Thursday, July 8, 2010

From Within

"Peace, Beaver."

That's what Aslan said to Mr. Beaver in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe when Mr. Beaver was all busy telling Aslan, the Great Lion, about the audacity of the White Witch and her claims. "Queen of Narnia! Why, of all the cheek!"

Nothing like a conflict or confrontation to shake things up and agitate us. And steal our peace.

Our equilibrium loses balance in connection with our reactions to things, people, circumstances. And we have a tendency to blame those outer sources for our trouble.

But, alas, the source of the conflict comes from within.

How can you know?
By asking yourself, "Why?"

Conflict and confrontation of any kind can easily steal our peace. Since not having peace is a miserable place for most, the first thing we want to do is get our peace back as soon as possible.

For me, my journal has come in handy for just such a purpose. As I think over my day, I review what agitated me, what caused conflict, what really got my attention.

Then I ask myself, "Why?"

Sometimes one of the most challenging questions to ask is "why"; and you know why it's the hardest question to ask? Because in order to get the answer, you have to be honest with yourself. There is no place for denial if you really want to know the truth of the situation.

And sometimes the answer you get when you're honest with yourself reveals emotions and parts of you that aren't necessarily attractive. Like feelings of resentment, jealousy, bitterness, anger, insecurity, and fear. And you may wonder, where on earth did that come from? You may not want to know. Those are not the things we like to think about, let alone work through. That's what brooms and rugs are for.

But once you've come this far, half the problem has been solved. At least you know what the source of the trouble is. Now you can take the bull by the horns and decide for yourself what needs changing and actually implement it.

Yes, navigation can seem tenuous at best when we excavate the source of our trouble. Our discoveries will be profound, intense. They can be viewed as rubble or a gold mine. It really is a matter of perspective. Yet, still, we may prefer to look the other way, deeming the process as too much trouble or too messy.

But we all have issues that, when provoked, rise to the surface at one point or another. We aren't alone in our maladies. That's just a part of being human.

When I journal about the issues that steal my peace, patterns of emotions, feelings, and thoughts emerge, and I consider what they are telling me about my inner person, at the core of who I am.

When we take the time to dig deeper and discover what makes us tick...or what ticks us off, we can work through these issues and determine what the next step is toward making positive changes...ones that will make a difference in our daily existence and activity.

When we see the patterns of our behavior, and when we recognize what we can do to make things better, we will feel good about those changes. And the more specific we get, the more accurate an assessment we can have, which will lead to permanent change that refreshes and invigorates.

You may find yourself sleeping better at night, having better digestion and lowered blood pressure, and maybe even more laughter in your interactions with others.

In other words, you will dramatically improve your quality of life when you choose to address those issues that steal your peace, determine why, and make those changes that will become new habits that will make refreshing, healthful differences in your life and in those with whom you come in contact.

It's really a win-win.

More peace. Less conflict.
More serenity. Less agitation.
More love. Less resentment.
More light. Less darkness.

That's change we can all appreciate.

We all know what happened to the White Witch.

Peace to you, my friend.

© 2010 by Dawn Herring

12 comments:

Darrelyn Saloom said...

I agree Why? is an important question. I took a class once to study The Work by Byron Katie. In the class, I learned to ask another seemingly simple question: Is it true? It works particularly well when you think someone should behave a certain way. For examples, go to: http://www.thework.com/index.phpthework.com

Thanks for another wonderful post and for the reminder to question why.

Dawn Herring said...

Darrelyn,
Thanks for your point of view on asking why and adding the question, is it true. That'a good one; it can revealing. Thanks for sharing the link.

Glad you enjoyed the post. :)
Dawn

Anonymous said...

I have experienced the same feeling of relief after writing a blog entry or a story. I am able to explore myself, even if it's through a character. It can be revealing at the least and over time very therapeutic. Thanks for putting it down so nicely.

And ficwriter added a good second test - is it true? For this to really be valuable we must be honest with ourselves.

-Mike

Dawn Herring said...

