These words have come at me from a few angles including through my meditation practice over the last 6 or so years. It recently came up again on retreat in Colombia as we explored the 4 Agreements:
- Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.
- Don't Take Anything Personally Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering
- Don't Make Assumptions Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.
- Always Do Your Best Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
The taking it personally bit pushes my buttons and really invites so very many mirrors into my life to really light up where I tend to take things WAY to personally and experience a lot of discomfort and suffering as a result. It lights up my abundant and acute sensitivities and vulnerabilities.
I Love being in solitude out in nature and so very often I feel I would be so happy to opt out and live in nature away from it all but THIS life invites living in a city center and a Lot of relating with so very many other souls of so many flavours along the spectrum and that dance is so completely fascinating. I am incredibly grateful to all these Incredible teachers for the rich medicine they offer for my awareness and continual growth.
And then sometimes I do actually remember NOT to take it personally, It’s Such a relief! Such a sense of everything Diffusing and once more I can laugh at myself and Any situation again and not to take it all so seriously! Humour is the Absolute KEY to this entire life!
I can still notice what is going on and even if there is something that is juicily trying to hook me and is doing a good job with the abundance of attempts to trip me I can choose to root deeper into these words of not taking it personally and just be with all the energies expressing without judgement or labeling anything.
I can’t stop other people’s behaviour or change it. And of course I cannot make assumptions about Why anyone says what they do, or why they act like they do or what’s going on in their minds and lives. Everything just is as it is and my job is to do my best to witness and not react with my unconscious programming and beliefs but to STOP and notice and breathe and BE.
I choose to act and live from the SILENCE as often as I remember (and when I forget, to Return to that familiar experience). Acting from the Silence is becoming more and more and more of a familiar experience every day but it requires courage, tenacity and dedicated Devotion to practice.
I choose to stay rooted and grounded and get more humble. Keep down low to the ground and just do my own thing. Let everyone else do their thing, let them thrash and wail and dance in drama and any wild emotions that move through. Let them point accusations and insults and fire arrows. Let it all come, ALL of it. You are not going to stop all the flow of this in life but you have a choice on how you respond. And YES I utterly know and see how and when I do EXACTLY all that drama dance myself and when and how my Volcano erupts!
It is irrelevant how abundant and juicy the worms get on the end of those hooks. I keep feeling Everything in my body and keep letting go – over and over and over. Keep surrendering it all up, holding nothing.
I just do my best and keep standing up again and again after pulling all the arrows and spears out. Keep rising like a Phoenix after Every Single burning, Even More Glorious.
Just remember - It’s Not Personal!