Trust, optimism and my REPLICATOR model for life purpose

In this video, I would like to offer more ideas you can use every day – as you continue to let go of fear – and embrace the simple concept – of trusting yourself, others and life a little more.

Through your new actions and subsequent reactions, you’ll notice the world doesn’t end if you say no, or yes, or I don’t know, or if you mess up.

The fearful stories of the mind are just that – stories!

And you’ll soon develop the attitude – that it is OK for you not to know what will happen next in any moment or the future – how could you know? And your mind doesn’t know either!

And as you become less addicted to your thoughts – learn how to be calm – and decide what you want from life – when a random event happens, you’ll keep your wits about you, and you’ll make decisions in line with your intentions.

Plus, if whatever action you take doesn’t pan out well (which often it won’t, because we don’t have hindsight), you’ll not beat yourself up – or care about what

others may think – because you’ll know that you did the best you could in that moment, for you – at least you tried.

I think the Universe likes people who try; fortune favours the brave – it seems to be just how life is.

You are consciously becoming your own most positive cheerleader, advancing your ability to ignore the unconscious mind’s doubtful thoughts – and the body’s resulting emotions.

Now, before I teach you those techniques, I would like to share a simple model I designed for any person struggling to find purpose or meaning in their life.
Because long periods of anxiety or depression often leave a person feeling detached from who they are and what they want. They are either exhausted from running around meeting everybody’s needs or detached and lost from fearfully hiding away from life.

So, a simple model you might adopt (until you do know what your real purpose is) might be this?

If we take everything back to basics – as an animal, our biological reason for existing is (probably) to survive long enough to reproduce, to have children, help them to grow up and teach them practical life skills so they can go on and do the same – simply – to propagate our species!

Then, of course, we could jump to the other end of the spectrum – where a more advanced perspective might be…

We, humans, are the expression of our world, and our purpose is to learn how to nurture and protect everything on this planet – whilst creating happy, flourishing communities that live in harmony with nature and each other.

And I guess, somewhere between those two extremes will be your purpose – whatever that is?

I think it’s good to have a purpose in life (even if it’s only a temporary one – that you borrow – until such a time you know what you do want).

Remember, anxiety and OCD make you doubt everything, seek reassurance, and fear failing, making it hard for you to make the relevant decisions that will enable you to take action

However, having a purpose – enables you to make decisions and keep yourself focussed in the direction you wish to grow – because, in any moment, you can say.

“Regardless of what my anxious mind and nervous body are doing – what actions do I need to take in this moment – that will align with my purpose and keep me on that trajectory, that intention, my dream of who I want to be and what I want to be doing?”

The decision is made for you – is this action in-line with my purpose? If so, yes, if not, no!

So it can be powerful to borrow a purpose temporarily – and use it as a tool to extract ourselves from our current situation, then from a new place of neutrality and calmness – we can further explore what we truly want.

Now, if we jump back to my first statement – that the reason humans are here – is to propagate the species, that would make us replicators.

The John Glanvill – Calmness in Mind Process – Replicator Model

We make little replicas of ourselves (our children) which we program during their childhood with all our knowledge, ideologies, religions, cultural norms, values and beliefs – just as our parents did with us.

And as I keep saying – we are being run by those unconscious programs that parents, school, trauma and TV programmed into our unconscious minds during the early years of our life – which formed our brain’s operating system – our sense of self with a little s.

And these unconscious programs are running the show – though people with anxiety and OCD – often think they should be consciously in control – when evidently they are not.

So, though we are the rider of our horse, the horse can still run itself, like in sleep, a coma or dementia – where our logical, rational conscious mind is elsewhere – and the body just gets on with what it needs to do.

However, when we see ourselves as the Observer or Self (with a capital S), we can consciously influence our horse and reprogram those old unconscious animal egoic behaviours.

However, we replicators now live in a strange commercial, capitalist, consumer- driven world that we never were designed to live in.

We could even argue the world is probably overpopulated – which flies directly in the face of our inner biological drives to reproduce.

And like I said in an earlier video – you can say Ooooh, that’s not good – or you could say Arrhhh, interesting, how are we humans going to adapt, will we just fight harder to stay the same or will we adopt new perspectives?

Our old conditioning tends to say – work hard, be successful, be nice, kind, fair, get the house, the pension and all that.

But, as a therapist, I can’t tell you how many men sit in my office and say, “I am working so hard to provide for my family, but I hardly have any time to be with them, and when I am at home I’m exhausted.”

