Never have we had as many choices as we do in today’s complex world, from dozens of iterations on a cup of coffee to the almost limitless selection of movies and shows just a click or two away. How could I make the bold statement that we have only two choices? We are surrounded, if not inundated, with a plethora of options daily.
Yet, in any given moment, every choice has its basis in whether we are coming from a place of love, or a place of fear. These are forever and always the two choices we make each day, each moment, and to the extent we become aware of which emotion is driving our choice, our life becomes richer, more purposeful, and imbued with meaning and deep joy.
It’s one thing to make this claim, but what does it look like in our day to day lives? What is the practical application of this understanding? Let’s take a look at a few everyday circumstances and how our choices from either love or fear are played out in the drama that is our lives.
Let’s say you are out running errands (now that we can do that again) and someone cuts you off in traffic – like really cuts you off so that you have to brake to avoid an accident. We are all familiar with road rage and the language and gestures associated with it. While that might seem like justifiable behavior and righteous anger, it is really coming from a place of fear; fear for our safety, fear of not being respected or valued, fear of not being seen.
What would it look like to come from a place of love? Could we consider that perhaps the person who cut us off is rushing between 2 jobs, or is late to pick up her child, or was just furloughed from her only job and is feeling lost and desperate? The truth is we won’t know the motivation behind the other driver’s behavior. It could be that she is not a considerate driver in general, but what does our elevated blood pressure and surge of anger do to change that? When we come from a place of love, we can leave space for others, and Life, to be as they are without judging and condemning each situation that doesn’t conform to our expectations.
Looking at another possible scenario, let’s suppose you are not re-elected to a post you’ve enjoyed holding, whether it’s at your job, your community, your place of worship or in local politics. It stings. It feels like rejection of who you are and what you stand for, and it’s easy to slip into fear. You might denounce all the voters as idiots, or simpletons who do not understand the issues at hand. Everyone in that group now becomes suspect – did they vote for me or against me? Are they still my friend, or should I add them to my ’s’ list?
Coming from a place of love doesn’t mean we don’t feel our natural human feelings, but it determines how we respond. It may still sting, but we might realize that Life could be steering us on to better things, or perhaps we view this as an invitation to step back and look at our attitude, interpersonal skills, or other reflection. Coming from love we can ask the very powerful question, “What can I learn from this experience?”
Please understand that I am not saying I always come from a place of love. I don’t, believe me. This is not about denying our humanness and trying to be perfect (that’s coming from fear). The key, as always, is awareness. If we simply bring awareness to our words and actions, we have taken a huge step forward in living a more conscious, awakened life.
A beautiful mantra to begin the day is
