The word success, and what does that mean for me and practice? When I think of being successful in this lifetime, I think about living in a way where I feel connected to both the people around me as well as the environment I am in and feeling “at home,” which for me translates to being in touch with my heart. Can I say I am successful in living this way? Hardly. And I can say that practice has been the open door to getting a felt sense of what these words might mean. There is a quote of Cheri’s, “the quality of your life is determined by the focus of your attention” that comes along with me wherever my mind may roam. I notice how I am judging my boyfriend for my projection that he is “losing himself” in me – and in that moment I notice that in my judgment of him, I have lost myself in him. Back to center. I shift my attention to how I appreciate how he cares about me, and notice that in that same moment I feel a sense of care about him. I see, again and again, that being human is about projecting our mind’s condition on another, and I feel great joy when I experience that coming back to my breath, I can shift my projection from “what is wrong”/“I don’t want to” to “what I appreciate”/“what I choose,” and in that moment life goes from feeling burdensome and heavy to one of joy and lightness. This is why I practice. To me, success in this life will be a result of where I put my attention, and with this practice, I see I have a choice.
The word success, and what does that mean for me and practice? When I think of being successful in this lifetime, I think about living in a way where I feel connected to both the people around me as well as the environment I am in and feeling “at home,” which for me translates to being in touch with my heart. Can I say I am successful in living this way? Hardly. And I can say that practice has been the open door to getting a felt sense of what these words might mean. There is a quote of Cheri’s, “the quality of your life is determined by the focus of your attention” that comes along with me wherever my mind may roam. I notice how I am judging my boyfriend for my projection that he is “losing himself” in me – and in that moment I notice that in my judgment of him, I have lost myself in him. Back to center. I shift my attention to how I appreciate how he cares about me, and notice that in that same moment I feel a sense of care about him. I see, again and again, that being human is about projecting our mind’s condition on another, and I feel great joy when I experience that coming back to my breath, I can shift my projection from “what is wrong”/“I don’t want to” to “what I appreciate”/“what I choose,” and in that moment life goes from feeling burdensome and heavy to one of joy and lightness. This is why I practice. To me, success in this life will be a result of where I put my attention, and with this practice, I see I have a choice.