Complicated Creates Not Done.

Was listening to the radio news this morning and began to hear “complications” in many different ways.  It caused me to think about how we often take something simple and make it bigger and more difficult to achieve, by complicating it.  Then, because it is now such a complicated project, a study is required, the delay is justified and even not completing it at all, is reasonable.

Because of my beliefs, I then had to look at me. If I was seeing too much complication out there, then … were there complications in my world too? I believe there had to be, because in my world that is how it works: I see what I see outside of me BECAUSE it exists inside of me!!

I am an organized person. I make lists and map out the many tasks and errands that need doing.  But then, … my busy ego mind gets involved and pressure begins to build. 
The list is suddenly a must, and not just a must, but a must NOW!  And suddenly, my day off is “complicated” and in danger of …. suddenly my day off is not fun, but overwhelming and aggravating.

By taking a simple task and adding to it, I take My Self right out of my pleasant day off, because I become so overwhelmed AND overworked!  One of my challenges, personally, is not to try to do everything, all at once.  I need to remember that there are many days, the car can make more than one trip into town; and I do have the option of saying “no”.

In the teachings that I have studied, one of the ego’s tricks is to convince us that there is only one right way; one time and one time only; this is the way it will always be and everything is important and so important that if it is not done right away, then calamity will strike! I know this, and still I get caught in it.

Well, from here it is easy for me to move into that old “perfectionism” place. So now, it not only needs to be done but, it has to be done NOW and PERFECTLY.

The perfectionist within me works quite effectively with all of this, and the result is often that things simply don’t even get done; in fact, not even attempted, because there is just too much to do and “I” can’t do it all!! A favourite complaint of mine, as my husband can tell you.

So, now for my own learning, when I can catch it as I did today, I then begin to break it down. I start by really looking for truth. Is it all “so terribly” important? Does it have to be done Now?

And once I can ask those observation questions, I have stepped out of my egoic perfectionism, out of the crazy making place and am centered in the truth of my life. Now, the truth of my life space is so much more comfortable. It is the place where everything is of equal importance; where no one thing is more important than any other, and everything gets done in its own time and not just by me. 

I then stop creating my lists of things that demand action immediately. I then feel the equality in my life and I calm down. Even as I write this out, the calmness begins to take hold. As a dear friend of mine says, “it is all so simple, but that does not mean that it is easy.” Well, Anne Marie, you are correct.

But I am simple, if I stop and let me be simple. When I do, amazing things get done.  So, off I go into another day, where everything is as important as everything else, where there is lots of time to get everything done and, most importantly, where I am not alone.

The view from here is just fine.