Talk 13: Balance Striving and Being

Talk 13: Balance Striving and Being post image

The huge question of how to balance our striving in meditation practice opens a whole lot of possible things to say. In this talk however one very important point is made that before trying to work all that out, it is crucial to fully explore and surrender to single moments of allowing everything to just happen.

And these moments should be kept separate from any plan, including how good it would be to do this! Including how to sustain it in time, how to stay with it, or how it relates to everyday life. Keep these special moments separate from all plans as much as possible. Then, we will be more open to the important two aspects of the rest of the question.

1. We have a planning and orienting energy, and it’s there for a reason, and it can and should be used in some measure to go about our life, if it is arising for us. But we get out of balance when that energy captures our attention.

2. We don’t have to figure out that balance by ourselves, life itself will show it to us and life itself will move us down the proper course. If we are open to it that may happen easier. But if we are not open, life will bite us until we get what it is telling us.

I sure hope this has been helpful to you in your exploration of meditation.

If so,


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Alan

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  • Kelly Sheldrick

    Thanks for sharing this podcast! I agree that we need to trust that life will show us the path to achieving balance – that we don’t have to figure it out ourselves. It’s just sometimes hard to have complete faith and trust in that, but mediation can help us maintain that faith and trust.

    • http://ishouldbemeditating.com AlanKlima

      Great understanding Kelly! Meditation can help us maintain trust, but best of all is proof! When we maintain meditation for a while we will start to see, and then automatically we will see the evidence in our lives and we will trust more. So how do we maintain meditation? Faith! We have to have some faith, enough to try it out. Then we see, and so we trust more. (Also, faith by itself can work too).

  • Danielle Moore

    Yes! “THERE IS REALLY NOTHING THAT YOU HAVE TO BE TO BE. YOU ALREADY ARE!” I love this talk, it made me reflect on so many aspects of my life, my control freak attitude and my dealing with aspect of my personality which I don’t accept and try to cover up. Sometimes we disguise our own true identity and nature under a mask and we push ourselves into being what we are not instead of simply allowing ourselves to BE. The discontent we feel with ourselves in my personal view is only a product of a culture that teach us not to accept ourselves for who we are from the day we born. We have a lot of unlearning to do…Thanks Alan this was truly illuminating for me! 😉

    • http://ishouldbemeditating.com AlanKlima

      I love one definition of enlightenment in particular: “A complete lack of concern with imperfection.” I totally agree that the lion’s share of the burden to constantly fix ourselves, because we are supposed to believe there is something “wrong” with us, is put on us by cultural conditioning. Perhaps in some ways it suits us for a time and helps us in some ways, but it sticks around long past it’s welcome, and we wind up being it’s servant, rather than the other way around. Yes, unlearning!

  • JessicaKx

    You are so right that if we are open, finding our balance will be easier. Life really does have a way of just working itself out

    • http://ishouldbemeditating.com AlanKlima

      Yeah I agree– it’s one of life’s great pleasures to watch this happen.

  • lily

    Since I started listening to these podcasts I have become aware of so many new concepts on spirituality and happiness. Please keep doing what your doing and we will keep listening.

    • http://ishouldbemeditating.com AlanKlima

      Awesome!

  • Frank Green

    Thank you very much for sharing Alan. I totally agree and relate to what Danielle has commented. I too am a serious control freak and love to have everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) under my control. I mistakenly think that gives me freedom.

    This talk has helped me to realise a much wider vision and truth about life: use your planning skills when they should be used, and allow life unfold at its own plan when it is the moment to do so. After thinking about it for a while, I believe this really is a much more certain way for me to gain balance. I tend to forget everything is not under my control. There are a lot of things which I certainly don’t control so I’ve come to realise it’s really a waste of time to plan and “organise” for those events. My mind will react with much more peace if I bring the power of acceptance in. With acceptance there is no resistance, which I’ve found is a major source of pain and suffering. “Not wanting something to happen” and rejecting the fact that it’s happening by not accepting openly is the main source of strain in my life and I’m really going to put a conscious effort into growing and changing this old habit.

    Thank you so much for sharing such a powerful thing Alan. I will really try to bring in acceptance in my life. I now find much more attractive to have that attitude in the things that are going to happen anyway, the things that happen that have no relation to my actions.

    On the other hand, I also believe there should be an awareness of what we do have control. We tend to forget that our actions have a “compound interest”. So a state of bad health when one is 50 years old may be due to unhealthy eating habits expanded over a period of 30 years, or maybe a constant flow of negative emotions run wild in our minds. I believe the majority of us don’t practice our long-term vision. Our bad decisions today may not have a negative reaction that day, that week, or even that year. But the lack of immediate pain may be dangerous because, those actions repeated over an extended period of time, do have a result in the long run.

  • Caitlin

    I agree that it is important to take those moments in life where you just let what’s going to happen – happen. When you do this, it definitely reduces your stress a little. I think it can also help you just enjoy certain moments in life as well!

  • Lucy Williams

    This really struck a cord with me, as I’ve been trying to find my balance. You all make a great point, we have gotten to the point that we all forget to just “Be”…..but with your podcasts Alan, I’m hoping to be able to find myself and be able to get back there on a daily basis. As always, love your stuff!

  • Ann Abbitz

    This is a wonderful podcast that I love to fit into my daily routine, it’s really helped me soo much. And this is great for those who are just starting.

  • Elizabeth Griffin

    This is another wonderful session. And something I will be sharing and recommending to others. When you start meditating, as I have recently started, you realize there’s so much more than what you always knew. And it’s enlightened me dramatically! I can’t wait to keep hearing your stuff Alan. And eventually, I’ll get my husband on board. :)

  • Brenda Bradley

    I truly enjoy when I’m able to do the longer sessions. They help me tremendously, and allow me to prep for the following week of craziness, which included classes, work, internships and everyday life. No classes for a while now. So, I’ll truly enjoy the freedom to find my center and just BE. You’ve helped me so much Alan these past few months. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for all that you’ve shared with us.

  • Katy Smith

    The other night I was trying to practice this very thing in meditation. It’s amazing how difficult it is to just be! I like what you say about how life will show us the proper course if we’re open.

  • Kelly Knight

    I’ve been around so many negative people and it really played it’s toll on me. I am no longer around these people and I am trying to get back to the “me” I remember from before I met these people. I think these meditation podcast will help me getting back there. Thank you again! :)