Trouble...what's it all about?

Thinking about trouble! "Trouble is just an intense experience."That's a line from a great book "Scientific Christian Mental Practice" by a woman called Emma Curtis Hopkins. She wrote it at the beginning of the 20th Century but it's enjoying a new wave of popularity, and I really value her clarity and directness. We know about affirmations today, but sometimes it can seem a bit superficial and trite. Emma taught about affirmations as a deeply powerful "Yes" to life.
Calling trouble an intense experience is a stroke of genius. Trouble comes to most people, and if we take the attitude that it is just an intense experience, we can look for ways to make it the most positive experience possible. The word has the same root as the word "turbulent" and that is what Emma is hinting at. Turbulent times come to most people. Financial struggles, loss of relationships, problems with children, failure at work...I've known most of them either directly or indirectly through my clients.Louis Armstrong, whose life story I did not know before today, really did know what he was singing about. He really did turn his life around, growing up poor and abandoned by his father in New Orleans. It's a wonderful story, including how he was helped by a Jewish family and there is still a project in New Orleans that stems from those times.





 Sometimes though it can be a troublesome "small thing," not one of the big life challenges, that trips us up. And that same "small thing" might be the cause of a LOT of the trouble in our lives. For example I recently had an "intense experience" in relation to my work. I was not quite as well prepared for a public presentation as I could have been.

 The whole thing became quite intense! I was left feeling angry and resentful- quite turbulent, in fact! As I reflected on it, I realized that I was the real root of my discomfort. My focus had been on looking good! When I realized I was not looking so good, some painful feelings got triggered. It showed me that my main aim had not really been to achieve the best outcome for all concerned. And that could be my aim!

Once I realized the reason for my upset feelings I was able to see the whole thing in perspective. So what if I didn't perform to my best on that occasion? It was really not worth losing sleep over. And I learnt several valuable lessons, some in relation to presentations- a fairly small thing....some in relation to my whole attitude to life, not so small at all!
1   Prepare as well as possible.
2   Set an intention to the best outcome for all concerned.
3   Let go of the need to "look good"
4   Forgive mistakes.
5   Celebrate success!
Next time there's a similar challenge I'll be much more ready.  A small amount of intense experience can lead to a whole lot of useful learning!