And women have similar stories, often adding, “I know this sounds awful, but I would love to be a stay at home mother and homemaker.” Which, of course, evolutionarily speaking, is absolutely natural!

My point is; we can be anybody we wish to be – if we stop identifying with how we were programmed, we can work hard, or not; who said you even have to work, you could go surfing? We can go and live in another country, travel, and start a business – perhaps; we need to start thinking bigger, or at least differently?

You can do almost anything – if you stop identifying with the programmed identity in your mind of who you think you should, shouldn’t or ought to be!

OK, let’s get back to purpose.

Could becoming the best replicator you can be, become your new temporary purpose?

So as you replicate, your offspring are becoming your best work – you are their role model and teacher.

Or if you don’t have children, you become your best person – you reparent yourself by asking – if I did have a child and they were acting as I am – what sensible advice would I give them (for their best life)? Then take that advice yourself.

If your OCD was forcing you to check your front door twenty times, to see if it was locked, and then you worried all day about it – you might say to your virtual child- self, “check it once; that’s enough, we have house insurance – there’s nothing to worry about!

Stop giving your thoughts and feelings any meaning – ignore them!

Can you see what a different perspective that is? How would you be talking to your child? How would you be programming them – for their best unfearful, adventurous and trusting life?

Would you do it by instilling them with fear and negative pessimism – or through calmness, acceptance, courage, self-esteem, taking action and optimism?

Plus, regardless of whether you have children or not, you can still become the role model for those around you – to become the best person you can be, to rise above your current situation (not to change others) but show them that change is possible.

To be the one that took action when others were too scared – remember, strength, courage, and bravery are all only feeling vulnerable but still taking action towards a better life, whilst accepting that you don’t know if it will work. However, you still (consciously) continuously and optimistically keep talking to yourself and encouraging yourself into taking action.

Now, for those of you, like me, who only started learning all this once our children were already grown-up or had already been domesticated.

Let’s not beat ourselves up; we can accept, we did back then, the best we could, given what we knew at that time based upon how we had been conditioned and domesticated ourselves.

Even if our children may be upset at how we behaved back then, it is never too late for them to see us change – as we begin to know better, we can do better – and in a way based on self-love, self-respect and self-worth.

Another way to look at this, is – can we break our old programmed ancestral family patterns, behaviours and traditions that are no longer relevant for these times?
It used to be acceptable for parents to smack children – or put pressure on them to adopt family trades like being a lawyer, doctor or in the army.

And even if we have already installed some of these patterns in our children, it is never too late to recognise that we can choose to consciously try and break these behaviours by talking to them – and by becoming the best role model (in the now) that we can.

It may take a generation or two – we may have to interact with our grandchildren in new ways – but at least we are taking positive action.

Remember, unless you begin to reprogram yourself, you’ll be run by your old programs or that of the family, culture, religion or government you are currently exposed to the most.

It just so happens that the word REPLICATOR also turns out to be a useful mnemonic for what we are learning.

The R stands for Reprogrammable – we are reprogrammable, and that’s a fact!
The E stands for Energy – make sure your emotional battery is recharged by worrying less, getting enough sleep and detaching from all the mind’s stories.
Discharge your atomic battery by revisiting past negative experiences – and releasing trapped trauma.

The P stands for Placebo – it works! Get into the habit of consciously placebo-ing your unconscious mind and body at all times.

The L stands for Love – Remember, if you can’t love yourself, it may be hard to believe another could love you. Love others the way they want to be loved and stop looking for evidence they love you.

The I stands for Intuition – as you move away from anxiety and closer to calmness – an inner intuition will emerge – we intrinsically know what is good or bad for us – we can begin to trust more.

The C stands for Courage – to feel vulnerable yet still take action – is the definition of courage, regardless of the outcome in any moment.

The A stands for Action – become a person of action – because then your life will present far more opportunities.

The T stands for Time – there is only now – everything else is a virtual reality story – it is only what you do in this now that will influence your future.

The O stands for – Observer, you are not your mind; you are the observer of it.

Finally, the R stands for Repetition – the unconscious mind needs lots and lots of repetition before it updates itself. Just because you consciously know something, it doesn’t mean your unconscious has got it yet.

And just a final thought on life purpose or meaning – you have two ways of looking at it.

If you strive for success, your life will have meaning. However, you can do anything you want if you are OK with life not having meaning.

