Louella Column
Nearing the end of the week, I was presently surprised by an email from Louella, she sent me a well written article on how she reflect on ‘Good and Bad time’. It is an inspiring piece that also parallel the “Black Swan“. The present situation is sensationalised by the press, in a unilateral direction, of how bad the situation is. However, interestingly, Chinese has a term to described this “危机“， pronouce as “weiji”. ‘Wei’ means danger or crisis, ‘ji’ on the other hand means opportunity. So in this situation, it is a time for making some changes to address the opportunity that helps to change your life for the better. It is in ‘Bad times’ that we see clearly and address the real issue of life. Below is the article from Louella.
What Recession?
As you will be aware (unless you are sleeping under a rock with a bottle of vodka in your hands), we are all being warned about the upcoming economic crisis. “Tighten your belts, get rid of the extra mobile phone and cut off cable or else”.
The media will be quick to spread the collective consciousness of ‘fear’ throughout the land. The purpose of the ‘Media’ is to inform, full stop. However, we all know through experience that this is not always so. There is always the aspect of ’sensationalism’ that the media worldwide can create in order to sell newspapers, magazines and other material. Their job is to increase their economic funds during any crisis, be it natural or man-made. Their agenda is set and their funds increase worldwide as they open their own bottles of champagne calculating their take for the week. Meanwhile millions hide in fear…
You will also notice that there are organisations that will flourish and bloom throughout the economic downturn. Similar to when there is a bad winter, the companies that supply us with electricity, coal and heaters prosper greatly. Many a millionaire is born from a depressed market. The saying ‘one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure’ takes formation as the small person is used as pawn in the game of win or lose.
It is in this time that we must be mindful not to go over to the picture of common belief systems of ‘good/bad’ times. These beliefs limits us, robs us of our creativity, our true abundance and our brilliance. It allows us to go into the feeling of lack, wanting, selfishness, all of which underpins fear. Negative beliefs will yield negative results. We can be swept away by the collective consciousness from outside sources if you we don’t consciously stand back and know that abundance is all around us. Be mindful that what you focus on comes to you easily and effortlessly. There cannot be unemployment when you see that there is only one job that needs to be found in the doom and gloom around you, and that is your job. How easy can this be? As hard as you think it is.
Then there is sharing as Obama reminded Americans in his speech if you have a full time job, take a part time one so someone else will have a job too. This level of consciousness when we can extend to the other sees us have everything we need twice over. The law of abundance works this way, the more you give the more you will receive.
So how is the economic situation going to effect you? What will you do and how will you think through this temporary downslide? Will you be mesmerized by the media or will you choose to think another way? What can you do to share and to give what you have to another? How will you think outside of the box to make lemonade out of lemons? Most of all, what will your belief system do to hold you up or put you down?
The choice is yours and yours alone. Sink or swim? Only you can answer these. I am now reminded of the Course of Miracles which tells us about the two emotions love or fear, which one will you choose to uphold? Feel the power of knowing that in the scheme of things you can dance your way out of the collective consciousness and live off your own consciousness. Be that small or expanded. You can go to the ocean with a tea cup or you can take a bath tub with you? Let your greatness shine through because you are made from the finest fabric there ever was and will be.
Louella Henderson B.Ed.Dip.Coach
Spiritus Coaching
Singaporelulu@joint.net.au
Mobile: 65-90666824
Thank you Louella for reminding us that how I think has an enormous influence on how I might feel (and think) about myself and my circumstances. One has only to walk down Orchard Road to see how locals and tourists alike are drawn to the many Departmental Stores and shopping malls. This high-tech and fashion-rich environment can lure the person to desire items that in many cases, are non-essential, non-vital to our individual life.
However, the individual might think: “I MUST have that…I can’t live without that…I JUST CAN’T…” So s/he acquires the item at some minor or considerable cost. Such dramatic thinking can be problematic. Such dramatic thinking is problematic. If the expenditure was minor, it would be easy to justify the purchase with the thought that “it was only a little thing; it didn’t cost much.” Yet, if one was to add up all the ‘little things,’ one may be shocked. Few people keep such records of minor expenditures, so the possible shock is not experienced…until the end of the month perhaps.
Recently, while travelling on a bus, I noticed the person opposite me holding his mobile phone. He looked at it and my perception was that he was considering ‘Who can I call?’ Well, he did call someone. In my estimation, the conversation was non-vital. The person he called was busy so that conversation didn’t last long. He looked at his phone, looked out the window, then punched another number into the keypad. From the conversation which I could not help but hearing, it too was non-vital. This too ended about two minutes later. I could hear him think “Ummmh…who can I call?” And of course, he did call a third person. And then he called a fourth, a fifth! “How sad!” thought I.
An underlying loneliness perhaps? The inability to be quiet and enjoy the moment…the need to reassure himself that he has friends….??
But at the end of the month, he (or she) could have amassed a phone bill with little to show for that expenditure. And if s/he was unable to meet that cost, new systemic problems may arise.
For all the things I regard as ‘absolutely necessary,’ I am challenged by Louella’s reflection to ‘think-twice,’ to evaluate my iniital thought on the matter. “Yes, that would be nice to have…but do I really need it?” By doing so, perhaps I might just be doing myself a favour during this period of economic downturn.
Yes, Robert was right. Everyone of us, at some time or another would try calling some friends when we had that extra little time to make some connection. May be it is the ever moving society that we were immersed in had mould us to see the need to occupy all the time we had and forgot that we need some idle time to ourselves. We tend to think that those idle time is more useful when they are occupied. We had forgotten that being idle some times has its own virtue. This reminds me of the great Chinese writer, Lin Yu Tang, he believed in a good cuppa and idle time. It is in this idle time that we sense the need of our body and our mind.