5 quick steps to the Security you long for

How do you feel when you read the above quote by Helen Keller? Do you believe it's true that security is an illusion? Or do you believe your financial, relationship, family situation are true security?

I sure know what it's like to want security, as slippery as it is to grasp and hang on to, moving target that it is.

Almost eight years ago I left a great job that provided me with a monthly pay check, to follow my heart and dreams to México where I felt drawn. It was the scariest thing I've ever done, yet a choice I'm so glad I made. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have ended up here in a rural mountain village living a life I love and which is way beyond anything I could have made up.

Security is still something I long for. What does that mean? I would like life, my understanding of it, my happiness with it to be permanent and unchanging. I would like to always have extra money in my wallet that would more than cover any expense that might arise. I think I would be permanently happy then. For you perhaps it's money, or the ideal relationship that you are convinced would bring you what you want and need.

The reality is, things change: Jobs end, health issues arise, parents get ill and we leave our lives as we knew them to care for them, relationships change and may not last the way we had hoped. What do we do?

I remember reading a quote by Peace Pilgrim that said:

How often are you worrying about the present moment? The present moment is usually all right. If you're worrying, you're either agonizing over the past which you should have forgotten long ago, or else you're apprehensive over the future which hasn't even come yet. We tend to skip over the present moment which is the only moment God gives any of us to live.


Here's what you do:

The part I always remember is "The present moment is usually alright." The words return to me in moments of worry or panic about my future or the unknown. 

The reality is, there is only one source of safety and it lies in the present moment, which is always fine.

The next time you find yourself worrying and trying to secure a sense of security based on situations or others, I invite you to do the following:

1. Stop. Just stop for a moment. 
2. Take a breath.  Force yourself to take two more. Deep ones.  
3. Close your eyes and feel the present moment. What is there? What sounds do you hear? What sensations do you feel? 
4. Be aware of judgments. Sweep them to the side for the moment. If they are waving their arms in the air for your attention, listen to their stories briefly and ask yourself, "Is that really true? Am I 100% certain it's true?"  See what feeling arises and return your attention to the present moment.
5. Notice: How is it? Is anything really wrong? 

And this is how we experience security: in the constant embrace of Now.  

Maybe it sounds trite, but it's true. All the peace, trust, gratitude that we long for, the sense of "All is Well", is right here, where you are. I invite you to keep this little trick in your pocket and try it next time you are seeking security. 

Let me know how it goes!

And if you're in a place in your life where you recognize you're stuck, or not making the changes you desire for yourself and your precious fulfillment - which is yours to claim - perhaps you're ready for some support on the journey. I do offer intentional living/simple living coaching and it would be honor to help you on your journey.