A resounding theme I am very attuned to in so much of what I am learning right now is around the idea of Choice.

Choice = Freedom = Power

I really appreciated this post I came across today titled ‘Negativitis’ cripples the human spirit… which arrives at the same idea I am running into everywhere right now - the Power of Choice.

Life is absolutely dynamic.

I remember now the teachings of Heraclitus, which I was drawn to some twenty years ago…

“We both step and do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not.”

Of course, this is just one translation - but the idea that stuck with me from his teachings was about the dynamic nature of all of life, and that we are all one and utterly unique all at once.

The theme of the river is also resonating highly with me right now. The power of the river is in its flow. During the harshest cold of winter, the waters of a mighty river seem last to freeze, if they freeze at all.

The motion is life. Just as we are in motion, until our bodies stop working - we are alive when we are in motion and in the flow of life. The more we are in the flow, the more we are alive.

To hold on to yesterday is to try to stay still in the flow, or to hold back the flow of life.

There are many ways of expressing this same idea - in the flow. To some, it is being in “The Zone”, to others, it is being in “The Now”. But no matter how you look at it, the core experience is to:

• let go of the old story, and the drama associated with it
• feel connected to the physical world around you here and now
• not occupy your mind with the creation of future scenarios

How you get there is up to you:

• Prayer
• Exercise
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Music - listening, making, dancing
• Add your own way here :)

Regardless of how you find your way to the Present moment, there is an almost immediate reduction in stress and fatigue. A playful spirit arrives. The Universe opens up. Where you may have felt constrained, you now feel free.

And it all starts with you. It is your choice.  Just as your drama is your creation, your response to your situation… you can likewise simply accept your reality, and choose to let go of your mental constructs… think of the stories you have told yourself over and over… and let them go.

Visualizing this process is a powerful way to move in this direction. Envision yourself standing in the river holding all of your stories close to you… they are a cluttered mess of branches and leaves, things floating by you in the river that you have clung to, and now - the water swirls around you and your mess… and you are stuck there in your place as life passes you by. Eventually, you identify with your place in the river, rather than as being part of the river.

When you are ready - you choose to let go. Envision yourself taking apart your clutter bit by bit, with loving kindness… you take this branch and that leaf and hold them out into the river and release them. Watch yourself in your mind as you let go.

You become lighter. You free yourself from the mental clutter of your life.

And next thing you know, you will begin to sense a lot of good things coming your way.

You may be tempted to grab hold of the first best thing you see and cling to it - but as the good comes into your life, let it go too.

Give back everything you get, and you are sure to be getting more.

Your free will is your greatest gift, and the source of all your power. Give it away, and you will feel powerless. Embrace your power, you will feel free.