Be in this world but not of it.
Be in this world but not of it.
I don’t know who said that, and I zero interest in looking it up. But we have all heard it right?
What does it mean, this elusive state of being in the world but not of it?
All over youtube, there are people talking about moving into the 5D. Living in soul. New earth. Raising our consciousness.
But how do we do this when everyday life requires us to do things which are uncomfortable. When we have to negotiate situations that are challenging. How do we stop the eternal thought cycle from going on in our heads and be in the now when there are so many things we think we have to do to survive?
So many of us are living lives where we are not listening to our hearts. Pushing ourselves to do things our heart doesn’t want out of fear.
But then there’s a different type of fear, the one which is good, the fear that we need to step through in order to move towards our truth. Each time we overcome this good healthy fear, we get an enormous amount of energy, a shift into a higher level of ourselves, paving the way for new experiences and opportunities to come. It has taken me a long long time to understand this. To step through this fear takes an incredible amount of focus, and clear thinking. And then to manage all that incredible energy which comes with overcoming a fear takes even more focus. To not get too excited about successes, but also to not get disappointed in what doesn’t work the way we want. To keep flowing, getting things done as needed while not getting bogged down in the outcomes is a huge challenge. To stay always connected with the larger picture even while managing the nitty gritty details.
I am in the middle of a theatre season and I have two collaborators from Indonesia staying with me, and working together with a team here in Melbourne. And as producer of the project I have been in charge of keeping it running smoothly, and making sure we get audience in, as well as getting reviews and interviews.
A week ago, when one of the guests from Indonesia was due to arrive, everything went seemingly wrong. My car broke down, and I was in tooth pain. In the ended I needed to hire a car early morning in time to pick up my guest from the airport, arrange my car to be fixed that same morning, and go to the dentist that arvo alongside managing all the requirements of the performance rehearsals and other producing things so that rehearsals, the next day, would still run smoothly. At the same time my Etsy shop suddenly was getting a lot of sales. I had customer service requests and lanterns to make up. From being in a space of relative freedom in the way I spend my time I suddenly had to plan out every moment of time, which can be super exhausting for me, as anyone living with ADHD and CPTSD might understand. This is where my challenge to ‘be in the world but not of it’ was tested.
I stayed focussed and calm. I allowed myself to use my headphones to listen to meditation tracks to keep me on track, so my thoughts and focus didn’t spiral, and I prioritised resting if I needed it (especially as I was in tooth pain). Rather than rushing, I took my time and ended up enjoying interactions with my mechanic, the car hire family, my guests and the dentist, (who pulled out a tooth). The car ended up costing a lot. And the tooth needs expensive treatment.
But I didn’t let that get me down and stayed focussed on the bigger picture.
And now, a week later, I feel amazing.
The car is sorted. Tooth is getting there. The rehearsals unfolded seamlessly, and we have had sell out shows every eve without hustling at all. Just a few posts which I shared from my heart, alongside those the team have shared. We had a 4 star review, and we still have 1 week to go and we are pretty much sold out.
And my shop keeps ticking over. I made up the lanterns. Which helps me feel supported financially amidst all of this.
Couldn’t live at this pace constantly, but right now, I am enjoying it. I continue to use my headphones to listen to tracks which keep me in a good feeling and calm state, and resting when I need it.
Being in the world but not of it, as much as I could this week during a particularly busy and intense time, has raised my capacity, and produced results far beyond those which I would have achieved if I had of been stressing and worrying about everything.
Considering half way through the year, I was at a real low point, this is pretty good.
But I am not concerned about going back there.
Because as we evolve, we don’t go back. We keep spiralling forward. We dip down a bit, but our set point is forever moved and we always come back again and continue up.