Image courtesy of Vlado, published on 08 April 2013
Stock Image – image ID: 100156365, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

You have to be like the tall and mighty palm tree in a storm – rooted in the earth and flexible enough to sway with the wind and weather the storm.

I listened to a Podcast where an author said we should not over analyze what we’re feeling and to just go through the emotions. She said not to over study spiritual books and to let the information land where it may. For the most part I agree, as being in this human existence one will experience all levels of emotions. But, if you find that your reaction is always filled with dread, anger, or depression then you must take some time to evaluate where the source of angst is coming from before you can move easily, joyfully and peacefully through this life. Life happens, but again, if your first reaction is always a negative emotion, that needs to be self-examined.

Here’s an example: A woman cursed out a driver that cuts her off. She is ticked at her boss, pissed at her husband, angry with her children, and every time the phone rings at work, she answers it with a sense of dread. She is always reacting in a negative way. Now, to tell this woman she should just feel the emotions is not serving her. She needs to look at the source of her anger. Is it at her husband because he is not pulling his weight? Or, is it because she is feeling unfulfilled? Or, is she chronically depressed? As you can see, it can be a myriad of “whys” as to the true source of her pain, but unless she does a little detective work and discover what the underlying issue is, she will not be able to flow through life with ease and grace. Ultimately, whatever the reason she’s angry, it begins and ends with her.

If you are angry, allow that emotion to run its course, but don’t wallow in that feeling for hours and days on end. If you are grieving, by all means, allow yourself to feel it through to the other side. If you’re sad, let it run its course. But, overall, you should still have a pervading sense of joy, peace and the knowing that you are taken care of by the Universe. You should still be able to be present in the moment and not always be living in your head and analyzing past hurts and pains or over protecting yourself from potential future hurts.

It is your perspective or how you look at life’s circumstances and situations that help you quickly shift from lower frequency, negative thoughts to helpful, healing thoughts. Every thought and situation you find yourself in has the power to clarify and expose how to get closer to what you really want in your life experience. Be grateful for the awareness of the message you’ve received. Now you know something you did not know before and that alone is worth going through something that is less desirable to get to the most desirable life imaginable.

Your life will be colored with all sorts of shades of emotion: happiness, sadness, and every emotion in between – that’s what makes a beautiful life portrait. By no means am I telling you to slap a happy band-aid on your life or to go to the other extreme of over analyzing your emotions. There is a balance and it is up to you, the steward of your life’s journey, to find that balance.

Going with the flow is two-fold – you are the captain of your ship and steering it in the direction you wish to go, but allowing the storms to come and go, with an inner peace and knowing that all is truly well. Even if you get off course, it is not the end of the world to get back to the flow, in fact, I encourage you to try to enjoy the journey of getting off and on course again.

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley