Fear Comes From a Place of Inadequacy
I just recorded this video clip today to talk a bit about where our sense of fear and worry tend to come from. The reality is, you and I can't control what happens externally in all the circumstances of our lives. But what we can affect is our internal responses to what life dishes to us. And therein lies one of the secrets to developing inner peace in an age of anxiety. Here's a piece of this perspective: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSFDALeWeN8]
Here's the way this reality is stated in one of the lessons from A Course in Miracles: "It is obvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy, for otherwise you would believe that you could deal with the situation successfully. But it is not by trusting yourself that you will gain confidence. It is the strength of God in you that is successful in all things." (p. 75)
The Point of Spiritual Practices
As all spiritual wisdom traditions emphasize, spiritual practices are designed to focus our attention on our true identity as children of God. The chaos, busyness, and ear-spitting volume of the world around us tend to divert out attention from who we are. We are tempted to buy in to the subtle and not so subtle message that our value comes from an identity as producers, consumers, and all the various roles we play in our lives. And if we play those roles well, we can feel good about ourselves. But if we fail or are inadequate in any way, we cannot give ourselves permission to feel good. And this battle is endless, isn't it.
So our intentional choice to regularly engage in practices, activities, and experiences where we are reminded of who we really are irrespective of our roles and what the world says about us is absolutely crucial to being able to maintain a place of calm, centeredness, and internal peace in the midst of life's anxious chaos. I must come to the place where I put more stock in what God says about me than in what others or even I say about me. I must choose to believe God's word, "I am enough."
Upcoming 3 Night Series
That's one of the reasons why I'm doing a 3 night speaking series on this topic beginning a week from tonight (Oct. 19, 26, Nov. 2). The event will take place at Fort Mason Center, the Bayfront Theatre (BATS Improv) in San Francisco. It will be 90 minutes of teaching, inspiration, centering experiences, even a little music--all designed to reinforce our sense of who we are, that we are enough, and that we have divine resources to ground us in confidence to face our everyday lives. Check out this INVITE for more information. If you register, feel free to use the special discount code GregVIP for 50% off.
If you can't be here for these 3 nights, there will be recordings made available. So leave me a note in the comment section below if you're interested in the recordings so you can get in on these hugely significant spiritual reminders.
We are enough!
One of the important spiritual teachers of our generation made this statement: “Our whole spiritual transformation brings us to the point where we realize that in our own being, we are enough.”
You and I need this reminder often! And I can say from personal experience, when I'm living out of that deeply sacred and divine center, my life takes on a profound sense of both calm and confidence as I show up in the world. There's no better place from which to live.