step work, just contributions to the group’s running. There is no one person in charge; instead, there are elected service positions, and the group works together to solve or decide anything.

Our understanding of the world is continually developing, as are our values and opinions. Indeed, there are some areas in life where clarity and boundaries are essential. However, for the most part, it is more helpful to be open to not knowing, not understanding, and enjoy exploring the questions that living in uncertainty attracts. We are afraid to have our beliefs challenged. The ego is scared of the unknown and fearful of growth. The ego wants rigidity, certainty, and clarity; it feels threatened by ideas outside our current paradigms.

In 1982, the Hungarian-born, New York-based artist Agnes Denes brought into being Wheatfield—A Confrontation. A consciously environmental work, in Wheatfield Denes planted a two-acre sized expanse of amber-hued wheat in Manhattan.

Time is of real value yet we hand it over so willingly and sleepwalk our time away. Often we spend this time on endeavours that we are not actively choosing. Many have been hijacked by the technocratic ways of our world but I believe that we have a responsibility to become aware of our choices, to actively ensure that the moves we make on this beautiful speck in the universe are conscious.

I feel like self discovery found me first, like a hard lesson. But I feel that my mind is equally an inquisitive. I find that often it’s not the things you manifest, but the things you work hardest at that seem to come into reality.

To say that environmentalism and action on climate change is the issue of our generation is hardly overstating things—how we act now will have a hitherto unprecedented effect on the world our children inherit. These are issues that should concern us all and, for the most part, we are willing to alter the ways in which we live in order to make life on earth sustainable.

As I write Part 2 of Healing from Ambiguous Loss, the one-year anniversary of the Covid-19 lockdown has come and gone. Many of us are reflecting on what the past year has meant to us, and the changes we’ve experienced, all the while looking forward to actually planning something more exciting than the next trip to the grocery store. Whether it is to keep hope alive, or simply to have something new to talk about in our zoom calls, Spring 2021 has us all keeping a keen ear open for any glimmer of an unrestrained life on the horizon.

Sam and I have mutual friends and have met at the odd party over the years. It was so interesting to see that he had retrained and I reached out for a chat to see if he might be interested in working with On Balance. We could have spoken for hours, he is a qualified teacher taking his spiritual education seriously. I personally am looking forward to what we are going to learn from Sam over the course of our GUIDED workshop.