Inflexibility: We can all change it 3

A number of my friends and clients are out of work today. A client is coming to the house for his session with me because he’s not allowed in his office, and can’t even use his work email system. It’s because of the federal government shutdown, and it affects the Washington, DC, area more than almost any other part of the country, due to the high number of federal employees here.

Although it’s pretty clear to most people where blame for this situation lies, laying blame isn’t going to solve it. Those of you who deal with children know that the more you yell at them, the more intractable they become, standing firm in their resolve that their way is right.

If we actually want to see this situation solved, the answer lies within each one of us. I firmly believe that we experience what we think. If we are inflexible in areas of our own lives, that can manifest itself as inflexibility in those around us.

What if we all take up the challenge to watch our own thinking for areas where we can give up some inflexible beliefs and actions? They can be small things – for instance, not having to sit in the same place on the train, or not knowing that the next door neighbor is a slob.

Those inflexible beliefs and actions can be in ourselves. Can we give up entrenched beliefs about who we are and what we can do? For instance, acting a certain way with family that isn’t helpful? Believing we have certain selfish character traits that are just the way we are? Not cooperating with colleagues who don’t do things our way? All those things that in the past have helped to strongly define who we think we are that may be ready to be dropped?

All of these are entrenched traits in our own thought that contribute to collective thought. And collective thought is what we’re seeing the results of this week in Washington.

I’m going to be examining what I’m holding onto that can go. It might not be pleasant, but neither is Congress at the moment, and I don’t know any other way to help change it. After looking inside for what’s not representing our current best selves, and resolving to eliminate it, we’ll certainly be in a better place, and our experience will have to be better.

Is there any inflexibility in your thinking you can expose and eliminate?

Let’s all try this to help society in general!

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