Growing Beyond Our Problems
“I
had always worked with the temperamental conviction that at bottom
there are no insoluble problems, and experience justified me in so far
as I have often seen patients simply outgrow a problem that had
destroyed others. This 'outgrowing,' as I formerly called it, proved on
further investigation to be a new level of consciousness. Some higher
or wider interest appeared on the patient's horizon, and through this
broadening of his outlook the insoluble problem lost its urgency.”
Carl Gustav Jung
Consider
that whatever problems you face now are temporary. You may stay stuck
in them if you maintain your same level of consciousness, but if you
are willing to broaden your outlook, they may dissolve like the morning
mist.
It is
comfortable to keep our usual way of thinking and behaving, but when we
cling to our old ways, we do not change and we do not grow. It is only
when we have the courage to face our fears that we grow. We must step
beyond our comfort zone and extend ourselves. When we do this, we may
experience growing pains. It is frightening and sometimes painful to
move outside our comfort zone, to try things we have never done before,
but once we do that and have some success, we may find that the old
problems no longer matter.
The
solution to anxiety is to face the fear. When we move through our
fears, they may no longer torment us. Once we attain mastery over them,
they no longer matter. Much of the difficulty we experience is from our
efforts to not have to face our fears, to not have to experience
suffering.
When
you are afraid, instead of running away, remember that you are being
given the opportunity to overcome your fear. Adversity carries with it
the gift of growth. Should you fail to deal with your fear, take
heart, because you will always have another opportunity. Your
fundamental life problems will likely present themselves again until
you outgrow them. Rather than hiding from the problems that you fear,
look closely at them. Meditate upon them. See them from the perspective
of that witness that is not ego, but that is deeper, more real and more
responsive to the reality of the situation.
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© 2008 Tom Barrett