What Things Mean

Our minds are constantly making up stories about what things mean.  Particularly about what other people’s behavior means about us.What other people do is rarely about us, it is about them.The problem with making up a story about what things mean, is that as a result we react emotionally to the story we create.  We drop into the drama of our lives, like we were watching a movie.  These emotional reactions to the stories we make up in our heads can be disruptive to how we behave in life, our relationships, and our well being.The next time you make up a story about what someone's behavior means in a way that creates emotion in you, try coming up with 5 other explanations about what their behavior means.  Any of them can be true.Even better, let go of making up a story at all.  Recognize your “not knowing” and use the Inquiry Method to ask the other person what it meant.  To do this you have to let go of your judgment and come from pure, open, curiosity.  You don’t need to take anything personally.I call this asking questions from “not knowing” an Inquiry Moment.  These moments have a magic that can change your day, your life, and your relationship with yourself.However Inquiry Moments take courage, it may seem safer to just rest in what your mind says things mean, but your mind is your greatest obstacle to truth, inquiry, and experiencing life in a more joyful, connected, and grounded way.Try letting go of the stories and inquire into what is happening, your mind is not always on your side.