The Power of Uniting with a Group

                                             

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”  Helen Keller

Recently life has shown me the value of people coming together for a shared purpose.  I’ve always known there is power in groups, but somewhere I forgot just how powerful this concept really is.  With online sites such as Meetup.com, GoSociety, Facebook, etc.  it is now easier than ever to find a group that share your purpose!  In a shared group it is easier to stay accountable, find valuable connections, acquire and share tools and information, and ultimately make our goals reality!

The key with uniting with a group is be clear about what you are wanting from participating in the group and how this group will help you achieve these goals.  Some groups can actually take us further from where we are really wanting to be. I know that in the past certain college groups frustrated me much more than they helped me in any way.  It is important to be clear around your purpose in the group and the groups actual dynamic before strongly committing to the group.  Don’t be afraid to not settle for a group that isn’t a match.  This can be tough if you are a people pleaser or fall prey to social pressure, but what is most important is to stay true to your own purpose for joining the group in the first place.  Of course, everything won’t be perfect in any group, but if it doesn’t provide some of the benefits that prompted you to join do trust that you can find another group that will be a match.

Once you have found a group that aligns with your goals, stay with it.  The benefit that you will receive from the group really depends on what you are putting into it.  Sometimes it seems like people join a group and expect that is all they have to do to reap the rewards.  Naturally, this isn’t the case.  It is the action that will lead to the benefits, so give yourself the gift of showing up for what you desire! Enjoy the power of connecting with a like-minded bunch and continue to create bliss through your actions my dear readers!

Connection of All Things

Typically, I write in an article format, but today this poem just came to me unexpectedly and I wanted to share it.  If the term God doesn’t resonate with you, I invite you to substitute the term that does resonate.  Bliss can be found in the connection of all things!  May this poem bring you bliss!

I see you God in the trees

In the gentle eyes of a puppy

In the glowing rise and fall of sunlight along the majestic mountain peaks

I see you in the face of the moon

The sparkle of the stars

The twinkle in a loving eye

I feel you God in the joy of a child

In the embrace of a loved one

In the fresh, renewal after it rains

I feel you as the solid support beneath my feet

And in the tireless beat of my heart

For you and I God are one

Bliss through Accepting your Ego

Do you ever get lost in your mind?  What kind of thoughts are you thinking when you do?  Do you act on or believe those thoughts?  These are all valid questions floating around in our age of cultivating a conscious awareness.  A common spiritual message encourages the spiritually minded to get rid of the ego to obtain enlightenment, but if this is not practiced or interpreted correctly it can create more conflict and suffering.  My purpose in this post is to relate my experience of what it means to gently examine the ego and practice a non-judgmental awareness.

So how do we define ego?

1. The self, especially as distinct from the world and other selves.

2. In psychoanalysis, the division of the psyche that is conscious, most immediately controls thought and behavior.

3. a. An exaggerated sense of self-importance; conceit. b. Appropriate pride in oneself; self-esteem.

As you can see, there are a few interpretations of the word.  For the purpose of this post, ego is going to be defined as more simply, the thoughts that analyze problems, create new problems, solve problems, judge, criticize, etc.  These functions of the ego can be useful in navigating life.  We need to be able to problem solve and navigate from point A to B.  Other parts of the ego like criticism and creating more problems are not always necessary or helpful.  So comes the idea that these thoughts should be examined.

When I began examining my thoughts, I started to judge the thoughts I had as positive or negative and believed I needed to get rid of all the negative thoughts to become a bundle of enlightened bliss!  In doing this, I just created more judgement and conflict in my consciousness, and I felt worse.   Often the ego mind is very busy with a lot of positive and negative chatter that doesn’t really define a person unless they act on the thoughts.   It is only by witnessing both the positive and negative thoughts that the mind creates that there is freedom.  Freedom from thoughts comes by not getting so wrapped up in any of the mind’s creations (good or bad) because the thoughts both positive and negative will always be there.

By cultivating a loving acceptance of the ego, I can still choose which thoughts to act or expand on, but with less judgments, resistance, and suffering.  When I catch myself lost in my mind, I lightly and kindly say to myself, “there are some thoughts.”  I don’t have to examine, judge, and analyze where my consciousness went.  I can just neutrally notice I was thinking.  The mind thinks and I love that it does!  I love my mind.  The key is noticing and accepting when you are lost in thinking and not engaged in what is happening right now in this moment.  A meditation practice helps for the noticing to happen, but also doing activities that you are very present and engaged in can build this same awareness.

It is a non-judgmental awareness that helps build a greater foundation of bliss consciousness beyond the ego with more ease and gentleness.  The practice of being more kind toward the ego also helps in being more kind and accepting of other’s egos.  Don’t fight judgement with judgement.  To grow in acceptance be aware of, but non-judgmental of all of the thoughts that filter though.  Know that they are just thoughts.  You are not your thoughts.  Not only will your bliss consciousness grow, but so will your ability to love and accept all that is.

