It’s Best to Choose Consciously
Panic buying is based on fear – fear of change. Fear you might have to do things differently. But fear need not be the driving force behind your decision making… in fact it is better if it is not!
It is important to develop a healthy relationship with change.
We do this through a shift in perspective.
Let’s explore…
Fear is Not an Ally!
There are many people in the world feeling fear at present. And also making choices from this fear state.
But right now, you should stop and consider, whether anything good ever comes from making decisions from fear!
Acting from irrational fear is the behaviour of a child, who through lack of maturity, has not yet developed wisdom. Their whole worldview gets twisted, and their primitive survival instincts take over, because they have not yet the capacity to stop and consider things from balanced logic. For example, they could not stop and consider the possibility that, “although unfamiliar, maybe, things could be even better than they are”. That change, was creating new possibilities. This is a concept from the mindset of a mature adult.
The familiar is a Drug
Many are addicted to what’s familiar! So much so, that when there is any chance of the supply of familiarity being interrupted, the irrational fear-based reactions of the addict take over, and any resemblance of maturity and wisdom vanish – swallowed up by the fear of loss.
Change is your Friend
Let’s go back to the time directly before the Pandemic. When it was “business as usual”…
Let me ask you this: Was there absolutely nothing new you wanted to experience? Was every element of your life a joy for you? Were you 100% happy with your life?
If you were not, how do you think it was going to get better? Change of course!
Remember one of my favourite phrases… “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. Which means without Change you have zero chance of creating the truly joy-filled life you seek.
And there’s another clue… to seek is to desire change. And this is hardwired into us.
Discomfort is your Ally
But change requires us to do things differently, and this means disrupting our comfort bubble. It means we will experience temporary discomfort.
This pandemic is a disruptor.
It offers us the opportunity to stop doing “business as usual”. Literally, it offers us the chance to not “do our business, as usual”! A shortage of toilet paper is the symbol of this. And this offers you the choice to “do your business” differently. To explore beyond the familiar, and try something new. And yes, in case you missed it, I am speaking of your toilet business.
Of course, like with any change, there will be discomfort at first. But if we embrace the discomfort and simply call it growing pains instead, we have a chance get more than “what we’ve always got”.
What’s the price if we do not embrace the change?
If we avoid change through branding discomfort as bad; if we do not release our addiction to the drug of familiarity; fear will keep us stuck in our comfort bubble – and we will actively resist all change. We will fight the very flow of the river of growth that is life! Much suffering awaits any who pursue such folly.
And what is even worse, is that reaching that Life of Joy we seek becomes an impossibility!
Tools for Transformation
Sit quietly, drop into a deep, still reflective space, and ask yourself these questions.
Q: Do I want to sacrifice the path to joy, to doing my business as usual?
Or is it time to release my addiction to familiarity, boldly embrace the unfamiliar, and recapture the curious wonder of the child…?
Q: What does it feel like to be filled with the young human’s wide-eyed wonder?
Really, try and remember, even just for a moment, how it feels to smile so big your face aches – to be in awe of all the marvellous possibilities that stretch out before you.
And now ponder on this…
Doesn’t it feel far better to consider your choices from this freer, more open and awe-filled place!?
Here’s to choosing the joyous path of releasing addiction and embracing change, and a life path of wide-eyed wonder!
Consciously Free
Azure Seer