Dear friends,
At certain times of the year,
Solstice,
New year,
Birthdays,
Anniversaries,
We try to find time to stop and refocus our lives,
Time to redirect our efforts to better good.
These are times when we might decide to let go and let grow,
Which is the theme of this meditation.
Let's take a moment to leave to one side the cares and pressures of the day and see if we can just be.
Take a few deep breaths in and as you breathe out,
Let any concerns you have just flow out along with the breath.
There will be time later for taking up any activities that require attention.
So please breathe in,
Hold and breathe out.
Breathe in,
Hold and breathe out.
I hope you feel more relaxed even now.
A quote from Melody Beatty,
And this quote will be followed by our opening bell.
Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance.
It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us.
This frees us from unnecessary stress.
In the week ahead,
Let's see if we can let go of resentment.
It gets us nowhere,
We know that.
But sometimes we take comfort in the feeling of superiority that resentment offers.
So let us let go of resentment.
Let go of fear.
We need to take care of ourselves,
Take reasonable precautions in relation to our property.
We will naturally experience fear when we have to speak in public or when we have to face a stressful meeting.
But we must try to let go of any general fear in relation to our lives.
Think of the many things that have gone well for us so far,
Especially the fact of our existence.
Let go of fear.
In the week ahead,
Let us try to let go of the need to impress others.
We are who we are.
People's opinions of us are based on very superficial knowledge.
If someone thinks we are great,
It doesn't make us great.
If someone thinks poorly of us,
It doesn't mean we are useless.
So just do your best and let go of the need to impress others.
Let go of the need to possess,
The need to be in charge.
Let go of the need to possess other people or things.
Everything changes.
Everything has to be given up in the end.
So love what you have,
But untie any threads or strings that suggest permanent possession.
It's a wonderful life if we notice the joy of the present moment,
This fleeting present moment.
Let's let go of the need to possess.
At this stage we'll take a one minute break before moving on to consider some other areas where we might usefully let go.
Sounds good?
Welcome back.
In the week ahead,
Let's see if we can let go of perfectionism in everyday life.
In your working life,
You may be involved in mission-critical activities.
So I'm not suggesting that you neglect the careful doing of your job.
But many of us trouble ourselves with seeking to be perfect in all things.
This is a recipe for constant stress.
Do your best.
Try not to let people down,
But be easy on yourself and be easy on the people around you.
We are people after all,
Not robots.
And we need to take a little care and understanding and let go of perfectionism.
Let go of your mistakes.
We all make mistakes.
We don't set out to make them,
But it happens.
Learn the lesson,
Apologize as necessary and move on.
You cannot change the past,
But you can do better in the future.
Let go of your mistakes.
Let go of self-doubt and self-criticism.
We are our own worst enemies.
We encourage other people to be their best.
But knowing ourselves so well,
We notice our own faults and we can each be our own harshest judge.
In the week ahead,
Try to have more belief in yourself.
As the Max Erman line goes,
You have a right to be here.
Let go of the self-doubt and the self-criticism.
Let go of always saying yes or always saying no.
Some people naturally respond positively to every request received.
That's a wonderfully open characteristic.
But we have to be realistic as well.
None of us can do everything we are asked to do.
So think before you instantly respond yes.
Some people respond negatively to every request received.
This leads to a poor and a shriveled up life.
We need one another and we need to be open to the needs of others.
So we must curb any tendency to always say no.
Let's think before we respond and let's respond with generosity and care.
Finally in this reflection,
Let's resolve in the week ahead to get rid of bad humour.
There are times when things have gone against us and we feel bad humour.
Try not to let that bad humour loose on the world.
Everything is more infectious than bad humour.
Starting from one person,
Especially from someone in authority,
It can quickly devastate a whole body.
So how to deal with bad humour?
You may need to get away on your own for a few minutes.
It might help to breathe mindfully.
And there's wisdom in the old advice to count to ten before responding.
Can you manage to listen to something cheerful,
Something funny,
Anything to break the feeling of annoyance?
Remember that what you do and say has an effect on those around you.
We need to call this to mind if we are tempted to give vent to annoyance or bad humour.
It might help to recall that if you are in the right,
There is no reason to lose your temper.
If you are in the wrong,
There is no point in losing your temper.
So let us resolve in the week ahead to get rid of bad humour.
If you would like a period of silent reflection before our closing quote,
Just press pause now and proceed when you are ready.
To conclude our reflection,
We have a quote from Walter Anderson.
Bad things do happen.
How I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life.
I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness,
Immobilized by the gravity of my loss,
Or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have,
Life itself.
Namaste.
