Say "Yes!" to Life
Dear friends,
The phrase "Say yes! to life" is one I try hard to live by. We spend entirely too much time resisting reality, arguing in our heads, resenting circumstances, and wishing things and people were different.
It is not that we should passively accept everything that happens. We should most assuredly not! I am speaking about what happens in our hearts. If we are resistant to something we simply cannot see clearly. This is supported by neurological studies. When the amygdala kicks in (the part of our brain that governs our flight or fight response), our cognitive ability drops tremendously. We tend to see the world the way our emotions tell us: perhaps a threat where there is no real threat, or a sure thing that everyone else can see will fail, or that a mere hope is actual reality.
The secret to success is to calm the heart and thus be able to do what is required, rather than simply doing what is easy and aligns with our preferences, whether it will work or not. Saying “yes” to what comes is a practice that helps this ability develop.
“Yes” is in the heart, not the mouth. Once we have become open to whatever Spirit has handed us, then our mind clears, and if the answer ought to be “no,” it is fine to say “no.” The trick is to say “no” with a “yes” heart. Not easy, but the no-saying reality-denying tendency is well worth overcoming, and is an amazingly well-entrenched habit. Developing a habit of saying “yes” will be amply rewarded.
As I have mentioned before, the mind tends automatically to go to an extreme. “This is absurd. How can I possibly accept…?!” But consider: There are thousands of times a day where we find ourselves resistant to a small insignificant circumstance. Why not start with those? There are plenty to choose from! Like anything, practice enables us to get better. Playing Mozart starts with learning the scales… and some patience. I encourage everyone to try this for a bit in the easy occurrences and see how it feels. Give it a week as a scientific experiment in consciousness. And if you found this letter off-putting…well, then it’s a great place to start. :-)
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West