Happiness Tip 1 – Just don’t go there!
By Jena Griffiths | January 6, 2013
“When you are in the wrong place inwardly
it doesn’t matter where you are outwardly.” Guy Finley
I was clearing out the clutter in my computer a few days ago and
chanced upon a recording by Guy Finley from a few years ago
called “Stay out of the places that steal your happiness.” It’s
a gem. I even used it this morning before getting out of in bed.
Guy says, When it comes to negative places – just don’t go there!
For example, you find yourself starting a dark dialogue with
yourself – just don’t go there!
Or you go into the past to reconcile the pain caused by going
into the past. Instead, just don’t go there. The only time you
get into trouble is when you don’t see where you are in the
moment. Because you are not present to yourself you wind up
punishing yourself.
How to get out of a dark place if you’re already there?
Simply press pause and say, “This isn’t a good place for me to
be.”
Guy gives a great analogy of a warden trying to warn a hiker who
is headed for a gorge where there are crocodiles and wolves and
other predators awaiting his arrival. The hiker suddenly realizes
where he is and in that moment is miraculously tele-ported onto a
higher path above the danger. The warden asks him how he managed
to do that and he says it’s a simple trick. All you need to do is
recognize you’re in the wrong place and say to yourself, “This
isn’t a good place for me to be!”
This is embarrassing to admit, but when I first listened to this recording
(a few years ago) I didn’t quite understand what Guy meant.
I thought he had some magic key that I couldn’t quite grasp because he was
being obtuse! That’s because I took his story literally thinking he meant a
physical place rather than a mental place.
It takes a while for it to sink in that we are the ones torturing ourselves.
No-one else is. So, if your mind tries to lead you down into a very dark
place – just don’t go there.
And if you are already down there, getting eaten alive by crocs –
the way to get out is not to stay down there looking for a way
out. It’s just to recognize what’s happening. This massacre is in
your mind and totally self created. Simply press pause and say to
yourself, “This isn’t a good place for me to be!” Then come back
to your breath and you’ll find that suddenly you’re on a higher
road, way above the crocodiles.
Analysis Paralysis
If you have an extra long head line you’re designed to think long
about things.
This has a lot of advantages but the danger is analysis paralysis.
So too, if you have an extra long flat heart line. Here the danger
is over-analyzing issues of the heart.< br />
All the more reason to press pause occasionally and think about
what you’re thinking about. And then, if necessary, remind
yourself gently, “Just don’t go there!”
Wishing you a croc-free week.
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