One of the most amazing books I’ve read is The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer (no relation). I’m grateful to my good friend Larry for giving me the book for my birthday last year.
The book has a message of extreme positivity & happiness. Here’s my interpretation of my favorite concepts:
- If you paid someone to advise you and the advice was terrible, you would fire them. Yet, we often listen to the voice inside our head, even when what it is saying to us is irrational.
- Self-awareness is the first step towards change. A deeper state of self-awareness (which the author calls seat of centered consciousness) is noticing your thoughts, and then stopping to become aware that you are noticing your thoughts.
- It’s remarkable how fast our mood and energy level can change based on what is happening in our lives. When your down and your energy is low, it’s important to note the energy is still available to you to be used as soon as you are ready to change the way you are thinking.
- One of my favorite sayings from Buddhism is “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” The author urges us to choose to receive every experience with excitement and enthusiasm, with openness and love, and let the experiences pass through you rather than holding onto them or avoiding them. Enjoy the experience, whatever it is. Stress happens when you resist. Most of the time, what we are resisting are things that have already happened, and there’s no point in that; instead, just let it pass through you. Let go of the fear of experiencing pain.
- If you are going to be here, be happy and enjoy life. Things are going to happen. Life is better when you are not bothered when they do. Being bothered doesn’t help anything. It just causes you to suffer. As I say every time I speak, the power of negative thinking comes into play when you let someone “ruin your day” when they cut you off on the road and if you are anything like I used to be on the road, it is so much better to let it go.
- He compares depression and a heart condition, explaining the way the pathways to your spiritual arteries get clogged and encrusted with bad thoughts the same way plaque clogs your heart’s arteries.
I can go on, and maybe I will in a future post. For now, tell me what you think. Join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David