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Crazy-Makers: Dealing with Passive-Aggressive People

Why Are People Mean? Don't Take It Personally!

When You Have Been Betrayed

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The Secret of Happiness: Let It Find You (But Make the Effort)

Excellence vs. Perfection

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7 Rules and 8 Methods for Responding to Passive-aggressive People

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Audio Version of Article: Happiness Is An Attitude

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Pathways Meditation

If you use these audios, please support their development. Just $1 for each audio you use could greatly help with creating more audios!





Pathways Meditation
curved line

Frequently, people are searching for the "perfect" life believing that if they make the right choices life will be pleasant and easy. They may believe that by controlling every aspect of their own life and those they love they can prevent any hardship. However, by focusing on controlling life, they are unable to fully appreciate their own path through life.

Or, people may be envious of other people's lives. They may believe that others have better lives or have made better choices. In the process of focusing on others' lives they are unable to see the value in their own life.

This audio is to help with viewing your own path through life in a different way. It is meant to be listened to repeatedly as a meditation because you may gain different insights when you listen to it at different times.

When you listen to a meditation, don't try to force the feelings but just allow yourself to experience it. If other thoughts distract you, just allow yourself to refocus very gently back to the meditation. Over time you will find yourself more able to focus and experience it to greater levels.

Do not use while operating a car!

TRANSCRIPT

Transcript: Pathways Meditation
curved line

Begin by focusing on your breath. Notice each breath as the air flows into your body and notice each breath as the air flows out of your body. As you are ready, close your eyes and notice the sensations with each breath, how your chest rises and falls, how your shoulders droop and relax each time you exhale. Notice the feel of the air as it moves through your nostrils and down into your lungs. Feel the movement of the almost imperceptible muscles in your chest, lungs and abdomen as they expand each time you inhale and contract each time you exhale.

Savor each breath. As you do, notice the soothing relaxation begin to flow through your body smoothing out and relaxing each of the muscles in your body as it flows throughout your body. As you continue to savor each breath you notice images forming in your mind. In particular, you focus on an image of a line of light or color.

As you focus on this line of light, you see it as if from a distance so it looks somewhat straight with a beginning and an end. You also notice that there are other lines but the one line stands out more than the rest. You begin to think of this line as your line. You notice that the other lines vary in size, color, and intensity. Some of them intersect your line, some of them run beside it and some aren't near your line at all.

Now imagine that you are zooming in to get a closer look at your line. As your perspective changes and you view the line from this closer viewpoint you can see that the line isn't straight at all. In fact, the line goes through many changes as you view it more closely. Sometimes it is making many turns as if confronted by an obstacle it needs to avoid. Other times it is straight and level. At other times it seems too narrow and takes on the aspect of an upward climb.

As you observe this line, you begin to realize this line is your life's path. You notice the other lines that run near your life path. There are many that come into contact with your line for a brief time. And there are some that run parallel with your path for long periods of time with frequent intersections. And there are a few lines that intertwine with your path over a period of time. You realize these other lines are the life paths of other people, some of whom are very involved with you while others are acquaintances and still others are strangers.

You notice the different patterns of these life paths as they weave in and out from one another, come together and intersect with one another. You can see that at times they are concentrated together and other times they are virtually alone. As you zoom in for a closer look at your life path you can see that at times there are high concentrations of lines interacting with your line. Sometimes this may be when your path appears to be going through many twists and turns and you may need help to navigate your path. Sometimes there are lines that are highly involved with yours that suddenly come to an end. That may also be a time when many other lines come together with that line. The lines almost seem to engage in a complex dance that involves an entire community.

But through it all your line stands out. As you observe your path you feel you are getting to know it more intimately. It is uniquely your path—there is no other path like it. It is unique and it is yours. You see this path in all its ups and downs, all its twists and turns and you feel strongly attached to it. You see the beauty of it even when it is going through rough patches. Because it is yours. Even though at times it appears to be struggling. And at times it appears as if you are on a side path perhaps avoiding the main path. At those times you know you will return to the main path but there is something you need to learn on the side path. But throughout it all, you are attached to it because it is uniquely yours. This line shines brighter than all the others. It is special because it is unique. And it is yours.

As you zoom in closer you can see choice points in your life. You can see the individual twists and turns and when they occurred. Each of these is a choice point. Sometimes they occurred during difficult times and sometimes they were planned. You can see when lessons were learned and the path becomes straighter and wider. As you zoom closer to examine the individual choice points, you can see how important those experiences and lessons were. You realize every experience was an important part of your life. You can even see how certain experiences may have created a more difficult path for awhile but then resulted in a smoother path over time.

As you continue to observe your life path, you begin to appreciate it more and more. You see how all the experiences, the choice points, the intertwining lines create this path that is uniquely yours. As you look at the pattern of your life, and how it interacts with the other patterns, you can see how beautiful it is.

You begin to see that you can view the choice points of your life not as struggles to avoid or something that is unfair or shouldn't occur, but as opportunities to grow, to learn, to take your life path in a different direction. You begin to appreciate each of these choice points no matter how difficult they were because they make up your unique path.

You also begin to realize as you look at the other life paths that they may seem straight and easy from a distance but as you look at them more closely you can see the multiple twists and turns. Each path is different. Each path is different and the same. Each is hard in spots and easier in others. There is no perfect path, just different paths. You realize there can't be a perfect path because different people would define that in different ways. For some perfect means walking a wide path on level ground, for others it means climbing over boulders and difficult terrain, for others it might be walking in the rain and listening to the water splashing on the leaves over head. You realize each path is beautiful in its own way.

You see that the outcomes of each path are different but the same—just different experiences. Each path provides the opportunities for growth, for loving, for fully experiencing life. Sometimes the paths may seem to get stuck in a roundabout and other times they may be fully involved with other paths. They each have their own meaning and their own beauty. You also notice that they are also just smaller parts of a larger path. You can see how they are all part of a larger pattern which allows you to appreciate the importance of each life path knowing that each path has a role in this larger pattern.

As you fully appreciate the beauty of each path, you can feel the appreciation for your own life path grow more and more. As you continue to view your life path, you notice it glowing with an inviting warmth. And even though you can't zoom in on those future choice points, you feel accepting of each and every one of them. You know they are part of what is uniquely you.

You look forward to the new experiences, the new lessons, the new struggles of your life. Because you know that each are part of the beauty of the pattern of your life. Whatever shall come in the future, you know that accepting it as part of the pattern of your unique path will allow you to fully experience and grow from that experience. You will savor each experience and each moment as part of the unique and beautiful pattern of your life.

Whenever you are ready, you may open your eyes, come back to full awareness and take this perspective with you in all the moments of your life.

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