Be It Til You Feel It

In a recent conversation, a client said to me that he never really liked the phrase “Fake it til you make it.” Me neither. So we coined a new phrase (at least new to us!):

Be it til you feel it.

I like to think of times of challenge as being in our spiritual dojo. When the challenges show up, it doesn’t matter that they’ve shown up - what matters is how we be about it.

In many ways, most of us are hateful to our discomforts. We suppress it. We fight it. We avoid it. We resist it. We want and pray for it to be different. 

We be this way to our feelings. We be this way to our minds. We be this way toward other people. 

We be hateful and hope that it resolves the discomfort. 

Does it work for you? (It doesn’t work for me.)

Just because I feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean I have to be uncomfortable. Just because I feel resentful, doesn’t mean I have to be resentful. 

That’s the beautiful thing about being - it doesn’t depend on our feelings, and it doesn’t depend on the default thoughts our brains are spitting out. 

You know how lawn mowers have the cord that you pull to get the engine going? For me, a single thought can be that way. It can pop into mind and then rev my emotions right up.

When I’m being compassionate, though, or patient, gracious or loving, the energy doesn’t get stuck and it can move. 

By being more compassionate, I eventually feel more compassion.

By being more loving, I eventually feel more love.

By being more patient (peaceful), I eventually feel more at peace.

Do we have to feel compassion to be compassionate? No. 

Do we have to feel love to be loving? No. 

Do we have to feel patient to be patient? No. 

Here are some powerful questions worth considering when you’re faced with your next challenge:

How can I be more understanding toward this challenge?

How can I be more patient with this challenge?

How can I be more loving with this challenge?

How can I be more curious about this challenge?

How can I be more gentle with this challenge?“

(This challenge” may be a student, a family member, a colleague, the weather, traffic, or yourself.)

Your challenges are your spiritual dojo. Be intentionally toward them. 

Be it til you feel it. Then keep being it.

(As always, 100% human-written.)