ARE YOU THE HERO WHO CAN TAKE THEIR OWN ADVICE?
Year of the Rabbit ends this moon, then, Dragon!
Listen to the moon talk and end this intense year by respecting the yin.
In marketing and inspo circles, they won't shut up about "The Hero's Journey." They focus on the part when the hero [you're the hero, btw] finds the teacher and learns to wield the magic sword to go into the dark cave and defeat whatever monster is inside to attain some sort of prize, usually a Princess (love), or gold (wealth), or in modern inspo reels, sales and/or abs.
However, it also takes a hero's level of courage, wisdom, and heart to break out of the trappings of how your mind has clung to societal pressures and shallow interpretations of powerful wisdom that you already know.
The metaphor of the cave distracts you from the obvious.
Every "cave" is a reminder to go inside a dark place and into the unknown, but there is one cave that isn't littered with the bones of those who have dared to enter or that you must journey to. Your job is to sit at the entrance of the cave and stop. Let everyone else go inside all willy-nilly to defeat the dragon and get the gold while you sit and go inside yourself. The real dark place, the first cave you must enter, is yourself, and honestly, you coulda stayed home for that. You can do that right now. That's some powerful yin sh!t right there.
Remember the story of how the monk gained the wisdom of Bodhidharma. He didn't go into the cave; he sat outside, and the wisdom came to him. Oh yeah, and he cut his own arm off, but I won't mention that. Don't read that last line. Monks can be very dramatic. Seriously, they wear robes; imagine having a friend who wears a robe all the time. Yeah, they're the dramatic one of the group, always fighting with the one that vapes.
This is not a time to save the princess and get the treasure. Let others exhaust themselves trying. They'll get the gold and pull their backs out, dragging it home. They'll get the princess, but the dramatic spectacle will end as quickly as it began. "Why are you so boring?!? You were so fun when you were fighting things to the death." "Well princess, I still have to go to work, I can't just be fighting stuff all the time!" "Well, I wanna go to all the brunches in Tahoe." "Princess, please!"
The relationship ended before Hero ever learned Princess' real name. Hero's name was Hero. He was homeschooled by parents who met at a LARP convention. It was between "Hero" or "Sage" they then flipped a coin. Anywho...
Like a lotto winner blowing their wad on jet skis and filling their pool with Monster energy drink, it's unsustainable. Going inside yourself, you will be present, fresh, and clear, realizing that the real monster to defeat is inside you, just waiting to be your ally, and the prize, the gold, the riches are your own inner wisdom that's just waiting. Duh...
Your Innate Wisdom!
Say it fast! Say it loud! Watch the people around you wonder why some person is yelling "Urinate wisdom!"
I started to write this and accidentally wrote for two days on innate wisdom, and I wanted to share perhaps one of the most profound insights I have ever discovered as a teacher.
There is one challenge that sits in front of all of us, and it’s one of the hardest challenges to accept.
Can you follow your own advice? START YOUR ASSESSMENT HERE
TRY THIS OUT ON YOURSELF
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Imagine a child or a loved one is having the same challenge as you.
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What advice would you give that child or that loved one?
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Now take that advice.
Then, there’s your inner voice, your self-talk. In the mindfulness and journaling work, we are bringing the constant back into your consciousness. You may not even think of the actual voice you use to speak to yourself. Are you kind? Are you a judgmental tyrant?
Use the same principle with yourself.
Imagine how you would give advice to a child or loved one.
How would you like to receive advice from a person you look up to and respect?
Can you speak to yourself with that voice?
Take this 8-question assessment, and I'll send you little reminders to build the habit of taking your own advice. It's free, it's fun, and it's an easy way to align with your integrity.
Happy New Year, Happy ending of Year of the Rabbit