Therefore, be careful of how you define success and meaning, and check that your definition of success is what YOU choose – and not what was programmed into you.

For me, I think success is being happy and doing what you love doing.

And because I get a lot of meaning from my work, outside of my work, I can be and do what I like without feeling like I ought to be achieving anything.

I also try to live my life with my chosen values, those of calmness, integrity, honesty, nurturing, and respect.

Now, in this next section, I want to reiterate some of my teachings and add some new ones that will help you expand your emotional and behavioural range.

We are switching our focus from words like anxiety, OCD and depression to calmness, acceptance, choice and what’s best for me in this moment?

We are shifting from pessimism to optimism – we could say “that won’t work”, or we could say, “let me try, then I’ll know.”

We are learning not to moan, complain or do drama – because who wants to hang out with a person who does those things?

We are looking to state the positive in each moment, not the negative – that way, the Reticular Activating System part of our brain gets reconditioned into a more confident and assured state.

Like deliberately focussing on what you are grateful for each day, not what you dislike.

And we are doing these things because what you think about directly affects how you feel – complaining makes you feel bad, and kindness makes you feel good – regardless of the truth in any situation.

The program in your head says, “Oh my god, the world is falling apart; what are we going to do?” And your conscious reply is, “change is good; new opportunities will arise.”

We are becoming more aware that the mind thinks; that’s just what it does, but it’s not you; you are the observer of the mind.

Thoughts are the ego’s way of (considering how to keep you safe or afraid) by verbalising and imagining all the virtual reality, future-based ‘what if’ stories – and past based ‘if only’ scenarios, which all only exist in your head!

But they are not necessarily true – because, in our outer reality, they’re mostly not happening!

So, we use the mind when we want to think about something – and when we don’t, we just let it ruminate in the background, and our attention is elsewhere.

I have a question for you. How are you getting on with the practice of separating your emotions from the stories in your mind – and what is happening around you?

A friend sends a text that says – “I am disappointed with how you behaved last night.”

Just that one comment might make you feel angry or embarrassed – it might make you want to retaliate with comments on their behaviour.

Your mind may start analysing what happened last night and coming up with ways you could have acted differently – or it may start berating you, beating you up and making you feel guilty?

And depending on how you were programmed in your childhood – other emotions may arise – if a parent used to criticise you, perhaps, an emotional land- mine might fire off.

Or if you have a strong victim ‘story’ about yourself – your ego may jump to stories of – it not being fair that they are picking on you, or they don’t understand what problems you are currently facing in your life.

These reactions are normal for most people, but we are learning to rise above our thoughts, emotions, land-mines, and stories about ourselves (and others).

Remember, we are looking for calmness, loving detachment, self-love, self- acceptance, and to create peace in our relationships.

If you zoom out and adopt a new perspective, they might be disappointed with how you acted, but that doesn’t have to be your problem; it’s theirs – and there are many ways to handle this.

The first step is to notice the emotional reaction in your body and to give it the space and time to run its course and dissipate from you – before you react or take action.

We do this by focussing our attention on the emotions; we embrace and accept them rather than trying to fight, avoid or push them back down.

As we do this – stay out of the mind’s stories and take a few deep breaths whilst placebo-ing your body back into the more restful parasympathetic condition.

(Tapping) “it’s OK, I accept these emotions, you just release them, I’ve been triggered, and that’s fine, I am OK with my emotions.”

After a period of consciously practising this, it is possible to do this releasing in real-time, like during a conversation or watching a news report on tv – you just allow it to happen in the background.

You no longer fear your body’s emotions; you welcome them and allow them to flow out, like a pressure relief valve, just venting that energy out of the system.

Then, with those emotions out of the way, we are less driven by knee-jerk reactions – and we can explore what response may be best for us (or them) in this particular moment.

Because there are many ways, we can handle this interaction – as we learn to rise above our ego and its stories about what is right or wrong, fair or unfair, good or bad.

We ask (in this moment) which strategy is most appropriate for me? To accept them, avoid them or change them?

If it were me and I liked this person, but I was OK with my actions – I would probably say, “Can you tell me exactly what I did that you didn’t like?”

I would listen to them (because they have the problem and want to get it off their chest) – then I might say, “thank you for bringing that to my attention; let me think about it for a couple of days?”

Or I might say, “I hear you, sorry you feel that way.” Now, this is quite subtle – because you are not apologising for your actions, just that they were offended, they feel listened to – you are more aware of how they see the world and the whole issue is quickly resolved.”

