Fear and Doubt

‘Fear’– by Michael de Groot

I watched a video the other day recorded by Nic Askew, one of his soul biographies, during the last days of Kay Denise Cannon’s life. Kay was amongst other roles the President of the International Coaching Federation. I’ve included a link to video below and really advise you to watch it.

[embed]https://nicaskew.com/kdc/?doing_wp_cron=1608548705.8818171024322509765625[/embed]

One of the overwhelming messages I took away from her very moving account of her realisation that she had to prepare for death, is the fact that we spend most of our time in ‘Fear and Doubt’.

Thank you Kay for this message, which I will treasure for the rest of my life, because it’s such a truth and so obvious that this is indeed the case.

I had the realisation a few months ago that most of us walking on planet earth are in suffering. Some you will have heard that saying from Buddhist teachings. And that suffering is clear to me now, it’s ‘Fear and Doubt’.

It inspired me to create the Graffiti image above.

Stay away from ‘Fear and Doubt’ as much as you can please?

Michael de Groot

The Content Dream

Hugh MacLeod

Those of us that are digitally active, dream of the day when our content goes viral. But what does viral actually mean? Does it mean our desire for fame, fortune and celebrity status or does it mean getting noticed by your prospects and achieving more sales for your business?

The dream could also be about how can you make people’s lives better by sharing your content, so it potentially could make a difference in their lives?

We are all the same, we have a need to be loved and that need shows up in many places. It could be that you desire love from your parents, your spouse, your kids or your friends and colleagues and then in the past 9 years we’ve moved that desire to the digital world.

Now we desire love from total strangers, in some way wishing to reach celebrity status in our own world, believing it will makes us happy. Have you witnessed what happens on social media with famous people? They get trolled, abused, harassed by those complete strangers that we wish to be loved by.

There is another word for this, it’s called ‘suffering’.

Happy suffering!

Michael de Groot

Suffering

I am reading or rather listening to an audible book titled ‘The Art of Happiness’ by The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. Howard brings a Western perspective to Happiness and the two have a lively conversation about many issues related to happiness and the mind.

I have only listened to 1½ hours of a 10 hour book and it’s already having a profound effect on me.

‘Happiness is the absence of suffering’, a quote that will live with me forever.

How about looking at your day and reviewing it in terms of percentage of suffering vs percentage of happiness. This could be a fabulous measurement in terms of reflecting on how your mind behaves. More suffering each day will inevitably lead to depression, disease and discomfort at some stage. More happiness each day will lead, well, to more happiness longer term. Inevitably a longer life without disease or discomfort.

So what amounts to suffering?

This is just a starter for a list and feel free to add to it if you wish, I am sure you can think of more, but actually is there anything else?

1. Negative thoughts about yourself
2. Negative thoughts about others
3. Judging yourself
4. Judging others
5. Disease, physical or mental, including pain
6. Addictions to anything

Happy suffering?

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It’s in the noticing

I notice

It’s in the reflecting

I reflect

It’s in the walking

I’m making progress

It’s in the fearing

I’m standing still

It’s when the suffering

Takes hold

It’s when the doubting

Slows me down

But in the absence

There’s happiness

And in the absence

There’s no suffering

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Michael de Groot