Whereas last week we focused on those aspects of ourselves which are also visible to other people, this week’s seminar looked at the more subtle aspects of our existence – those signals which only we can be aware of because they come from within. They are the thoughts, feelings and intuitive sensations which are often so subtle that we don’t even notice them; or if we do, we ignore them, or we explain them away as being ridiculous or irrelevant. Life gets easier, however, when we listen to those subtleties.
Own How Good You Are (p.400)
Firstly, focus on your strengths and become more aware of them. Sit quietly and make an inventory of how good you are. The exercise will help you to own how good you are. Then, if you can own the strengths, skills and abilities you already know you have, you’ll find it easier to own the ones you didn’t even realise were there.
Calibrate The Machine (p.440)
When you know how a machine works, you can get the best out of it. So come to rest and be quiet. Listen closely to yourself. That way you will be more in tune with yourself, with a greater appreciation of how beautifully precise and intricate your machinery is. You will also be more alert to the subtle messages your body is giving you, and more able to identify, categorise, and respond to any disturbances which occur.
Complete The Picture (p.407)
This helps you discover more about how you function. Gather information from others about a shared experience because it’s possible that some of the feelings you noticed were not yours at all – you may have picked them up from other people, but until you check you won’t know for sure. Completing the picture adds to and fine-tunes the information you already have about yourself.
Olive Oil & Serving Spoons (p.455)
A delightful demonstration of what can happen when we complete the picture; but also a reminder of how easily we miss out on such opportunities because ‘we are either too polite, too scared or too arrogant to share something of ourselves‘.
The Subtlety Of Feeling (p.506)
When we are in tune with the subtle signals we receive from our environment (via our own living mechanism), we can make more informed decisions on how to behave or respond to what is going on around us. It can save us time and energy, which we can employ more wisely. As the final paragraph of this entry states:
‘Understanding and mastering the subtleties of your own feedback mechanism allows you to make more informed decisions about how best to live your life. It’s a subtlety which is often and easily overlooked because we are so busy at the surface level. However, if we take the time to centre ourselves, come to rest for a moment and listen to what is going on inside, a whole world of fine-grained signals and messages opens up, showing us the way forward and allowing us to navigate more effectively our way through life.‘
There are greater forces at work than we realise, and they are available to us all the time. Moreover, we don’t even have to tap into them; we are already plugged in. We just need to pay more attention.
Additional posts: Enjoy Your Self | Controlled Experiments | Listen To Yourself | Challenge Fully (Feel The Sensations)