But equally, you may wish to change that other person’s virtual reality story of you – and you may say, “Yes, I can see why you were offended, but as I move away from anxiety, I need to stand my ground more and speak up for myself, I know this behaviour may surprise you, but this is the new me, I like it, and I would welcome your support.”

You may even jump to a blunt and direct response such as – ” I’m sorry you were offended, but my actions are my choice, and I was happy with my behaviour last night!”

As we move above the ego-self (with a little s) to our higher Self (with the capital S) we transcend our victim, not good enough stories, our need for defensive justifications, our tendencies to please or judge others and our programmed guilt responses.

This can also be coupled with the Warrior, Settler and Nomad perspectives outlined in video sixteen.

How would the Warrior respond – firm, direct, honest and to the point.

The Settler may be kinder, to protect the other person’s feelings, yet still, be good to themselves.

Whilst the Nomad – might be playful, funny, teasing and more selfish – “Ohhh, you know you love me whatever I do, where are we going Saturday night?”

We are exploring how to expand our behavioural repertoire, to take things less personally – and even if that other person is trying to make it personal – you don’t have to – it doesn’t have to be your problem.

Now, it can be very useful to be aware of the mind characters I detailed in video thirteen, the narrator – that voice of the ego that talks to you in your head. The

judge who judges everything. The victim, the pleaser, the rebel, the princess, the little eight-year-old – do you remember?

It’s powerful to be consciously aware of which character is active in your mind, so you can ensure your ultimate response is not driven by them – but by your more advanced Self.

Another powerful technique is to explore the concept of opinions – where did they come from, and do we need them?

As I keep saying – do you want to be happy – or do you want to be right?

Stress or anxiety is the difference between what your mind wants to happen and what is happening!

Therefore, if we have fewer opinions, what is happening is just what is happening, and we can accept, avoid or respond.

As you do this, you’ll see that your ego has an opinion about everybody and everything – but these don’t have to be your opinions too! You (as the observer or higher Self) can watch and refrain from engaging with them.

Many of these opinions are the programs I keep talking about, installed during your childhood and schooling.

A good practice (during conversations), is to try not to express any opinions. So a friend says, “What about that government plan?” and you say, “I’ve not heard that yet” or “I need to give it some consideration.”

Can you see how you are taking a more neutral stance?
Which gives you space to observe how needy your ego is to express its opinions, show what it knows, impress, or tell me-too stories?

It’s what great guru’s and leaders do – if you said to the Dalia Lamba, “My parents don’t understand me, my anxiety is going through the roof, and I am fearful of the pandemic.”

And he might say, “poor you, I know it’s hard; I remember having anxiety when I was younger – have you considered what you might do about it?”

He stays out of giving an opinion, he accepts you where you are, but he would listen and create a space where you feel heard.

You unknowingly would be in their non-verbal higher energy field of love and acceptance. You’d briefly have access to higher states of consciousness which may allow you to see new perspectives – it’s called the grace of the guru.

Learning to observe – but not believe my ego’s opinions was a big step in my growth – and continuously reminding myself that I don’t need any opinions is still a work-in-progress.

Plus (if you explore them deeply), so many of the ego’s opinions are flawed and not based on truths – how would my ego know how to run a country, fix an illness, or know what the right thing for another person to do would be?

It can be funny when you begin to detach from your opinions and see them as ego-mind stories or old programs.

Another perspective that helped me enormously was that – pain is one thing, but suffering is an option.

Suppose you have pain in your body, an illness, loss or disability – the ego may turn it into a drama or a story of unfairness and poor me.

I believe it can be useful to reconceptualise this – as the ego trying to get attention and feed off your negative emotions or the sympathy you may get from others.

Let’s look at the ego from a completely different perspective?

We know plants get energy from light via photosynthesis, and our bodies get energy from transforming food.

Well, our mind, ego or thoughts – are an energy field, not a biological form. – they still require energy to fuel themselves, which they obtain by generating emotional fear within our bodies.

So, though we may have pain, we choose to stop suffering to (lovingly) starve our parasitic animal ego from accessing its emotional fuel – gained from our suffering, complaining, drama, poor me, it’s not fair – and other anxiety and fear based emotions!

I hope I am explaining this clearly enough? You may need to relisten to those last few sentences a couple of times – because they are critical to your finding calmness.

