The Only Thing, part two

We had an interesting discussion on "the only thing that matters is that I feel good."

Thank you to all who participated in person and by email.

Good things happened for people over the two weeks of this experiment - residuals checks arrived in the mail, a good replacement hairdresser was found, physical discomfort was eased away and replaced with a feeling of peace.

We've agreed to continue the experiment for another two weeks. Every morning upon arising, we remind ourselves that "the only thing that matters is that I feel good."  Whenever we find ourselves feeling not good, we check to see what we need to change in our thinking, speaking or doing in order to feel good.

(No one volunteered to try the opposite practice -- focusing on feeling bad -- to see what happens.)

Of course, like most simple practices, this is more complex than it appears on the surface.

We discussed the difference between short-term and long-term gratification. If we know we have to do something we don't want to do, it's best to do it with a positive attitude. Abraham says "your choices of action may be limited, but your choices of thought are not." We go back to the example of cleaning the house. We know we'll feel better when it's cleaned, so why not make the experience one that feels good by changing our thoughts to enthusiasm and satisfaction instead of drudgery and complaining. Another example is with food. If you know you will feel really good eating healthy food, then you need to focus on the long-term benefits instead of the short-term desire for unhealthy food.

Abraham also talks about pre-paving. What we are living today is what we pre-paved with previous thoughts and actions. Sometimes it's not pleasant, but we can still choose our thoughts as we move through the day. The thoughts and actions we choose today are pre-paving our future. Choose wisely.

We also discussed the built-in need for worry. People mentioned how they have to worry about their children. We worked through this, and remembered that Abraham says that "you get more of what you focus on." If you worry about your child, you will get more stress from the child. We also acknowledged that worrying about someone never helps them. If they learn you are worried about them it becomes a burden to them. Instead of worrying, notice what you can think, say or do to alleviate the worry you are feeling. 

This also ties in to Law of Allowing. We need to allow others to live their lives and create their experiences in the way they choose. We do what we can with our thinking, speaking and doing, and then we need to let go.

We'll discuss our ongoing experiment at the next meeting Wed. May 12. If you can't be there, feel free to email me your thoughts ahead of time.