It’s been a busy day at the Centre and for me. One of the things that has woven it’s way through the activities has been the idea that sometimes we need to step outside the box our expectations or experiences have placed us in. I love when people ask questions. Especially having a debate about something that has no black or white answer. When we question we find out more by opening ourselves up to other points of view. It’s a great way to come to a shared understanding – or not. It’s also a wonderful way to generate new options for ourselves.

Caught up in the emotion or drama of the events in our lives it’s very easy to become so focused in on what we feel or think we are experiencing. And often to think that no one else is having such a bad time of things as we are. That’s when we need some help to get ourselves outside the way we have been looking at our situation. To open up new lines of thought. To help us reframe the way we might be feeling about something. That’s where a pair of listening ears can really help. Someone with a pair of sharp eyes who can help us see things from a different perspective. Someone who knows which is the best question to ask to get our stuckness moving again.

I love being a mentor for developing mediums because all of the above are ways in which I can encourage someone to keep exploring their abilities. I can support them in finding the disciplin to keep practicing. I can also give the a hand up when the obstacles seem too big to get over or around. It’s also the same with teaching Reiki and doing attunements, another part of my day today. And through the counselling and Reiki treatments I’ve done there has been a great opportunity to answer questions, talk about ways of processing experiences and looking at limitations. Limitations are the key. If we understand where we have got blocked by an attitude, a belief or a judgement we can always help ourselves overcome it.

What do we do if there is no one else around or we feel that we can’t discuss our stuckness with someone else? The trick is to find another way to step out of the box so we can take a good, long look at the limitations we have. One of my favourite ways is to imagine that I’m reading a book or a script for a play. When we read about the characters we want to know why they are saying and doing what is in the book or play. If we were the actor having to play the part we would want to know what their motivation was. There would be a whole back story to explain how they came to be behaving in the way they are when the action captures them. So a useful way to look at something with fresh eyes is to ask why am I doing this? Or to question what is motivating me to be on this path. Allowing myself to detach out of the current ‘life of Annie Conboy’ can show me where I can make changes, what other options the are and often shrinks the issue back to manageable size. I can step away from the emotions and ask myself if stressing about it or feeling stuck about something is in any way helpful. It might just be that I can reorganise my priorities so that whatever has been holding my attention can be moved to one side in favour of something that actually is more important to me.

A box is a container that can easily be turned into a plant pot for you to blossom out of. Take a look at how much space you are allowing yourself for growth at the moment. Is it time to step out of a restricting space?

Day 198 of my blogging challenge.