Guest
I recently co-led a workshop in Portland called “You Be You“. On the morning of the second day, I went on a ramble about the inside-out understanding that even some of my long-time students said felt like the first time they'd ever really seen it at that level of depth and clarity. At the risk of hyperbole, if you're willing to get a bit quiet and have a listen, it might just change your life forever… [0:00 - 1:30] Distinction between being overwhelmed (an experience) vs being overloaded (a condition). Overwhelm is a feeling, overload is having too much to do. [1:30 - 3:00] This distinction is fundamental to understanding how life works, as there are two things constantly happening - circumstances and experience. Circumstances have solidity but experience is completely subjective. [3:00 - 4:30] Experiences of the same circumstance can be completely different. Our experiences are not determined by circumstances. Experience is infinitely fluid whereas circumstances do not change as quickly. [4:30 - 6:00] Experience is made up of thought, which is a creative force that can change in an instant. We have accountability for our experiences but not circumstances. Experience is our domain to master through changing our thoughts. [6:00 - 7:30] If experiences are created by us, not circumstances, we have ultimate freedom. No circumstance can create fear - only our thoughts can. We can choose our experiences. [7:30 - 9:00] When we see we are 100% accountable for experience, the world opens up. We don't need to avoid “bad“ circumstances or seek “good“ ones, as circumstances don't determine experiences. [9:00 - 10:30] Our innate intelligence naturally guides us to higher experiences if we allow it. We are resilient but often repress ourselves for years until we bounce back. Change can happen in an instant. [10:30 - 12:00] Deeper peace is available to us beyond circumstances and experiences. As thoughts settle, this peace emerges. Babies live in this state until circumstances create discomfort pulling them from peace. [12:00 - End] We can check in on our internal state at any moment, without needing to change circumstances. Experience is ours to choose from moment to moment through thought. This realization can reduce much confusion. Love what you're learning? Join my Inner Circle! For as little as $10 a month, members get exclusively monthly webinars with me where they can ask me anything, hundreds of hours of on-demand resources, and discounts of 20%, 40%, or even 100% off my programs! #michaelneill #threeprinciples #psychology #mindfulness #philosophy #personaldevelopment #spirituality #thoughts #experience #circumstances #accountability #freedom #stress #emotions #mindset
