Suggestions vs. Orders

I read a blog post recently by James Clear (JamesClear.com), and in it he talked about the mind as a Suggestion Engine. His thoughts on the topic fit very well with what I've learned recently. Just as an octagon has many sides, so too we may notice many sides when looking for a solution to a problem, or when looking at the problem itself. And James tells us to consider every thought you have as a suggestion, not an order.

If you allow for a pause and take stock, your mind may give you many suggestions, and it's then your task to determine which one feels right for you in this particular situation.

James said this, "Your life is good and your discomfort is temporary. Step into this moment of discomfort and let it strengthen you." Hmm, sounds a bit like what I've been learning about focusing. Allow yourself to feel the discomfort in a "felt sense", a body sensation that is meaningful, in whatever form it manifests, and as you allow yourself to experience it, see what comes to mind.

Here's some more from James Clear's blog post, all of which really resonates with me:

You Will Never Regret Good Work Once It is Done

Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” So often it seems that we want to work easily at work worth doing. We want our work to be helpful and respected, but we do not want to struggle through our work. We want our stomachs to be flat and our arms to be strong, but we do not want to grind through another workout. We want the final result, but not the failed attempts that precede it. We want the gold, but not the grind.

Anyone can want a gold medal. Few people want to train like an Olympian.

And yet, despite our resistance to it, I have never found myself feeling worse after the hard work was done. There have been days when it was damn hard to start, but it was always worth finishing. Sometimes, the simple act of showing up and having the courage to do the work, even in an average manner, is a victory worth celebrating.

And one last bit:

So, what do I do when I feel like giving up? I show up.

Do I show up at my best? I doubt it. But my job isn’t to judge how good or how bad I am. My job is to do the work and let the world decide.

While I don't think the world will decide how good or bad I am at my job, someone will have an opinion, of that I'm certain.

Just finished my retreat

So, once again it's been a very long time since I've posted. I'd like to change that, so here I am, trying again.

I've recently completed the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 19th Annotation. I had wanted to experience this retreat, and had purchased a number of books about the Exercises, but they all said that you needed a spiritual director to take you through the retreat. At the time, I didn't have a spiritual director. But along came Maria; I'm sure it was no coincidence that we were brought together. After a little more than a year of spiritual direction, Maria asked me if I would like to consider the Ignatian exercises. Of course I said, "YES!"

My spiritual director led me through the process using The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life by Fr. Kevin O'Brien SJ. What a wonderful experience. I feel like there is still so much I didn't fully absorb and would like to go through the book and the process again. Often, the scripture I was praying with on the retreat was in sync with the readings at Mass. So if I do go through the book again, I would want to start at the same time of year so that I'm following the Liturgical Calendar. I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to experience the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.

Maybe I'll go into more detail in another post.