You must lovingly starve your ego, the parasitic part that you used to identify with as you.

As you recognise that suffering is an option, you avoid talking about it; stop placing your attention on it and move to a deeper acceptance of what is.

Then watch as the ego kicks and screams like the parasite it is – looking to pull you back into victimhood to feed off your emotions.

It’s the same with sentimentality – the ego attaches a whole load of stories and pain to a person, item or event – then milks it for as much negative emotion as it can.

Through comments like “I can’t believe it happened to me; my family always gets the bad luck; that ring was the only thing that connected me to my grandmother – she loves my sister more than me.”

It’s a big topic – know that pain will happen – but suffering is an option – and adopting this attitude is a powerful path to rise above anxiety and fear. I will certainly be making a more detailed video about this later on in the course.

This perspective can also be associated with the phrase I introduced in video nineteen, where we discussed love and care.

I care, but I don’t care. I care about you (so I can make space for you), I can listen to you, help you – but I don’t need to feel your pain – be that physical, emotional or ego-driven via drama, guilt or control – one person suffering pain is enough.

How can you be of help if you are emotionally down in that hole with them?

No, you stay above the hole – and pass a ladder down for them; maybe they will climb up – or perhaps their ego is having a field day feeding off their suffering and will sabotage all forms of help?

The new concept is that we become loving detached – it is only our programming that says – caring, compassion, sympathy, and kindness need to include feeling their pain too.

We can recognise their pain – but not be caught up in it; this gives us the chance to help – whilst keeping our emotional battery charged up – but what they do with that help is up to them.

It is who we are and what we do that matters – not how they respond.

Sometimes, to just listen, give no opinions, give no judgements – stay out of their stories – then at the end say, “is there anything I can do?” It can be very powerful.

Another topic I keep returning to (because it’s so important) is the ability to move from the unconscious and conditioned ego-driven perspective of doubting to that of trusting – to become your new consciously chosen mindset.

The old adage – “Better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.” is so profoundly relevant to overcoming anxiety and OCD.

But, perhaps it needs to be rewritten in a more direct format like – “Your life will stay the same if you doubt and don’t take action; however, taking action will cause something to happen – it may bring in new people, new opportunities and new outcomes which is what exploring life is all about – there will be change, but change can be good!”

In my twenties (and when I had anxiety and OCD), I rejected all forms of God or any Universal intelligence favouring science, logic and reason.

Then in my thirties, I liked the concept of something higher – but still didn’t believe in it, as I still needed more science and proof of it being true.

Now, in my fifties, I know the Universe has intelligence – I don’t know what it is, but I do know that when I follow my intuition (rather than the ‘story in my brain’), things happen that surprise me, broaden my horizons, and usually work in my favour.

And even when events are seemingly negative in that moment, like a relationship ending – often something new and better arises from it.

The ego fails to add the effects of time to any situation, like losing your job – but then finding a better one a year later. It didn’t feel good in the short term, but it turned out to be the best thing in the long run.

These days, I pay close attention to who comes into my life, I say yes to new opportunities just to see how they will pan out, I often step into the realm of discomfort and not knowing – just to see what happens and to hone my ability to accept discomfort and feeling out of control.

I like the parable – where a storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon becomes a flood.

And as the waters rise, the local priest is knelt in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water.

After a while, one of the locals comes up the street in a canoe.

“Better get in, Father – the waters are rising fast.”

“No,” says the priest. “I have faith in the Lord, and he will save me.”

Still, the waters rise. Now the priest is up on the balcony, praying for help – when another person comes past in a motorboat.

“Come on, Father. We need to get you out of here. The riverbank may break any minute.”

Once again, the priest is unmoved. “I shall remain; the Lord will see me through.”

After a while, the riverbank breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the roof remains above water.

The priest is up there, clinging to the cross – when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a man calls down to him through a megaphone.

“Grab the ladder, Father; this is your last chance.”

Once again, the priest insists the Lord will deliver him. And, of course, he drowns.

Once in heaven, he gets an interview with God, and he asks, “Lord, I had unwavering faith in you. Why didn’t you deliver me from that flood?”

And God shook his head and said, “What did you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”

So, if you are a bit spiritual – perhaps the Universe has a plan for your life outside your awareness, and by saying yes to whatever appears in front of you is what you should be doing to live your fullest life?

Or, perhaps, you don’t believe that – however, still taking action through trusting rather than doubting – will certainly bring change and new experiences into your life.

