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@mbyrne

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ZENHABITS

The Stories That Stop Us From Being Present & Taking Action

zenhabits.net

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"Most of us have spent our lives caught up in plans, expectations, ambitions for the future; in regrets, guilt or shame about the past. To come into the present is to stop the war"

JACK KORNFIELD

Our blockages

The things stopping us from being present or taking the action we want to take are:

The stories we have in our heads about other people, what’s happening, and ourselves.
Our habit of staying in those stories instead of being present or taking action.

The narrative machine

Our minds are wired to come up with narratives (about the world, other people and about ourselves). And these narratives are stopping us from being present and taking action. Examples of stories:

If they loved me they wouldn’t be so inconsiderate
This...

Dropping the stories

We can’t stop the mind from producing stories but we don't have to cling to them let them occupy our heads.

Notice when you’re stuck in a story.
Notice that the story is causing you to be stressed or afraid.
See if you can drop out of the story and ...

Taking action

The stories in our heads also stop us from taking the action we want to take in our lives. For example: I don’t know how to tackle this big project, it’s too complicated.

But you don’t need them to take action. Focus on the present, and just act. Take a “don’t know” mindset. Stay...