Monday 3 Oct 2005, 9:51 a.m.
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Copyright (c) 2005 Julie Tkachuk

Think of a problem you are experiencing. Then imagine that this problem is a small pebble. See yourself picking up that pebble and holding it as close as you can to one of your eyes. Even if it is small, the pebble will completely block your vision.

Holding a problem, or pebble, close is what many people do with the challenges they face. One of my favorite authors, Raymond Charles Barker, writes, "They [people] place the tentacles of worry and fear around the problem so that it cannot go away. They give their whole attention to it. They think it and feel it. Then they re-think it and re-feel it."

One of my main beliefs is that I create what I think about and focus my attention on. I also know that where my mental attention goes, my emotions follow. So when I spend time thinking about what I don’t have and/or the mistakes I have made so far in life, I feel negative. My mood is miserable and correspondingly, my phone doesn’t ring, my income stops flowing, my internet connection goes down, etc.

I am getting much better at catching myself quickly and turning my thoughts around. For time and time again, I see that when I consciously think about something joyful (past, present or even imaginary), I feel good. Once I set a more positive thought pattern in motion—presto, change-o—friends phone to ask me out, traffic lights turn green as I approach them, there is more money in my bank account than I thought I had, and so on and so on.

So stop worrying about your problem. Make the conscious choice to think about something different. Instead of worrying and feeling fear, look at the situation from a distance. In other words, hold the pebble at arm’s length and gain a different perspective. As Albert Einstein said, "The significant problems that we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them." So do something that takes you to that higher level of thought. Meditate. Rollerblade. Jog. Take a bath. Go to the mountains. Go fishing. Do something that makes you feel good.

When you rise above and detach from your problems you stop giving them a whole lot of attention. And something wonderful happens. Those negative situations start to dissipate. They begin to disappear. Why? Because your emotional distance creates the mental and physical space for new ideas and experiences. And come they will so pay attention to them. You may think of phoning someone, going somewhere or doing something new. Follow through! As crazy as some of these ideas may seem, follow your instincts.

As you act on your inspired ideas and/or follow through on new opportunities that are presented, detach from any outcome. Follow all clues and trust that one thing leads to another. If one thing doesn’t work out, it’s because something better is on the way, or the time is not right. Your job is not to know how, when or why things come. It is to hold your mental attention on what it is you want long enough for it to become your reality.

Also, when acting on your inspired ideas, make sure that any action you take feels joyful. If you attempt to control or manipulate something into being, the ending will not be a happy one. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Let joy be your guide.

Okay, so you’ve looked at your problem objectively and learned something from it. You’ve taken your mind off of it and listened to your instincts/intuition/gut. You’ve taken appropriate action. What to do with the pebble now?

Let it go. Drop it so that it becomes just another small bump on your path.

After years of wrapping the tentacles of worry around your problems, relax and allow yourself to embrace life and live it fully. Right here, right now, and forevermore.

Reproduced with permission from Julie Tkachuk's monthly e-zine. To subscribe, send an email with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to julietkachuk@telus.net. Visit www.julietkachuk.com.

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