Have you ever noticed that things don’t always work out the way you think they will? Events and opportunities that seem to be beneficial can turn out to be inopportune and visa versa. You will drive yourself mad if you try to follow logic. Instead these moments are invitations to drop into your neutral heart. To recognize each moment without labeling it as good or bad.
When tough events are happening in the world or your home it is easy to label them as bad when things look like they are falling apart or appear unsafe. It takes mastery to see their gifts and that starts by becoming neutral to them. I am reminded of a chinese proverb of unknown origin that invites us to welcome all events with arms open and mind clear. Is the event good luck or bad luck: Who can tell?
Chinese Proverb
There was an old man who had a beautiful horse. This horse was not only his family’s pride and joy, but it was also a means to an income for the family.
One day, the horse ran away. Fellow villagers visited the old man to give their condolences for such a stroke of bad luck, as the loss of his horse represented a staggering financial blow that would be hard to recover from.
“Good luck, bad luck: Who can tell?” replied the old man. “It is as it is. My horse is gone.”
Perplexed at the man’s nonchalance towards the apparent tragedy, the villagers went about their business.
A few days later, the horse returned with a pack of 12 wild horses in tow. Again the villagers gathered, this time to offer their congratulations at such a stroke of good luck. Now he had 12 more horses with which to make 12 times the income! What a godsend, they said.
“Good luck, bad luck: Who can tell?” replied the old man again. “All I see is that 12 more horses have appeared.”
The next week, while breaking in one of the wild horses, the old man’s son fell and both his legs were broken. What bad luck! The villagers exclaimed. Your son has broken both of his legs. That’s terrible. How will you get your work done? You are too old to do it yourself.
“Good luck, bad luck: Who can tell?” was the (now predictable and equally frustrating) answer of the old man. “My son has broken his legs. That is all I know.”
Shortly thereafter, the government forcibly removed all the able-bodied men from the village, as the country had gone to war. The old man’s son, however, was spared since his legs were broken.
Good luck, bad luck: Who can tell?
So next time your world appears to be falling down around you, give yourself some space to drop into you neutral heart and choose how you want to respond to your situation instead of wasting energy categorizing it as good or bad because, who knows!
How To Drop Into Your Neutral Heart
It is natural to get stuck in polarity thinking and label things as good or bad, right or wrong. We have been programmed to view the world in this way, but you can unravel this programming once you notice it is happening and reconnect to your neutral heart as you ride the waves of life.
Here are three simple steps to follow in order to clear your mind, open your heart and stay neutral:
- Trust yourself! This takes courage when what is happening is unclear. Trust yourself anyway. Choose to follow your heart over your mind and trust you are capable of handling whatever shows up. You don’t need the outside world to provide you with safety, you can trust that you are safe. Just like building any muscle, the more you do this the easier it will get.
- Be compassionate with yourself and others. Everyone is doing the best they can from where they are, including yourself. Judging yourself and beating yourself up will only keep you stuck and not looking for possibilities. It is the same for other people. Give it a try. For the next few days practice treating yourself or other people with the belief that everyone is doing the best they can and when they know better they will do better and notice what happens.
- Surrender. This doesn’t mean you are allowing whatever is happening to happen. It is quite the contrary. It is about recognizing the energy behind the actions and deciding what you get to do next. You are moving with the energy instead of against it which allows you to transform it.
Following these steps can be difficult if you feel unsafe or triggered by what is happening around you. Use the power of your breath to to come back to your neutral space. Practice my Deep Breathing for Total Body Relaxation to shift your physiological state and stay connected with your neutral heart.
