Today was an unpredictable and eventful day. As I rose this morning, offered morning prayers and played my morning affirmations, I had no idea the day would take me for a ride the way it did. Ever since I started making affirmation a daily practice, it feels like the Universe is going out of its way to stretch, pull, and twist me every which way. All this has me thinking, what is the Universe trying to teach me?

In Zander and Zander’s The Art of Possibility, the authors talk about how there’s an underlying assumption in people’s mind that resources are scarce and life is hard. This assumption – though not voiced – is one that is so pervasive and deeply embedded within us, that it factors heavily into our decision making process:

“All the manifestations of the world of measurement – the winning and losing, the gaining of acceptance and the threatened rejection, the raised hopes and the dash into despair – all are based on a single assumption that is hidden from our awareness. The assumption is that life is about staying alive and making it through – surviving in a world of scarcity and peril. Even when life is at its best in the measurement world, this assumption is the backdrop for the play, and, like the invisible box around the nine dots [referring to an earlier example in the book], it keeps the universe of possibility out of view.” (p. 18)

Can you imagine what this insidious thought process has done to our minds? It has convinced us that surviving is enough – that we live in a constant fight or flight world where there’s a conflict for money, love, resources – and if we don’t obtain x, it’ll be lost from us forever.

This model of thinking is dangerous because it keeps us blind to the universe of possibility that exists around us. When we treat ourselves in a way that is unkind and encourages depravity, we are passing that energy on to those we interact with and creating a chain reaction of negativity in the Universe.

I work with a colleague who is a suave bag of uncertainty, anxiety, and panic. His eloquent-sounding mumbo jumbo is unnerving for a person like me, who is succinct, does not know how to schmooze a crowd, and generally focuses her energies on the excellence of her work. I’ve never understood people who I call The Great Talkers – those that can hob-nob effortlessly with various levels of management and say a great number of sentences, all which distill to nothing noteworthy or concrete. I harbor distrust for people who focus on style more than substance, and have found them baffling, to be honest.

Time and time again, this colleague directs conversations to negativity by asking open-ended, unsolvable questions that leaves me feeling as if I’ve dipped my hands in dirty, muddy water. The questions are process related, whimsical complaints disguised in question form focusing on topics such as: the way things should be, an unwillingness to understand how work gets done in his new setting (he’s new), and a disinterest in moving forward to bridge the gap between the practical and the ideological.

His mind is ever racing, calculating, and panicky all the time. And as a person who is actively working on becoming mindful, positive, and present, talking to him leaves me feeling drained, tired, and at fault in some murky way. A gray cloud hangs over me after I’ve engaged with him, and I don’t know what to do about it. What is the Universe trying to teach me?

I’ve learned that when we begin to own our life and actively work to beautify it, life brings to light the bad, ugly, and overall, icky parts of our life and/or our personality that do not serve us. One of my biggest learnings on my path to inner beautification has been that ironically, in order to bring about peace within myself, I need to be a cut-throat warrior… let me explain!

By committing to elevate ourselves, bring about mental clarity, presence and oneness with the Universe, we have to be able to kick the shit out of negativity. We need to guard our inner garden, which is full of blossoming, beautiful and delicate flowers from the harsh winds such as negativity, pessimism, and overall dreariness. Basically, like kid watching his last delicious slice of chocolate cake.

It’s interesting to note that to be soft and at peace, we have to learn to be fierce and deliberate. In order to successfully guard our inner garden, we must learn to fight and keep out everything that does not serve us.

By bringing about circumstances that drain and tire me, the Universe is like the mentor who is punching his student, directing her to pull a punch, defend herself and pin him to the ground. How else will my fierceness sharpen, character strengthen, and fight instinct thrive if things are moving along smoothly? What better way to add tenacity to my list of strengths then to subject me to tough waters?

So, fierceness of character and willingness to protect is key. Another lesson the Universe is trying to teach me is to exert full force of my being into what I am able to control – in other words, work to realize that I am in control of my thoughts and reactions. I cannot change or alter how other people operate, so free myself from feeling a need to accommodate, cater, or absorb blame in a way that falls outside of my Being’s force. I am in control of only how I respond – how freeing to realize that the other person has no bearing on my energy force!

This sense of accommodation and harmony-seeking have long lasting consequences that ultimately focus people on wanting to please, gain validation, and totally reorient lives so that it is no longer our own. That’s a heavy burden to bare, and our souls are not meant for that.

Once we understand what the Universe is trying to teach us through everyday experiences, we can set our path to walk a higher road and not be bogged down by limiting people or events. Like me, think what is the Universe trying to teach me? and hopefully a clue can arise in the distant horizon.

As for my situation, I will work on situating myself to a higher plane in order to learn the Universe’s lesson. I will give my work 100%, engage with my colleague and recognize the panic and frustration that exists, but will not shoulder the burden, or give it space inside myself. Maintaining compassion, yet a watchful eye for my precious garden, I will engage with him as a doctor does with a patient – with protective outer wear, guards up, confidence high.

After all, I can’t allow anyone to run through my beautiful garden with their dirty hands!

I am…
-brimming with fierceness to protect my garden (my soul)
-honoring this opportunity to experience life and choose to be happy
-calm, confident, courageous
-resolutely centered and steadfast
-fearless
-enough
-infinite!