Life Is A School

From Assignment #33

"Magic Secret #1,

Life Is a School, is both a tool and perspective that will change your life forever. By adopting it as a daily practice, you can't help but succeed on this path toward uncovering your Real Self.

What happened in your life today that you would have previously considered a coincidence? Can you reflect on things that occurred in the past that you might have misinterpreted, but are miracles?

Why are we here? What is our purpose on earth? The day someone said to me "life is a school" is the day life really started to have meaning for me. I have found that adopting this point of view has brought about the most revolutionary changes and learning on my journey to discovering my Real Self.

This exercise is designed expand your opportunities for self-discovery and provide the keys to meeting challenges that might otherwise elude you. They will give you ease with this point-of-view and a way to start practicing it immediately.

With a "learn from everything" attitude, life becomes a revealing adventure. You see that everything that happens, seemingly negative or positive, is a gift or a blessing. Instead of experiencing your existence as random chaos, life becomes cohesive and purposeful. Seeing that Life Is a School allows you to feel like you're sitting on top of your life instead of your life sitting on top of you.

If you're willing to use this exercise, with practice, here are some of the benefits you can look forward to:

1. Stepping out of victimhood.
2. Gaining an effective tool for problem-solving and guidance.
3. Being more creative.
4. Increasing insights and understanding about yourself and others.
5. Having a lot more fun and less stress dealing with the difficulties of life.

The following exercise are designed to help you find the gift no matter how minor or even life-threatening the situation. Once you do the Find-the-Gift exercise several times, you will no longer have to go through all the steps formally. You will see what you need to learn quite automatically.

Find-the-Gift

Use this when:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->You're in a situation you don't want to be in.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->You feel stuck in negativity.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->You feel like a victim.

Find-the-Gift Exercise

1. Write what I call your current picture in 3 sentences or less. The current picture can be a situation in the present or something from the past that still has a negative charge, i.e. something that still elicits a negative emotional reaction when you think of it, or when you are in the presence of that person or situation.

2. In your journal or on a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle. Title the left column "Negatives" and the right column "Learnings and Gifts". Write four or five negatives about the situation on the left and, on the right, four or five things you learned and/or gifts you received from the situation.

A gift may be an actual object, but, most likely, it will be an unexpected benefit or something you've learned about yourself or life. The number of negatives and learning/gifts may or may not be equal. If you are having trouble finding any gifts or positives in the situation, ask yourself, "If I did learn anything from this, what would it be?" Sometimes phrasing things in this way "tricks" our denial system into allowing us to see what was hidden previously.

1. 3. After you finish your chart, a recap of the learning and gifts can be helpful. At this point in the process you will be trying to take the negative view you once held and transform it into a more positive one. That's called that the New Picture. Take a moment to recap your learning now or let it emerge in the ensuing hours, days or weeks and then go back to write it down then.

Find-the-Gift Exercise Sample

Maia's Current Picture: We moved to Las Vegas because my husband got a great job opportunity. It's one of the last places on earth we would have chosen to live. Moving away from most of my closest support system was very difficult because I'm a gregarious person.

Negatives

1. Hate heat and miss the climate in California.

2. Don't see enough green vegetation.

3. Know very few people.

4. Stressed from having moved twice in 15 months.

5. No escape from smokers in public places. I'm highly allergic.

6. Don't even like saying I'm from Las Vegas because people might think I'm into "sin" and gambling or that I'm (God forbid) superficial.

Learning and Gifts

1. Found the austere and uncluttered topography in Las Vegas a healing environment.

2. Found a raw foods restaurant and support group. Raw foods has been a great way to do some bodily healing.

3. Get to experience and enjoy working in a nurturing, at-home environment for the first time in my life.

4. More of an opportunity to be with my Real Self without the distractions that I used to create for myself like filling up my time with other people.

5. Get to practice the philosophy, "nobody gets to be wrong"--even Las Vegas.

Please note: The number of negatives and learning/gifts are not required to be equal.

Maia's New Picture: Living in Las Vegas is serving me perfectly to find more of my Real Self. It has made even the 120 degree heat seem ideal for this business of changing my life.

If I begin to slip into or get stuck in any groans and moans, I easily get my positive attitude back by using this tool again. Much of the time, it has become second nature to me. If I find myself resistant to using this tool, I ask my buddy or coach for help.

Now it's your turn. Using the instructions and sample above, go ahead and do the same thing with a small or large situation in your life with which you are not happy."

SOME OF MY THOUGHTS
Another challenging assignment.
Where do I start?

Thanks for reading.
Life Is A School
Staying On The Journey,
Susan