LivingNow Magazine
Inspiring, nurturing, empowering
Install App?
Living Now Magazine
read.livingnow.com.au
This is how the Install App dialog will look like once your App goes live.
Expansion needs to occur in the future realm by actively creating new areas for growth through putting ourselves ‘out there’ in challenging situations. From the perspective of ‘holding space’ this would mean being able to hold a bigger space.
The paradox of all this is that part of us seeks certainty and security. Part of us is quite happy with the way things have always been. Part of us is comfortable with our fixed view of the world that we have developed over the years of our lifetime. Part of us is comfortable being safe and knowing how the world works – no matter how dysfunctional and disempowering this may be.
The simple fact is that it is SAFE to remain going around and around in the same old habits and routines, doing the same old things day after day, thinking the same thoughts, holding the same opinions about things and doggedly defending our fixed view of the world lest anybody get any ideas and start to rock the boat.
To step over into the realm of future/present living is by definition SCARY! There is no evidence to support some of the things you may want to create. There is no evidence to support the new way that you would like to BE. Lots of other people that you know – who have been quite happy to support your old LIMITED view of yourself – are quite willing to throw rocks at you if you dare to step out of the comfort zone and propose that there may be another more expansive way of living.
So why not just retreat to the safe space of ‘the way things have always been’ and resign yourself to living that way? That would be the easy way – EXCEPT for this deep-seated impediment to expand.
Ho hum…
I think that we all have a required ‘quota’ for expansiveness which can be filled by either growth-generating expansive experiences or drama.
If we are not ‘putting our self out there’ enough, trying new things, facing our fears and exploring new ways of being, then we fill our quota with drama instead.
Now I’m not suggesting that we all have the same quota. Everyone’s different, and factors such as early childhood experiences, genetics and karmic influences all mix together to create each and every one of us as unique individuals. What I am saying is that we all have a choice as to how we wish to fill our quota. It may seem easier to remain in the ‘safe zone’ but that just leaves us open to catching drama syndrome.
If you have drama syndrome it means that when even the slightest little things go wrong it sends you into a major spin and you turn it into a big drama. The eschewing drama becomes so big that it prevents you from doing what you want to do and as such you become a powerless victim to circumstance unable to create what you want.
Boring…
Check for yourself – think about the times in your life when things were going really well for you and you were ‘in flow’ with things, taking on every challenge that was presented to you. Were you surrounded by drama that you just couldn’t get away from? Or did the people and events that you associate with drama seem to just drop away from your life?
So my hypothesis is this: we are growth-seeking beings all trying to expand our consciousness. All of us have a ‘quota’ that can be filled by either expansive experiences or drama. If we don’t consciously create expansive experiences that take us out of our comfort zones and trigger growth then we will subconsciously create drama in our lives to generate emotional juice.
Drama syndrome occurs when you’ve become so fixed in your ways and so tied into a victim story that you see yourself as powerless, refuse to take any responsibility for what’s going on in your life and consequently fill your quota with drama. This drama can be through turbulent relationships and confronting experiences which – instead of seeing as challenges to face and embrace and learn and grow from – you turn into a massive drama in which you are the victim.
You never see yourself as a victim. You take full responsibility and you never judge what has come to you. You know that, even though you don’t understand what is going on or why, it is absolutely perfect exactly as it is – so you RELEASE the need to ‘work it out’.
As you EMBRACE the world and the challenges that come to you, the drama leaves your life to be replaced by a DEEP sense of PEACE arising from the knowledge that you are stepping UP and INTO a bigger space of consciousness.
So, here’s my challenge to you. For the next 30 days how about taking the spiritual warrior’s challenge?
At the start of the 30 days consciously set your intention that:
“For the next 30 days I will be a spiritual warrior by facing my fears and embracing the experiences that come to me, acting on my intuition with courage, never needing to know why things are happening and taking responsibility for everything, knowing that all is perfect exactly as it is.”
Write it in your journal, stick it up on a wall somewhere, write it on your bathroom mirror – whatever works for you. Then every morning before you get out of bed:
– refresh your intention to be a warrior
– release the need to work things out
– allow yourself to go with the flow
– set your intention to follow your intuition and guidance by acting on it without needing to know why.
At the end of 30 days reflect on the level of drama that has been in your life versus the number of expansive experiences. Then email me at selfmastery@acping.net and I’ll share your feedback.
Dr A.C. Ping, PhD, is an existential philosopher specialising in self-mastery, leadership and ethics.
His books have been published around the world and his current work is focused on helping organisations embed ethical systems. www.acping.net
![[object Object]](https://cdn.magloft.com/pwa-6/article/image/15f2b576-a000-4535-a7f9-12bdabc85d9a.png?optimizer=image&width=360&aspect_ratio=3:4)
Who are we? Why it matters
Gregg Braden asks: Who are we? Why would it matter? How differently would we live our lives knowing that we’re more than the product of random evolution?
![[object Object]](https://cdn.magloft.com/pwa-6/article/image/90006a93-47c6-4669-945e-d2e8241752af.png?optimizer=image&width=360&aspect_ratio=3:4)
Got Chronic Drama Syndrome?
When good things happen to you, do you find it hard to accept them? When bad things happen do you accept it as your lot in life?
![[object Object]](https://cdn.magloft.com/pwa-6/article/image/1e896ee4-599b-448f-869a-1eb868fc5b0f.png?optimizer=image&width=360&aspect_ratio=3:4)
Depressive realism vs delusional optimism
Would you rather be a depressed realist or a delusional optimist? Compile evidence to support the story that you are having an amazingly blessed and happy life.
![[object Object]](https://cdn.magloft.com/pwa-6/article/image/6cf0786d-31f6-4a71-9a99-6b5e5dc7c108.png?optimizer=image&width=360&aspect_ratio=3:4)
Are you being pulled from above or below?
Are you being ‘guided to walk away’ because something doesn’t feel right, or are you avoiding an important spiritual message from above? Important; look within.
![[object Object]](https://cdn.magloft.com/pwa-6/article/image/1042beeb-a714-4edc-8294-8acbb96fd50b.png?optimizer=image&width=360&aspect_ratio=3:4)
Muscle cars and meditation – your two natures
Understanding your chi & path is important because if you’re off your primary nature path either it won’t happen or it won’t be paired with health or happiness.
1
2020: The year I started getting paid while lounging in the nude
How coping with the lockdown started a new business, re-ignited a creative passion, and cured anxiety.
2
A framework for thriving through and beyond the pandemic
It may sound counter-intuitive but the key to thriving is struggle. So, if you have really struggled in lockdown this is your opportunity – grab it with everything you have!
3
The environment in a post-lockdown world
Earlier this year, the world entered unchar ted waters when a coronavirus outbreak turned into a global pandemic. This placed the citizens of most industrialised countries in an unprecedented position, with home lockdowns, social distancing, and unfolding economic impacts whose ramifications are starting to emerge. The virus is affecting nearly everything, to a greater or lesser degree, including how environmental issues can be tackled.
4
Finding pleasure and aliveness in a pandemic
Have you had a healthy relationship with your pleasure lately? How can we use sensual pleasure to become more resilient?
5
How do you prosper during COVID-19?
Seeking strength through adversity, and adapting to change, Craig finds a way to prosper – and discovers a brand new passion along the way.
6
The art of making meaning – post-pandemic style
Making meaning helps us endure and recover from traumatic experiences, and could help you thrive beyond COVID-19 by Larissa Wright
