If time is relative, then I am going to say that it is the month of January, and not which day (the 1st), that counts for reflecting on a New Year. It sounds good, anyway and I'm going with that.
I wanted to start out 2022 with a new blog post and a fresh start to recommitting to it, as well. I didn't quite make the deadline, but I have been thinking about it for some time. It is finally ready. Truth be told, I need to just rip the proverbial bandage off, and go with it. So, here it is.
This year is going to be a big shift for me. I am not sure how but that, in and of itself, is the shift - not knowing, letting go and trusting the universe. I am forcing myself to do something big and scary - leave my job and explore with nothing but a backpack and curiosity (and money I have been saving). This is also a chance for me to pursue my creative passions (comedy, original singer/songwriter recordings and a book of essays)- things that I have dreamt about for a while but have not been able to do in earnest for personal reasons. Now, the only excuse left is me not leaning into the fear.
To this extent, I have come up with 10 mantras that I am going to do my best to abide by this year.
Regardless of where you are in your journey, I wish you a growing cadre of moments that are immersed in kindness, approached with curiosity and connected to love. Don't pressure yourself to be anyone but who you are - the newness isn't necessary - the renewness is all you need to focus on - and you have a great start because it's in you already.
Without further ado:
Marc's Top 10 Mantras :
All is practice. There is no scheduled recital, and my learning is in the doing but I must be ready and not resist. Remember that the Buddha taught that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Intention matters. I will approach disappointment, anger, irritation and other afflictions with vulnerability and compassion, for myself and others, when the intention is noble.
Fear is a doorway. As the novelist, E.L. Doctorow wrote, "You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." I will not be intimated by feeling "less than", "too late" or "not ready".
I am not attached to outcome. I will not approach my life as a project with defined deliverable. The joy is in the living, the trying, the exploration and the discovery. Intrinsic values are my guiding light. Success is a concept, not a goal.
I have fierce loyalty to the present moment. Anxious thought and feelings will serve as an alarm to wake up, not an anchor to grasp. I need nothing more than the breath.
Doubt is a visitor. Every doubt is a chance to retreat or move forward. I have a choice.
It is ok to be alone. Being alone can be healthy, even if difficult. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely.
I am open awareness. I can recognize thoughts as mind objects, like a sound. I can approach feelings inquisitively. I use awareness to bring me back to the truth of the non-self, as there is no one "storm", ever changing.
I develop faith and patience that each moment is unfolding as is meant. It is not lacking to not know, to not solve, to not "be". It is graceful to accept, let go and trust the universe.
Gratitude is the foundation of everything. I can feel joy or pain. Either way, I have gratitude for the life I can live and for love.