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Does life seem to offer you a series of problems to be solved?
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Do you feel that external circumstances put you in reaction and
dictate your choices?
Or
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Do you think about what you want and focus on the results that you’d like to create?
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Do you use existing circumstances simply as a motivation to help you create what you want?
In The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz states that when you try to solve a problem you are taking action to have something go away, the problem. Once the problem is gone, then what do you have? “No matter what your problems are, for the most part, solving them won’t rid you of problems.
You will always have a new problem if you don’t know how to create what you want.” The reactive-responsive style contains the basic presumption of powerlessness. You might be able to correct conditions that aren’t to your liking, but it is ultimately circumstance that is the all-powerful, predominant force in your life.
Approaching life from a perspective of creation, on the other hand, is truly empowering. If you’re in the habit of reacting to life, it may seem like circumstances are facts that must be dealt with as such. Creators see it differently. “Perhaps our true nature is that of creators who can bring forth new life out of any set of circumstances.” Carl Jung.
Creators consciously choose what they want to see and focus on the results rather than on the process that they believe would bring the results.
Consciously choosing results sets up what Fritz calls structural tension. This structural tension then mobilizes the inner resources of body, mind and spirit to create the desired results. This is not to say that you will lose 20 pounds tomorrow if you focus on being thin today. But once you make the choice to be in great shape, your inner resources will choose the right foods and exercises to bring about your desired results. He makes the distinction that deciding to eat healthy so you will drop pounds is focusing on the process and will not create the structural tension that focusing on the result of your perfect physique would.
I’ve experienced this mobilization of inner resources and witnessed the creation of results I wouldn’t have thought possible. Many times what I’ve wanted to create seemed out of the realm of possibility given the circumstances. Because the goal appeared so unlikely, I didn’t even know where to begin in terms of thinking about how to create it. When I first tried this approach, I thought each success was a fluke. Although I can’t explain the mechanics of how this happens, I’ve now had decades of positive results. I’ve found that keeping my mind focused on the results rather than the process brings the desired outcome, regardless of the external circumstances. The results may not look exactly like I imagined them, but they are almost always even better.
If you are a reactor-responder type and feel like life is just not giving you what you want, try creating instead. It takes practice, but the shift from a powerless victim of circumstance to feeling empowered and creative is worth the effort.
Don’t let circumstances be the predominantly creative force in your life, think of how you want your life to be, focus on it, and let your inner resources align to make it happen while you stay present enjoying the moment!
Jarl Forsman
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