Being Stuck-Daily Meditation-July 16, 2021

Today’s quotation:

Being stuck is a position few of us like.  We want something
new but cannot let go of the old—old ideas, beliefs, habits,
even thoughts.  We are out of contact with our own genius.
Sometimes we know we are stuck; sometimes we don’t.
In both cases, we have to do something.-Inga Teekens

Today’s Meditation:

Letting go of the old–how difficult it can be.  We tend to hold on to those things that we “know” simply because we learned them at one time, but from whom did we learn them?  Were our teachers’ enlightened people?  Happy people?  Loving people?  Was their focus on teaching us what was best for us as unique individuals, or on passing on their own brand of wisdom, something that might have worked for them but which might not have been best for us?

Our own genius lies in looking at the new, the untried, the different.  Our genius lies in growth, and the one constant in growth is changing.  Without change, there is no growth, and without letting go of yesterday’s beliefs and ideas, there is no room for new thoughts and beliefs.

There’s something rather comforting about our old ways.  They can be like an old friend who helps us to feel a sense of continuity, of history.  In some ways, they can represent safety, but in many ways, safety isn’t the best thing for us.  Sticking to the old and the known is like putting up a curtain in front of our windows and not letting in this morning’s sunlight, for we saw yesterday’s sunlight and we believe in it, and we want to keep it.

Inga says that “in both cases, we have to do something.”  We have to be active in letting go of our old ideas and learning new ones.  We have to consider them closely and ask ourselves if they help us or hinder us.  We must be truthful and thorough, for the more we hang on to in our lives, the less can get in later on, for we have to leave room for the new, and not keep our minds cluttered with beliefs and ideas that serve no one or no thing.

Questions to consider:

Are you holding on to any old beliefs that may be holding you back in some ways?

What might make us hold on to old thoughts and beliefs?

How can we go about changing our thoughts and beliefs to make them more relevant to our lives today?

For further thought:

The hardest thing to believe when you’re youngis that people will fight to stay in a rut,but not to get out of one.

Ellen Glasgow