May 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and a marvelous May to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about gain and pain, and whether or not they need to be connected. Enjoy!

Most of us grew up with pressure to succeed, with the stated or implied understanding that hard work was the means to make progress. A fellow runner has told me his high school coach often said "The weak fall by the wayside. The strong keep on going", the message being to keep pushing yourself. Who wants to be considered weak? I always enjoyed running myself. It wasn't that I had any weight to lose, I just needed to do something physical with all that energy.

Friends who did want to lose weight pushed themselves to run, even when it felt like drudgery or torture to them. They frequently got injured, or quit completely, since they weren't getting the results they had hoped for. I didn't go running in all kinds of weather looking for any outcome, I simply liked doing it. It made my body feel good and calmed my busy, frequently anxious, mind. I wish now I'd started vision improvement with that same attitude, appreciating the process rather than over-focusing on any desired result.

After reading articles and books about vision improvement, still with a limited understanding of the fundamentals, I fiercely pushed myself to do the practices. I did the Long Swing so vigorously I lost my balance. I did Palming impatiently, mentally checking my internal clock to see when I could stop and go do something productive. These vision improvement practices are not intended to be strenuous exercise, but rather easy gentle movements to guide the mind, body, and visual system to relax. I had completely missed the point of what I was doing, just proceeding mindlessly with no awareness of why I was doing this.

As a result of this approach to vision improvement, with a mechanical attitude and an end-gaining intention, I didn't enjoy it much at first, nor did I see much benefit. I was just going through the motions, my mind largely on other things, so it should be no surprise I didn't relax much, nor did I see my eyesight get noticeably better. Many spiritual teachers and coaches say to detach from outcome, which used to make no sense to me. It's painful if I expect certain letters on the eye chart to clear up and they don't. The gains of surprising clarity come, paradoxically, when I don't chase them.

In my early days of studying vision improvement, it became obvious to me pretty quickly how much tension I was carrying, in my visual system and in my entire body. In other words, I was not relaxed. Closely related to this was being present, or not being present but being distracted and unfocused instead. I've often been like the person in the image with a cluttered brain, oblivious to the simple wonders nearby. When I allowed myself to be more present more often, not only did I feel more peaceful and enjoy my life more, I saw better too.

What's worked for me to maximize the gains and minimize the pains in my life and in my eyesight is first to notice, and appreciate whatever I see. Then I'm curious about details, as I continue to notice, staying connected to my environment. If I resist what's facing me, visually or emotionally, fighting it seems to make the situation worse. If I accept it, observing my reactions, this allows my body and nervous system to calm down as I realize I'm safe. When my brain is online I'm able to respond appropriately, and help move the situation forward. Gain, and minimal pain. I like it!

For an old post about my choosing to see, rather than avoiding the view in front of me, or resisting it, click here.

Upcoming EFT series with a master teacher!
My skilled insightful EFT teacher Dr. Carol Look is offering a new 3-week 6-session series starting on May 6th, Unlock Your Abundance. I can't recommend Carol's work highly enough. Note that your own abundance challenge may be financial, or with health, relationships, or in some other area. We've had 3 activation sessions to get ready, in February, March, and April, all of which will be available when you register. You can check out the details here.

Have you wondered if my work could help you?
I'm now offering complimentary Discovery Session consultations of 20 minutes or so, for us to discuss what you're looking for in a coach, and to see whether you and I feel like a fit to work together formally. To schedule your Discovery Session, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the start of this mindful month of May. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!