Dear Seeker,

"There are active forces that come in and stir us, such as when someone says something not to our liking. You can't stop the stirring, but you can stop serving it."

~ Guy Finley

Excerpted from "Secrets of Being Unstoppable"
(Talk 2: The Three Pillars of Spiritual Power)

Special exercise: Separate facts from feelings

The sky is blue -- fact. I love sunny days -- feeling. My co-worker just yelled at me in a meeting -- fact. I'm angry and have to find a way to get back at him -- feeling. Why is it important to make these distinctions? Because (as we all know) while facts remain the same, our feelings about the facts can shift dramatically from one moment to the next. Something happens and "wham" -- I'm elated or in a rage or scared or annoyed. And I think that feeling is "me" and how I truly feel, so of course I act accordingly. But then more often than not, when the original feeling fades away, I find myself regretful or confused or empty. The more we work to not overreact to the feelings that stir in us, the more "facts" we actually start to see about the moment. For instance, we're better able to sense another person's pain or fear or worry. These types of additional facts help us to respond more appropriately and sincerely, and without compromising our true selves.