Nothing sends me to the Dark Side faster than technology – except perhaps typos. So when I discovered that one of the issues of my ezine was published with not one, but two – count them two – typos, I immediately threw a hissy fit.
Now I recognize that to the uninitiated, this behavior might seem neither well-adjusted nor enlightened. So let me explain.
In that moment of crisis I had several choices. One choice was to simply not let the typos upset me. I could have easily breathed deeply and recognized that in the grand scheme of Life, two little typos are really no big deal. But the problem is that for the perfectionist that I am, it’s not that easy. I’m not yet quite Zen enough to have pulled that off. I would have needed to put forth quite a bit of mental, spiritual and physical effort to transform the energy of my upset into a non-issue.
A second choice would have been to “run the pattern” to a different conclusion. At each step in the highly charged process, I could have explored what created my perfectionist tendencies in the first place. Then I could have done some sort of internal work that released me from my unrealistic expectations. Again, this approach would have required a lot of mental, emotional, spiritual and physical effort to transform myself into a person who does not get upset over “silly things” like typos – especially in such a short time frame.
A third choice – my choice – was to take the fastest and easiest route toward happiness. I chose to just let the stupid typos make me angry – and to feel the anger and frustration. And then it was over. And then I felt better.
The bright side of going to the Dark Side is that when you allow negative emotions to flow through you – they do just that. They flow through you. They don’t stay stuck. You don’t need to hang on to them to explore them or work to transform them into a positive emotion. Your natural state of being is already a positive emotion. So letting the negative emotions flow through you is often the fastest and most effortless way back to happiness.
Of course, this isn’t a permission slip to be abusive or harmful to yourself or to others. This is permission to feel your feelings.
Oftentimes, we can fall into a trap of trying to control our feelings with our thoughts. And while the recognition that our perception colors our experiences is of value, sometimes we can be afraid to feel our true feelings because they might “manifest” something unpleasant. But if we don’t feel them – if we try to deny them – the unpleasant thing we ultimately manifest is an unhappy state of being.
So if you’ve been doing a lot of mental, emotional and spiritual work to heal issues – and they continue to make you upset – go head and throw a hissy fit. Cry, beat pillows, or head bang to Iron Maiden – you might just find that going to the Dark Side is the fastest route to your bliss.