We can sometimes find ourselves saying: "How can I...

• drop my thinking

In this episode I briefly cover the nature of thought, how all thought is neutral and a gift from life

I then share some reflections on the implications:

• for navigating our thinking in our day to day lives

This episode builds on the last episode.

As Sidney Banks said: "Life is a contact sport"

It is very natural that we find ourselves in a reactive mindset to the circumstances of our life. This is the story we tell ourselves through our thinking.

It can lead to feeling a victim of circumstances and other people. We complain and our language becomes full of "Should's", "Shouldn't's", "Its unfair" etc. 

It is helpful to normalise this and to neutralise the problem by recognising the role of our thinking. The reaction is not a problem… it is the holding onto it that becomes a problem. 

However we might still have something to deal with in terms of the situation or another person. 

We can then pivot to creation. How do I want to be in relationship to this situation or person? What do I want to create in my response?

We are creating all the time. Everything we think, say and do is an act of creation. 

What we 'do' in our life is a reflection of who we are being. 

In this episode we discuss:

• how we can use the everyday being perspective to create how we live in the world

We also share our own personal statements of 'being'. How we created them and what they mean to us. 

We share our reflections from series 2 and our own personal highlights and takeaways

In a new approach for us here at Everyday Being, Gareth shares a couple bits of news and shares some of his reflections on episode 16 with Suzie. Let us know any thoughts you’ve had about this (and any other episodes) at [email protected] 

A big thank you to Suzie one of our listeners for sharing her experience of what everyday being means for her in her personal and professional life. We explore a number of topics including confidence and relationships. 

Key messages

• How the delusion of the separate self is at the heart of the issue when we judge ourselves

We reference the following people:

• Tim Gallwey. Who wrote a series of books on the Inner Game

Key messages

• We don’t control our experience

Territory for this session

What do we control?

• Two things we could say are very personal and important to us:

• Our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and state of mind. This is what creates our experience. We don’t control these elements

Michael Singer, in his brilliant book Living Untethered:

• The moment in front of you has absolutely nothing to do with you. Look to the left and right there is another moment in front of you

A sense of perspective:

• The earth has been here for 4.5 billion years

Is there free will?

• This has been a question that has vexed scientists and philosophers down the ages

• If we are not a separate self – how can you be in control

• Have you noticed how often something that you didn't want to happen turns out for the best in the end?

The extent to which we are in control

• Our intention?

• This is a valuable distinction when we are coming from the perspective of everyday being. A big thank you to Steve Hardison and Steve Chandler who pointed to this distinction.

• Out of the now

• E.g., “Would you like a tea or a coffee?” you can make a choice but you don’t need to judge the one you didn’t have!

• are toxic

• disappointment

• Jennifer Capriati when she was fourteen years old. At the time, she was playing in world-class women’s tournaments and doing remarkably well. The reporter was asking her how nervous she got when she was playing against some of the best players in the world. Jennifer responded that she didn’t get nervous at all. She said she considered it a privilege to play with these players, something she hadn’t been able to do up until that time. “But surely when you are in the semi-finals of a world-class tournament, and being only fourteen, with all the expectations that are on you, you must experience some stress.” Jennifer’s final answer to all the reporter’s probing for her fear was simple, innocent. “If I was feeling frightened playing tennis, I don’t see why I would do it!” she exclaimed. With that the reporter stopped her questioning.”

• courageous

• What are the implications of the fact that we live in a perpetual now?