Jul 9, 2019
Look around your local gym long enough, and you're likely to
see the phrase "Pain
is inevitable. Suffering is optional," emblazoned on a bumper
sticker, a T-shirt, or a bicep in the form of a tattoo. It's one
thing to adopt that mantra as a way to encourage yourself to eke
out one more rep or run one more minute. It's another to adopt it
as an overall way of life.
That's what Byron Katie specializes in. "The Work" that it
takes to wake up to reality, let go of negative perceptions about
yourself and your place in the world and to stop judging - others
and yourself. Ask yourself a series of four questions when you're
having a strong emotional reaction--
1. Is it true?
2. Can I be sure that it's true?
3. How do I react when I believe that it's true?
4. Who would I be without this thought?
If you do this simple--but not easy--exercise on a regular
basis you can begin to opt-out of suffering and make more conscious
decisions about your life.
And remember, as Katie says: Reality is always kind. It's just
that we so rarely live in it.