Heres something which cropt up recently in my life, something that I wish to share to help...
I was involved in a situation at work, which changed my whole outlook on life, so much so, that my EGO (for the first time) went quiet.
I was involved in a job, which included data entry. It's not a bad job, but it can be very busy at times. One particular day, I was going about my business as usual, noticing the time, and seeing how long I had left before the end of my work-shift.
Now I'm a time watcher, and I don't want to rush things last minute (done that before...no fun!). I wanted to make sure that I've got at least 15 to 30 mins before I go home, to basically wind down. Rushing at the last minute is not my cup of tea (and it's mentally exhausting).
But as I was going through the day, I noticed that some parts of my job weren't being done, and I was going into a right emotional storm.
Put simply, by the time mid-afternoon came up, I was in an emotional state. I knew that there was more work for me to do, but it wasn't being done.
Now, I consider myself a deeply spiritual person, always believing in a higher plan, always ready to try and see the good side of a bad situation. I shouldv'e remained calm, as I knew better!
But I couldn't...
I worked myself up into a complete emotional frenzy, that I simply couldn't concentrate on the task in hand. As a result, my workload suffered. I simply couldn't focus. I was panicking, really scared that I was going to have loads to do before going home....
I didn't know what to do...and I was turning into an emotional wreck!
Spiritual truths were flung out of the window. Fear gripped me. I simply couldn't get a grip. I was even scared of losing my job, for fear that I might have been judged for being too slow!!!
Then around 4pm, a thought hit me, which changed everything...
I had heard of the truth, that everything in life is a metaphor. I sort of understood it, and understood that no event had any meaning, apart from the meaning you attach to it. Simply put, in every moment of now, there is an outcome, and that's it. No hidden meaning, unless you want to attach one yourself. Life is a process of outcomes, not meanings (if you can see this perspective).
But a new thought was suddenly flung into my conscious. Perhaps it was soul trying to help a dying EGO, perhaps it was me trying to find a deeper truth in a midst of perceived madness, I don't know.
But the thought was this...
'The real teaching isn't how well you listen to the message, after all, the message might be a bad message, a loud message or a blunt message; but how you REACT to the message. That is the teaching of life'
This thought hit me, and I was stunned! Suddenly, peace resumed, my EGO quieted down, and I said to myself, 'Just do what you can do. Don't worry about any outcomes, just try your best'
I said that to myself, finished my day, and peace followed me until the evening. It's a teaching that I won't forget in a long time.
It's easy to get caught up in work stress. It's very easy to lose the present moment, and indulge in negative mental chatter, but the real teaching of life is how we react to these situations. Don't forget, fear is over a perceived threat, not the problem itself. When the problem takes place, you can be annoyed, angry, irritated, disgusted, or even bitter. But you cannot be afraid, as the emotion of fear is the only emotion of the future.
The same situation will simply keep appearing, day in, day out, until we react appropriately and maturely (and hopefully more spiritually and calmly)
Then the soul goes onto other adventures....
Hopefully you'll be inspired by this. Let me know what you think. The thought certainly helped me :-)