“You can either be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure.
It all depends on how you view your life.”
– Paulo Coelho
We all face challenging situations in life from time to time. In this article, we’re going to explore the reason why, no matter what happens, you can’t be a victim of circumstance.
In JST 86, I told the story of Mahima Shrestha who was caught in the midst of April’s devastating Nepal earthquake. I met Mahima in person last weekend, and we talked about how, at the level of principle, it's not possible for you to be a victim of circumstance.
Reality Check: I'm not saying it's not possible for stuff to happen to people. I might get a broken leg or a punch in the nose before the day is out; it's definitely possible for stuff to happen to people. But it's not possible for any of those things to have a particular emotional impact. It's not possible for anything in this world or form to have a specific emotional effect or damage or harm a person psychologically or emotionally.
Here’s why there’s nothing that can harm you psychologically or emotionally: we're always living in the feeling of Thought in the moment. For every single day of your life so far, you've been feeling the totality of your moment to moment thinking. For every single day of your life going forward, you’re going to be feeling Thought in the moment. You're never going to feel anything other than Thought in the moment. Ever. No matter what.
For the rest of your life, your entire future, you're going to be feeling Thought in the moment and nothing else. And there's no thought that can harm you. This is beautiful because it means that there's ultimate protection built into our psychological and emotional system. It means you're psychologically and emotionally invulnerable to any harm or attack.
Reality Check: I’m not talking about your physical body – I definitely recommend you wear your seat belt and take appropriate steps to take care of your physical body. But psychologically and emotionally, it’s not possible for you to be harmed.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s certainly possible for a person to believe they’re a victim of circumstance. The illusory power of Thought is so convincing and compelling that we all get fooled by it from time to time. The power of Thought gives people the ability to believe all kinds of things, but that doesn’t make them true. It’s possible for people to believe the earth is flat, but that doesn’t mean it actually is flat. Similarly, it’s possible for us to believe we’re victims of circumstance, but you can’t actually be a victim of circumstance. And as you wake up to the fact of this, you start experiencing greater freedom, wellbeing and wisdom in the moment.
As I chatted with Mahima at the front of the room last weekend (she’s a student on this year’s Clarity Coach Training Programme as part of the #WorldClarity Project), one of the other participants asked if she’d been teaching these principles to other survivors of the earthquake. Mahima replied that she hadn’t been teaching them explicitly but that the presence of a mentally healthy person has a positive effect in its own right; that her realisation that she was psychologically safe meant she was free to serve others in ways that made sense.
You are already mentally healthy; psychologically whole and resilient. The only thing that ever gets in the way is the mistaken belief that we’re feeling something other than Thought in the moment. We each have mental health and wellbeing at our core, with the wisdom to make good decisions in the moment. And that’s a wonderful realisation for all of us to have…
To your increasing clarity,
Big love
Jamie
P.S. Following the success of the beta-tests, I’m looking for a small group of very specific people for my final 'Project Glasswing' programme of 2015, launching in October. Here’s what I’m looking for:
- You are a coach, therapist or change-worker (Eg. Sports coach, psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, business coach, bodyworker etc)
- You have at least one year’s experience of working with clients (either paid, pro-bono or both)
- You probably charge by the hour, but want to use a “coaching package” model to increase your income & make it more consistent
- You have space in your practice to work with at least one longer term contract client, starting in November
- You’re an enthusiastic, friendly people-person
- You have a coachable spirit, and are willing to step out of your comfort zone if necessary, and
- You can keep a secret
If that’s you, then just email me at info@jamiesmart.com, and let me know where you’re located and a little about yourself (if you don’t know what to tell me about, look at the list above for inspiration). Make the subject line “Project Glasswing”. I’ll be choosing people in the next couple of weeks. Talk to you soon! J