Why Connection Fuels Our Mission
Truth, Trust, and Timeless Peace Break Worry’s Grip
Dear Why Team member,
I hope this week’s message finds you well and will be of service to you.
This week, I am sharing something quite different from my typical posts.
Immediately following one of my recent speeches, I had an attendee come to me desperate to be free from her ever present worries. She shared how worry has dominated her life and how she felt my message from stage was speaking directly to her. It is in these moments that I am most grateful for the direction my life has taken. I live for these opportunities to share with others what has been so generously given to me.
And so it was that after writing a lengthy response to one of her recent emails that I thought my response to her might be of service to some of our Why Team members - or be of service to a friend or family member of some of our members.
While I gained permission to send this to you, I did change her name to protect her privacy. Below is the email I sent.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you again for reaching out to me. Thank you for trusting me and for sharing with me the words you heard throughout childhood and the understanding you have come to know regarding worry. I am so very glad that my words spoke to you. I do believe as well that they were coming through me for you. It’s truly moments like this where I find great purpose in my life - to remind me of my own freedom and to assist others to experience the same.
I have learned a great deal from her book “Loving What Is” and “THE WORK” (as she calls it) of Byron Katie. It has had a dramatic effect on my life - not always easy, but certainly empowering and freeing.
In addition to her books, I would like to introduce you to a couple of other teachers.
You need not fully understand them, but hopefully they will provide you additional peace. If you are interested in going as deep as necessary to experience freedom, it is helpful to understand WHY so many people don’t feel free. It may help as well to draw a distinction between Happiness and Joy/Peace.
We have heard that Happiness is fleeting - and this is so true. Happiness is the dose of dopamine we get when we have our favorite piece of chocolate or purchase a new item we desire - but that dopamine quickly dissipates and many can find themselves on a hedonic treadmill trying to manage the dopamine to keep it at some desired level to maintain a feeling of happiness - ultimately a losing battle. Joy/Peace, however, is ever present despite our minds, being most often preoccupied with avoiding pain (worry) and gaining pleasure (happiness). In fact, if we aren’t feeling happy at any given moment, we can think - as our culture has propagated - that something is wrong- and then comes the worry.
Sad is the life that goes back and forth: worry, happy, worry, happy, worry, worry....
What we all seek, I believe, is to feel connected - and what I would like to propose to you is that we are already connected - we are all connected - it is our minds that believe otherwise. It is our false beliefs, not the truth, that causes our emotional suffering. As you no doubt have heard: “It is the truth that will set you free”. This is what I want for you. It is the lies that cause you to worry, it is the truth that will set you free from worry.
It may not be an easy journey, but of course it is one of priceless value - to be free. What I encourage you to do is relax, be patient with yourself, there is a deeper allowance that has allowed my words to move you to speak to me and to get Katie’s book. Try to be excited for what is being revealed, rather than worry that you won’t see everything and understand it all. A powerful encouragement from Katie that has become part of my own self talk is that “Life is happening for you, not to you”. Another of her sayings that has brought me great peace, which I had the pleasure of hearing her share in person, is, “Nothing is wasted”.
Lisa, nothing is wasted! Consider dropping all concern about your biological age and any “should” comments. As I shared in my speech from what Wayne Dyer often said, “Don’t Should on Yourself!”
So here is another person I would like to introduce to you. His teachings, have significantly freed me. I must prepare you, however, for the challenge awaiting you from his insight and just suggest again that you be okay not getting it - you’ll get it when you’re suppose to get it. A lot of our mental work is done in the subconscious- and thus unknown to our conscious mind. I find we can feed the mind ideas and concepts way over our head - or might I say well over our conscious head - but know that they are seeds being planted into the subconscious mind - seeds that can grow and one day flower INTO the conscious mind - where we get to experience those “AHA” moments. We need only the courage to plant the seeds and stay ever faithful in the growth that is happening despite us being conscious of it. “Fortune favors the prepared mind” - Louis Pasteur
His name is Rupert Spira. You can enjoy his teachings via YouTube.
Allow me to give to you this one powerful insight - don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense. At the very least your subconscious will hear it.
“Timeless Peace Cannot Be Found In Time”.
Why? Because timeless peace is timeless - it is ever present.
Lisa, what you seek is already present - you just don’t think it is. Seekers remain ever frustrated. Why? Because what they seek is always present. It’s similar to the insight that the best place to hide something is in plain view. When we open a cabinet to find something that we already believe will be difficult to find, we can go about searching in the back, becoming frustrated saying “it has to be here somewhere” and thus often do not see that the item we desire has been right in front of us all along.
You may also consider watching videos on YouTube of Eckhart Tolle. His books: “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth” are amazing works and will likely reveal additional freedom for you. Frankly, I have found, there is nothing more freeing from worry, than to be extremely present - to be in the NOW - which is the only place you have ever been. The mind’s preoccupation with time and what might happen in the future is the primary source of worry.
Of course, depending on your beliefs, the Bible is filled with these same powerful insights, albeit in ancient words often challenging to understand. Again, feed the subconscious.
Thank you again for sharing your journey with me. One of my teachers once told me that we teach most what we want to learn. You and I are one, I have the same experiences and it’s a pleasure to share with you the works of others who have helped me to find greater peace and joy.
Here is wishing for you the awareness and ability to embrace the ever present timeless peace.
As my devoted mother often shared with me, to bring me peace:
“All is Well and All will be Well!”
Worry is a sticky thief, a thief of peace, a thief of joy, a thief of health hence the: “I was worried sick” expression. I said sticky because it’s tough to get rid of it. However, we have to train our mind to look at the blessings we have around us and to accept that worry is our insecurity of our ability to deal with a new situation. When we believe in ourselves, we worry less, if at all.
This year, work on building confidence in yourself and worry less and no doubt you will...
Make it a great year!
Steve Luckenbach