Notice and Let Go

Notice:
To become aware of.  To observe. To give attention to something you had not before. To Pay Attention To (Your Life).
To detect something that is obscured or concealed.  Let Go: To release, to intentionally
quit hanging onto or engaging in.

I don’t believe anyone wants to go through life without noticing
what is going on. But we do that a lot. When we permit outside
influences to dis-guide us, we are reacting to old, familiar and comfortable
behaviors that keep us blinded.

Do you realize that you rarely notice what you’re feeling or doing,
or why? You are just  in the world,
without really knowing what’s going on? Is that ok???

An addiction, including the ego addiction, numbs you so you don’t
notice much. At that point you don’t want to. That’s the whole idea. You might
notice how others get in your way, or may you feel afraid a lot. Maybe you notice
the need to isolate and have your friend, your only “real” friend, readily
available to block out everything else.

Stepping onto some kind of a spiritual path can seem difficult.
There are so many things in a program to do, to go through, and to not do.
There’s talk of growing spiritually…but HOW? 
Much of it may seem to go against the grain of who you are and how you
have done things all your life. Well, actually, it does; but let’s consider the
following approach as a simple beginning to that work.

First, you have to want to work with your perceptions in
order to grow into a more aware and awake life. If you don’t want to, then
please stay where you are.

Have you ever felt like you were on a conveyor belt, zooming through
your life? Or like there are emotional trains that come around, and you keep
getting on them?  Perhaps it’s time to
step off and choose where you go, and
know WHY you do what you do. Notice when you are hurrying through something (like
reading this) to get to the next thing you have to hurry through, in order to
get to… Notice what it feels like to bring your full attention and calmness to
everything you do. When done, you let it go and move on.

Try putting a little energy into just NOTICING what’s going on. Just
notice your life and how it feels.

Put your emotions on notice that you WILL be noticing them! They are
ok, but will be noticed.

Notice when you’re feeling afraid about doing something because of
what you think someone else might think of you. You don’t need to do anything
different; just notice what it feels like, and have the option of letting go of
it. When you let go of a thought or emotion, you are creating space. Space for
that thought or emotion to still be, but
not as the headliner, blotting out everything else. That space will also permit
you to accommodate the next thing that is happening more fully.

Notice what it feels like to judge and blame someone else…and to
judge and blame yourself.  Just notice
what it feels like. Also notice that in not needing to change or fix yourself,
there is a gentle acceptance that you are who you are, and it’s ok.

Notice what it feels like to be engaged in a negative emotion.
What’s it like to have a resentment rolling around in your head, distracting
and confusing you?  And what does it feel
like to not have that resentment, when your attention is on something else? For
a little while, the resentment is gone, but then it comes back. Notice all of
this, without judgement, and let go. Just noticing, and letting go, as opposed
to actively engaging and identifying with it, will short circuit its power over
you. When you are involved in an emotion, you are not noticing it, you are identifying with it. Your ego doesn’t
want you to be aware of what’s going on. It wants you to blindly follow it and
engage fully in negativity, blaming others, pride, and feeling unworthy. That
is where the ego thrives.

Notice that you may walk around with a subtle sense of unease. Much
of your day may consist of an unnamed, indistinct, negative feeling that you
continue to nurture by engaging it. Notice that; breathe, relax your shoulders,
and smile a bit.  What does it feel like
to feel good? To feel ok with yourself for no good reason? Try promoting that
instead.

We hear that it’s good to be compassionate towards ourselves, and that
it’s necessary. But when we promote our pleasures, shield ourselves from our
mistakes, demean ourselves, or become victims for not being perfect, we are we
engaging in idiot compassion. So, notice when you are being too good to
yourself or needing things to go YOUR way, and let go of it. Try relating with
reality more directly and acceptingly.

What does it feel like to attack a person (including yourself) or an
idea?  What does that aggression feel
like?

Notice when you realize you’re waiting for “things” to start coming
your way, and how you’ll feel good when they do. Notice you have had that
thought all your life.

Notice when you keep looking for what is wrong. Notice when you keep
looking for ways to appreciate life.

Notice when you express gentleness and patience instead of
irritation…and vice versa.

Notice when you are fixated on someone as an object, and what it
feels like to instead see them as a complete person whom you respect. Notice
how that also brings respect for yourself.

Notice when you rail against and complain about things that are a
fact. Things you can’t change. Also notice when you begin to see some humor in
all of that.

Notice when you are manipulating someone or lying.

Notice that you want to notice what your life is all about. You may
think, “if I don’t look at it, maybe it isn’t there.”  That philosophy doesn’t work any better for
life than it does for a bus about to hit you.

Like any new behavior, all this noticing takes effort. Meditation
can help. In meditation, you notice when you’re thinking (that’s fine), and you
notice bringing your attention back to the breath. You notice the calmness
there, even if only for a few seconds. You are beginning to use, to bolster and
hone your noticing ability, as well as the choice to drop a thought. You have
an amazing ability to notice, to see clearly, but it can be scary to take the
blinders off.  Just notice that also.
Notice how you miss the circus in your head. Notice what the calmness brings.

Notice that you begin to have choices, and you begin to make
healthier ones because you like yourself. How very nice. You do want to get off
the conveyor belt. You do want to notice what it feels like to walk on your own
and with others as equals in your life. Notice that you have difficult times,
and that is ok.

Notice that at your core there is a basic goodness that comes
through when you merely notice what you are doing. A goodness that gently
guides…if you take notice of it.

Notice what it is like to share with your partner or a friend what
you have noticed about yourself during the day. “We continued to take personal
inventory…and practice these principles in all our affairs.”

Your addiction is an END. But there is no end to new beginnings when
you are noticing and letting go of tension and negativity. You let go,
because there is another moment awaiting you. Notice fully what’s there next.
If you step into the next moment fully, it will be complete and rich. Then let
go and step into the next new moment.

How do you fill your bucket? One drop at a time.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

The great arises out of small things that are noticed and cared for.

Heart Of Recovery web site 
–  fcheartofrecovery.com