Thanks so much, Mike, for your point of view. Yes, I agree that writing in the fiction sense can also help us worth through life's issues. Yes, honesty is essential. Thanks for your comment!
Dawn

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

I very much enjoyed this post Dawn. I think the reason I loved studying Philosophy so much and the reason I minored in it, was because Philosophy is all about "whys"....there really are no factual answers...only "whys"...when we ask "why" we are faced with many, many answers...all of them legitmate.

Dawn Herring said...

Caren,
Thanks so much for your comment. I believe we do receive more than one answer since life is very multi dimensional. When we get down to the core issues of our reactions to things, we can make specific steps toward positive change that will make a significant difference in our overall happiness.
Dawn

Kristin said...

My answer to "why?" is often because the person irritating me is an awful lot like me. The characteristics that bother me about other people are often the exact things that bug me about myself. When that comes out in journaling, I back down and quietly ask how I can change my own behavior. It's HARD! :) Thanks for the encouragement to look at the Whys, even when they're uncomfortable.

Dawn Herring said...

Kristin,
You seriously hit the nail on the head. I know that positive change is hard, but it is empowering all the same. All power to ya!
Yes, the same issues we see in others bring out conflict are often a reflection of ourselves.
A journal is the perfect place to work out those core issues and make positive change.
Thanks for your comment, Kristin!

Donna Carrick said...

Another great post, Dawn. Thank you for sharing and peace to you, my friend.

Dawn Herring said...

Thanks, Donna. Glad you like it. :)
Dawn

Juliet Platt said...

Hi Dawn - nice to read your blog post. I read somewhere that opening our journaling session with a question rather than just an outright rant about what's bugging us is also the quickest way to get some persepctive on an issue.

Also, asking an open question rather than a why question can be powerful too. For example instead of "why does xyz bug me so much?" ask "what is it about xyz that bugs me?" This could help get very specific about the issue, and once again get to perspective quicker.

Great post!
Juliet

Dawn Herring said...

Juliet,
Oh, I agree! The more specific the question, the better aim you'll have of resolving the conflict. Thanks so much for that tip!
Thanks for stopping by! :)
Dawn

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Three Steps Toward Accountability...to Yourself (as published in SFC Newsletter, Dec 08 edition)

Accountability: to give a reckoning or explanation for one’s actions, responsible.

When most people think of accountability, they often negatively associate it with answering to others, such as a spouse, a friend, a mentor, or, in most cases, a boss. As a writer, you are your own boss, which is one of the reasons that you need to be accountable to yourself. And it can be a positive experience rather than a negative one.

The first step in being accountable to yourself as a writer is setting goals for your writing and keeping track of projects you want to finish. Incurring a deadline for yourself can help
motivate you in this area. This step can also include daily writing goals. Some authors plan how many words or pages per day they will write.
I’ve set goals for myself as a writer by making them reachable and attainable. This year I have set a goal to write at least one scene for my novel per week and at least one other piece,
whether it be memoir or essay, per week. That can mean just making notes, writing a first draft, or revising a draft.
As long as your goals keep you moving forward and you’re making progress, then you know you’re headed in the right direction.

Once you have your goals set, the next step in accountability to yourself is writing down what you accomplish each day. You can use a daily calendar just for writing or keep track of your
daily accomplishments on your computer. I designed a custom monthly writing calendar. It helps me track what I write daily, whether or not I’ve met my goal for the week, and it has
space for ideas for future writing pieces. I also have a spot to keep track of books I’m reading for that month. I use abbreviations to keep the daily writing easier and to save space. As I review each completed month, I can go back to see what I’ve accomplished and keep track of when I wrote each piece.
Whether you use something pre-made or customize something for yourself, use whatever works for you and helps you stay accountable to yourself.

A third, and perhaps most important, aspect in accountability in your writing is taking care of yourself as a writer. Than can mean giving yourself space and not being hard on yourself if
you don’t reach your goals each day or each week.
Flexibility and refreshment are paramount to your health as a writer. It also frees up your creativity and can actually help you produce more quality writing in the long run.
I enjoy writing in my journal, reading fiction or memoir, and watching a good movie with my family. Taking a walk, listening to music, talking with your family members, and just taking time to sit and enjoy life are all ways you can be good to
yourself—and ultimately accountable—as a writer.

Learn to celebrate your accomplishments and your uniqueness as a writer. That’s one of the best ways to be accountable—to yourself!