The Middle Way

I have found through my journey of life thus far, that often the human nature is to swing like a pendulum, from one extreme to another.

A dear friend of mine was the one who first shared this analogy with me.

She described how often in life if we have been used to behaving or operating in one way, then when we try to change it, this pattern can swing to its polar opposite. For example if for most of our lives we have been a person that likes to say what they think will make others happy, when we go to change this pattern, initially we can come across as overly assertive or even borderline aggressive in our delivery.

It takes time to swing back to a centre point as we practice a new way of being, until we can get it just right and come to the middle way.

And it is this that we need to hold with compassion. Both for ourselves and for the same tendency we may notice showing up in those around us. Always keeping in mind that we are each doing the best we can with the resources we have in any given moment.

I have noticed that where this can play out for me of late, is in the career domain of life. Swinging between trying too hard, and then not trying at all, awaiting the Universe to deliver something onto my doorstep. As my yoga teacher used to remind us, we must co-create with the Universe. 51% the Universe, 49% oneself. And so it is up to each one of us to put in our 49%, to manifest that which we desire in our lives into our external reality.