Life on Life's Terms

When practicing mindful living we become more aware of the way we feel. Since we are cultivating present moment awareness, often it is the way we feel inside that gets noticed quickly. These feelings can often knock us off the path of mindful awareness as we seek to escape negative feelings or desire to hold onto positive ones. It is important to accept these feelings as they are, and keep our desire to hold or push away feelings to a minimum.

I have often heard the phrase "Accepting life on life's terms." What this means to me is feeling our feelings and recognizing them for what they are in the truth of our current moment awareness. If we can learn to resist the urge to escape them or hold them, and instead accept them, and experience them, we will find that they do not have the strength that we thought they had. We can become comfortable with our feelings and ourselves. Once we accept that we are human and have feelings, and can surrender to the process of experiencing them without fear, ego, or judgement, we find that we need not be a prisoner to them. We can learn to face our feelings and emotions and surrender to the experience of being human. Although this seems simple, it is not easy. The way to freedom is through practice!