The Verdict -- Innocent

The Verdict -- Innocent

Do you have a big pile of stuff that is waiting for your attention? Is it the starting? Or the middling? Or the finishing?

One of the tricks we are really good at is creating stuff to feel guilty about. I know, it’s a “why would we do that?” kind of thing, but we do, It’s in our baby nature:  We have something, we see what would happen if we wreck it somehow, and then we have giant feelings about it being wrecked.

Seriously.

So, as we choose to grow up, we can choose to address this topic for ourselves, for our peace.

Why do I get things done? What makes me follow through? How do I commit?

Why would I start? How do I begin? What makes me take the first step?

As we choose to address this topic, we may find ourselves facing a big ol’ pile of guilt. Guilt for not starting, guilt for not finishing, Guilt for procrastinating, guilt for doing X, but not well enough.

Sometimes, we feeling guilty, and that makes us feel ashamed, so we lash out and blame someone else, or something else, for how crappy we feel. And then we feel guilty about that.

Why am I innocent? What makes me perfect? How have I changed from making up stuff to feel guilty about, to letting go?

Letting go. When I am feeling guilty about somethings, I can fix ‘em, I can make amends. I can make restitution for the stuff I took, or the lies I told. I can take responsibility for hurts I caused, or damage I did. But what about the guilt we feel for that baby-nature stuff, where we kind of manufacture the whole thing? What do I do then?

When I am feeling that kind of guilt, or even guilt for being alive, which a lot of us have, there are a couple things I do. Thing one, I can start using Creative Questions, and thing two, I can practice letting it go.

And how the hickety-heck do I do that?

First thing is to stop the thoughts. Get out of your head. Get into your body, or into a calming image, or a mantra that you like. When I was feeling really stuck, I used a rubber band on my wrist and would snap it as soon as I noticed my negative thoughts. On the one hand, ow. On the other hand, it worked.

The sooner I can catch my thought, my guilty thought, my blaming or shaming thought, and change it, the better. When I know what the thought is, I can more easily craft a good Creative Question to turn it around, but even when I can’t, Creative Questions will help.

How have I changed from all that guilt to knowing I am pure and innocent?

(c) Pam Guthrie all rights reserved 02172014