Stuck in a rut? Maybe it's time to get out of your own way...

I came across this translation from the Tao Te Ching, a collection of writings attributed to Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism and felt it resonated with something I've been considering recently concerning the consequences of the direction in which we incline our mind:

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words

Choose your words, for they become actions

Understand your actions, for they become habits

Study your habits, for they become character

Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny."

By becoming more aware of the inclination of our heart and mind, we stand a better chance of living the life we wish to. According to the excerpt, our words are the 'daggers behind our teeth', and the patterns we are apt to fall into are themselves capable of powerfully shaping our lives.

Therapy can be a space in which to review whether we are in fact headed in the direction we intend to, and gain understanding of the factors which have maybe meant that we have ended up on 'train tracks' leading somewhere else. I believe we all have the ability to concentrate, and achieve a state (even momentarily) in which our neurotic and fearful self can disappear allowing our true selves to emerge, and with it insight and clarity as to what it is that we wish to do with our lives. Have you paused to consider what it is that you most desire in 2012?

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The Reward is the Journey

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