Either way, stop listening to your ego’s anxious thoughts and feelings and believing them to be true.

What does your mind know about the future – or about what might happen?

Therefore doubting life’s opportunities and not taking action – yet still wishing for your life to be different – is a trap and the absurdity of anxiety and depression.

To adopt the perspective of trust is much easier than to keep the conditioning of doubt.

To assume the best will happen takes no worry – it’s just optimism, but to be pessimistic and explore all the things that could go wrong is a never-ending full- time endeavour that leaves your body fearful and exhausted.

Or, perhaps, take the middle route – which is the simple (and ultimately truthful) reality of the “I don’t know?” Story.

“Can I do it – I don’t know?”
“Will it go wrong – I don’t know?”
“Will they hate me for saying that – I don’t know?”

“What will happen if I make a fool of myself? – You don’t know, and nor does your ego, though it may wish to feed off the worry it induces within you!

Can you see – it may be easier to move forward – than you might think?

We all have that one extroverted friend, who is loud, volunteers for everything, goes for jobs outside their skill range, doesn’t get embarrassed, is happy haggling for a good deal.

When you’re with them, they tell fascinating stories about the adventures they have been on and all the opportunities that have arisen in their life.

Well, (perhaps) they have it figured out, that life is a game, you should be nice to yourself, you should do what is right for you, you shouldn’t worry about what others think about you – and grab every opportunity life has to offer!

If you say to them, don’t you have a voice in your head telling you not to do that – or anxiety in your body?

They say, “Oh, yeah, I stopped listening to that voice years ago – and it’s not anxiety in my body, it’s excitement!”

Stop trying to control life – it’s impossible – start letting life guide you, surf the wave of life, influence where you can, accept where you can’t – and see where it takes you.

These are fascinating times we are entering – when there is big change happening, there is also a huge opportunity for growth.

Become a bit more cheeky, ask for what you want, bend a few rules, follow your heart (not your head), say yes instead of no – and trust that what happens will work out well, given enough time.

And a final thought – as we do this work, our levels of consciousness seems to rise – as I have said before – as you rise out of depression, you’ll move into anxiety, which though still a negative energy, has more energy than depression.

As you rise out of anxiety, you’ll go through anger (though still a negative energy); it has more power than anxiety – because you say, “I am not going to accept that anymore, I am going to do something about it!”

Then you rise up into pride – because you are now doing something to influence your life positively.

Then from pride – you move up into courage – as you realise there is much you can do to make your life as you wish it to be.

And what I would like you to consider is – that each time you make one of these advances in consciousness – something happens deep within your brain and your energy field.

It’s like your frequency changes (or adapts), and suddenly you see the world differently.

Plus, as your frequency rises – that which is attracted to you is of a higher frequency too – which is why you must say yes to new opportunities that arise and trust yourself more.

These videos are constructed in such a way – that each time you cycle around, what is revealed to you will make more and more sense as your consciousness rises too.

I challenge you – for three months, to loop around each video, in order, one per day – and you will be shocked about what happens.

But know this, the ego sabotages – and the two biggest sabotages are, one – stopping watching these videos when you feel a little better. And two, stopping watching them when you are feeling worse!

Because these are the times, you need to double down and put in even more effort, to over-ride that unconscious sabotage!

So, in summary, can you explore a temporary purpose?

To become the best replicator you can, or reparent yourself, or (if your children are older) to become now, who you would have liked to have been back then – but with loving acceptance, no guilt or regret?

And can you begin to starve your ego from its source of fuel – negative emotions from scary stories, fear and doubt?

And your homework.
Can you, for one month – not complain about anything or anybody? The wine gets spilt, and you consciously say, “never mind!”

Can you stay silent – or say something positive or optimistic? Then observe the ego trying to do drama or turn it into a negative, pessimistic story of woe, doom, gloom or blame.

Watch the ego attempt – to generate and feed off the negative emotions of that moment.

If you have pain in your body – try not to complain (in fact, talk nicely to yourself – “come on, little body, you can heal.”

When you get up out of a chair, don’t huff and puff and hobble – because if you think about it, it’s the ego trying to get attention from others, or even yourself!

If someone asks how are you, you say, “I am doing well; thank you, mending nicely!”

It’s a fascinating exercise – especially if you can do it with a partner, child or friend, as it can become a fun game to challenge each other – to be more optimistic, trusting and positive.

As ever, thank you all for your continued support.