Be an Agent for Positive CHANGE
By Meghan McChesney Gilroy
- Saturday, October 18th, 2008
“Don’t pay more than 10 cents, more than 3 times.” – don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements
I feel my frustration rise as I listen to a loved one vent. I’ve heard this story a hundred times before. Why won’t they try something different? Why won’t they CHANGE?
Cha-ching! I catch what I’m doing to myself. I’m using their story against myself. I’m the one who is feeling frustration. Ouch! I’m the one who hasn’t changed my response.
I laugh at myself, dig deep in my pocket and drop a quarter in my CHANGE jar. My reaction just cost me a quarter. I’ve just joined the ranks of the Agents for Positive Change. Let me explain.
Last weekend, Rita and I were teaching Life Mastery Dreaming. Our group has been exploring what we contribute to our lives personally and to what’s been going on globally. We recognize that we contribute our energy, whether it’s “positive” (expansive, unconditional, accepting) or “negative” (constricting, limiting, judgmental).
Our energy comes from the thoughts we have, which in turn create the emotion felt in our body as sensation. This emotional energy is what we send out to the world. It affects not only our selves and our bodies, but those around us and the environment itself. Each of us make a big impact on the world based on what we think and feel. So as a community of individuals dedicated to personal growth and transformation, we’ve made a commitment to take responsibility for what we have been adding to the mix.
Responsibility? Some of us groaned. That word can invoke some old, heavy energy. But we’ve re-framed responsibility to mean “the ability to respond” or more accurately, “having the ability to choose your response.”
Hmmm. That kind of responsibility doesn’t sound so bad; it could even be fun. As dreamers, we love to have fun so we search for practical, innovative ways (whatever it takes!) to increase our awareness, i.e. responsibility. That’s how we came up with Be a Positive Agent for Change.
Here’s how it works. Every time we have an emotional reaction, we’ve agreed to put a quarter in our CHANGE jars. Rather than being a punishment, it’s a tangible way to see the cost of our emotional reactions on our lives and on our bodies.
Each thought has the potential to manifest in our body as emotion. The quality of the thought determines the quality of the emotion. For example, if I think, “The stock market is crazy. I’ve lost a fortune. I’ll never have enough money to stop working.” then I start feeling anxious and stressed.
When I think, “I am so grateful for all I have. I appreciate that I have enough money that I can invest some of it in the stock market. I trust that I will find ways to take care of myself.” Ahhh, I relax a bit and can feel more positive. My energy contribution remains in the plus column.
I’m aware that the story that I’m telling myself either “costs” my body in the form of stress, tension or constriction – or supports my body in feeling relaxed, open, and expanded. (Hint: This is how the law of attraction really works.) When in awareness, I can make the choice to take responsibility – to choose how I want to respond to my own thoughts, to people in my life, to the stock market, or politics, or whatever is happening in the world at large.
So back to the Dreaming weekend… I was sharing how don Miguel used to say, “Don’t pay more than 10 cents, more than 3 times.” That means don’t beat yourself up, don’t judge yourself over and over, don’t replay the same story in your head and feel the same reaction if you are paying for it emotionally.
We began joking how with the cost of inflation, 10 cents is now the equivalent of a quarter. And the idea of setting out a CHANGE jar was born. (One dreamer quipped, “That brings a new meaning to CHANGE.”) We agreed to place a quarter in our CHANGE jars each time we have an emotional reaction.
When we gather next month, we’ll pool our change – both all the coins we’ve place in our CHANGE jars, and all the awareness and responsibility we’ve gained. Then we’ll use the money to make a donation to a worthy cause. We’ll become agents for positive change. Now that’s putting our money where our mouths are.
Now back to my story of feeling frustration. How did I choose to change? Instead of pointing my finger at my loved one, I chose a different response. I chose to really feel the frustration. I took a deep breath. I let the sensation of frustration pass through my body.
As I shifted back into a place of calm centeredness, I had compassion for all of us who are working to change our ways. I had compassion for all of us who fall asleep and believe stories of lack, limitation, “there’s not enough” or “I’m not enough.”
I took responsibility for my choice – the choice to feel, instead of believing my thoughts – and I felt better. I gladly deposited my quarter. After all, that’s a small price to pay for a lot of awareness. I’m proud to be an Agent for Positive Change.
With all my love and compassion,
Agent Meghan
P.S. True Confession/Full Disclosure - Contribution to date: $1.50
So what have you been contributing?
What has been your response to your own life and to the world at large?
Won’t you join us in being an Agent for Positive Change?
How to Be An Agent for Positive Change
- Find a jar for collecting your quarters. Label it “CHANGE” jar.
- Each time you have an emotional reaction, take responsibility – invoke your “ability to choose your response.” Try choosing feeling over thinking by simply taking a deep breath and putting your attention on the sensations in your body.
- Place a quarter in your CHANGE jar as a tangible reminder of your commitment to awareness, choice, and responsibility.
- At the end of the month, donate your CHANGE to a worthy cause or non-profit organization.
- Share your insights with us by commenting on this blog. We’d love to hear from you!
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