We Choose our Feelings

A friend of mine reminded me in a conversation a few weeks ago of the importance of remembering, “we choose our feelings”. I’ve always taken this to mean, if you feel low, law of attract or in some cases, trick yourself into feeling good. However, her approach defined it in a new way. Right after talking to this friend I had a situation that brought up big disappointment. I had a choice in the moment and decided at first to react, so naturally, I blamed my kids. I did this because in this moment I didn’t have the freedom to meet the situation to avoid disappointment. I then blamed myself for missing the timing of this event based on it being in another time zone. I gnashed around for a moment and then applied the idea that I can choose my feelings. I changed my feelings to “This situation will come around again, it’s not missed but delayed until it is in perfect alignment for me.” When I said this in my head I felt a little sick. I felt this because I didn’t believe what I was saying. However, I sat a second and stayed with it. What came next surprised me. I had appreciation for my kids. I was here now to do what I was doing and I could see the grander scheme, I could feel it too! I could feel how my kids bring so much to my life, how I need their influence to teach and guide me as much as they need mine. Wow! The next thing, which came up were feelings about me making a mistake. For some of us, including me, it feels when a new mistake comes to our attention all of the mistakes we’ve ever made resurface too. I realized this moment is where I was supposed to be, nowhere else. I had a sense of freedom I had not felt in years! Simple but I find weeks later, I need the reminder in this article to keep approaching each situation this way to regain it as a reflex for life. Lastly, when we choose our feelings and look at them from an objective viewpoint, the more we dismantle the story and replace those feelings with understanding, which creates peace and ultimately love.