It Begins in the Center
by Starcat

One of the toughest lessons I’ve been working on lately is to find my center no matter what is going on around me. I’ve encountered this concept before, most notably in the practice of mindfulness meditation. It made sense to me in that context, but apparently I didn’t integrate it fully into my life. Over the past few years, as I’ve delved deeply into learning about the Law of Attraction and how to create the life I want, this lesson has come up again and again: before you can change anything in the external world, you need to make the shift in your inner world, in your thoughts and feelings.

Intellectually, it has always made sense to me. Yet when I feel stressed out, or something unpleasant happens, there is still a part of me that wants to resist. I try to put conditions on how I feel and what I think. “If I had some money to fix my car, I would feel better.” “I’m too busy! When I get a chance for some down-time, then I’ll be able to focus on my creative projects.” It’s a paradox, because when I instead choose to seek my center in those difficult moments, then things do fall into place much more easily. Recently I’ve been able to let go of some of my resistance and look within during times of stress and pressure.

One of the techniques that has helped me the most is a process suggested by Abraham, which is to “find the next better-feeling thought.” In other words, instead of trying to go directly from freaking out to “everything is great,” which is a leap that feels forced and artificial in those moments, find a thought that feels just a little bit better.

In the case of the examples I gave above, I might think, “We’ve made things work without a car before,” “I can postpone my plans,” “I have ten minutes right now to sit down and write in my journal, instead of doing the dishes,” or “I can relax on my way to my next appointment and listen to some good music to get inspired.” Just find a slightly more hopeful thought, one that your stressed-out self can accept easily. You’ll notice your mood gradually improving.

Once the process is underway, and you get used to practicing it regularly, you’ll become more creative and open, and you’ll see ways to improve your life even more. It won’t take long before you notice the results and the situations you’ve been worried about will change. Starting from a centered place will help you create a more balanced and fun life. And even when those unexpected things pop up, you’ll be less reactionary and more sure of your ability to handle them, and to thrive no matter what life brings.