Cultivating Bliss through Compassion

Science has now confirmed what most people intuitively know, connecting to and helping someone in need makes us feel good. Authors of a study done at the Greater Good Science Center concluded, based on brain activity, humans are designed to respond compassionately to others’ suffering. “When we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the bonding hormone oxytocin and regions of the brain linked to empathy, care-giving and feelings of pleasure light up, which often results in our wanting to approach and care for other people,” the Greater Good Science Center writes on its website.

If you are like most people, you want to feel more pleasure more of the time! A Compassionate Listening facilitator who works with the Compassionate Listening Project has a few strategies to help us cultivate more compassion in our daily lives. First, she encourages finding peace in yourself. “I own my own vulnerability as a human being and use it as a bridge to someone else’s heart,” the facilitator explains. “I acknowledge my wounds, acknowledge my mistakes, acknowledge that I’m human, acknowledge that I have limits. And I can choose to be gentle with myself.” You cannot give away what you don’t have. If you do not have compassion and acceptance for yourself, you will most likely not be a compassionate soul to others. Mistakes are how we learn. Truthfully, no one goes through life without making mistakes or suffering from wounds!

Second, listen and reflect. “We must listen with a spiritual ear,” explains the facilitator. This means finding a deeper point of connection with the person you are listening to and quieting your own mind’s judgments. “When someone explains how they feel about something,” the facilitator says, “repeat it so they know you understand who they are, what they think and what they feel.” Most people just want to feel understood, and the best way to understand someone else is to just repeat back to them what they understand. Doing this encourages the listener to accept without judgment or comment that person’s point of view. This also helps the listener maintain attitude of acceptance and avoid forming judgments that are really just a result of fear or bias.

Last, question. Ask follow up questions to the stories that others tell you, such as “What was that like for you?” “How did that experience/situation change you?” This helps us to better understand that person’s life’s story and see our shared humanity.

In addition to compassionate conversation techniques, small acts of compassion really do make a huge difference. It could be something as simple as putting change in an expired parking meter, holding the door for someone, or letting someone in line use your store savings card. A small act of compassion not only tangibly helps the receiver, but there is an uplifting psychological benefit that lets the giver simultaneously enjoy happiness while giving to others. As the giver sees the happiness of the receiver, both the giver and receiver become happier!

Let us not only make ourselves happy, but the rest of the world too! It is so perfect that the simple act of giving makes everyone feel more bliss! Today, look for an opportunity to practice compassion and take action.

Lets create a more blissful world!

Find Your Bliss

Bliss
noun
1.  Supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss.
2.  Theology . the joy of heaven.
3.  Heaven; paradise: the road to eternal bliss.
4.  Archaic. a cause of great joy or happiness.

I love the definitions of bliss. Finding bliss is ultimately finding joy and if your spiritual in thought- finding heaven while on Earth! I very much believe that bliss is a state of consciousness which we can experience to whatever extent we choose. So the first question in this hunt for bliss is to ask yourself, “What makes me feel joy?”

For some joy is found in a hobby, a trip to the ocean, an animal, a child, a spiritual practice, a significant other, a meaningful career. Truth be told there are many, many experiences that can create the feeling of bliss.

The intention in this article is for you to get clear with yourself about what has already or currently makes you feel joy. Ask yourself what has created that feeling for you? Once you have that feeling in mind, feel that feeling expand throughout your body. Breathe it deeply into your being and know that by doing this you are creating a pattern and pathway towards more blissful experiences. Anytime you would like to feel a bliss buzz this simple trick is always a readily available tool.

If you don’t feel like you are relating to joy, ask to see the hidden joy. What is the gift here? The hidden joy? You may be surprised by the answer.

Gratitude is amazing at centering us in a state of joyful abundance. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do there is always something to be grateful for.

A really powerful practice in building that bliss buzz is to simply to write down or mentally come up with ten things you are grateful for each night before bed. The more you focus on what you have the more abundant joyful bliss you feel, notice, and attract into your life. Joy is within you and very much wants to be expressed through you! These practices are actually a joy to do!

My wish for all of you is to remember your joys repeatedly and your worries less!

Bliss Awaits You

“If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.” Joseph Campbell

Bliss! Sounds amazing, wonderful, and worthwhile. Yet, so many of us don’t really know what bliss even is, let alone experience it regularly. That is the purpose behind this blog. The intention is to help you remember and experience the bliss that you already have available to you from within you. That’s right, it’s not found outside, but instead bliss is contained within you just waiting to be discovered, experienced, and shared with the world. We will explore topics that will help you to connect with your bliss track. Instead of just doors opening up as Campbell spoke about in the quote above, I dare to say that the idea of doors opening will quickly turn into a perspective that there are not just doors to open, but unlimited amounts of untapped potential that is always available to you. Much bliss to come! Stay tuned!