I Did It My Way

I remember a song about the subject line of this post.  I Did It My Way!  Yep, that's so true.  Healing didn't come in a nice neatly packaged box.  It didn't have an instruction manual.  It didn't tell me to do it, or when to proceed or how to proceed.

I just had to figure out that I had to do it my way.  No one can tell you how to heal from trauma and child abuse.  Yes, there are things that may help and people that help guide you, but be wary of anyone that says, "this is how it is done."

What works for some, may not work for everyone.  Of course, we all probably nod our head with that, but then we go in and tell others that this is the way it is.  If you don't like it - leave!  I've seen that happen far too many times.

There are elements of healing that work across many life forms.  There are often elements that we turn a blind eye to, all the while demanding that we get better.  We sometimes are our own worst enemies, even if we can't acknowledge that.

When I was paralyzed from Conversion Disorder, the doctors were experimenting to find out what would work for me.  They used "elements" of what the current thinking was at the time, and even though it helped, it only took me so far.  It didn't take me deep into healing what was at the core.

Without healing the core and the root of what was happening, there was just so much progress that I could make.  It took me many years of searching and self discovery to find this part, but it was the part that gave me the most bang for my buck.

If I would have followed the advice of every well-meaning person out there, I would have never healed.  I would have missed the important parts while listening to all the so-called experts.  I went beyond what people told me to do and did it my way.

No matter what, I never gave up.  Yes, many times I felt like it and many times I worked hard to give up, but somehow I kept going.  Somehow I said, "I'm going to find my way through this."  Believe me, I could have just laid down and died, and most would have understood after what I had been through.  I chose to keep going and not give up.

I had one constant throughout my life in that I never accepted the physical condition that the doctors and experts said I would be in for the rest of my life.  The minute they told me this was the way things were and put a label on it, that was the minute I scoffed in their face.  I was like, there's nothing that is going to hold me back and hold me down.

I kept going.  I didn't give up.  I kept searching, I didn't stop my quest for the next step or what would help.  Don't tell me the label is who I am!  I'll prove you wrong a hundred times over.  Don't tell me that I won't be able to function fully in life and work and play and talk and walk.  I'll prove you wrong!

There are far many more questions out there in the healing world, and not everyone that thinks they have the answers has the complete truth.  Most likely that's where they are in their own journey.  While it can be helpful, just don't let it guide you as the sole lighthouse beacon of the entire planet.  Do it your way - and never give up doing it your way!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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What Choice Are You Making

I often wonder how I fit into this thing we call life.  It seems like I beat to a different drum than many do, and sometimes I feel like I create the drum that I beat to.  Yet, I feel like I'm part of this habitation experience called the world in which we live, only to find out that I feel so much different than most people I meet.  I have no way to fully know how to put all of this into words, but yet I experience it and feel it and see it on display before my eyes.

There are so many out there that I see who are following some myths taught to them as the only truth.  While these myths hold truth within, they are not the absolute truth for life.  In fact, the truths are being covered up with beliefs and opinions that are regurgitated at will.  If you try to breach these subjects with these people, you are met with a skepticism of doubt, fear and trepidation.  You are viewed as one that just doesn't understand, even though I understand far more than they realize.

There are many out there that uncover one rock and think that the grubs they have found underneath are the sole food source for the entire civilization.  As they go around proclaiming this, a funny thing happens.  They stop looking under the rest of the rocks on their path.  They fail to see that the first or even the second rock is but one in the road of life.  They miss the remaining rocks and what is underneath them, because they stop looking.

Truth In The Body

One of the best ways to discover the truth in life is by listening to your gut, body, intuition and your mind.  If you truly have come to know these parts of yourself, then the messages they send will be clear enough to get your attention.  All too often, humans are so induced by the mesmerizing parts of life, that they fail to see what is standing directly in front of them.  Listening to your body is not a mental exercise, it is felt in the body.

How do we listen to our gut?
One of the best ways is to give silence to our life during the day.  We constantly run here and to, not giving one ounce of concern for our physical, mental or emotional body.  We think that as long as we are running at top speed, that we are effectively living our life.  Just as a muscle needs renewed energy to continue functioning, so do we need renewed energy to perform at peak efficiency.  By not stopping in life, we take away the ability to renew our mind and body.  The stress of our days and the demands upon our time make withdrawals from our life until we realize through the pains or health conditions we face, that it is time to start taking care of our body.

You Should Do This

You Should Do This

One thing I find very peculiar about humans is how we think we know what is best for others and we determine it is our life's purpose to strongly let them know.  It is as if we have determined that the only thing which matters in life is to make sure they know what we think is right for their life.  Perhaps, no one even realizes just how prevalent this is and how willing of a participant we are in this scheme.  Please understand that I am not lightly suggesting an alternative to someone.

The other day I was taking a class and we were sharing as a group a little about our self.  Each person was asked to share something personal that we would not normally share.  It was designed to give of our self in a trusting manner.  The goal was for us to be real, and help others to see an authentic side of our life that maybe they could identify and learn from.  Needless to say, it was not all that easy to do and with the group being strangers, there were much needed boundaries in place.  Yet, through the exercise, we all grew pretty close together in a very short time.

Unfortunately, in this exercise, there were people that felt it was necessary to make sure those that were sharing, knew what it was that they needed to do in order to better their life.  Some of the participants were not timid in telling them what they should do and what they should not do regarding various situations.  Some were forcefully telling other participants, don't do this or don't do that.  To be very honest, it really began taking away from the moment.

Are We Human?

These days, I feel tired and worn out with what goes on in the world around me. I see a bunch of greedy people all out for themselves hoping to either score "goodies", "lawsuit wins", "rewards" or "more control". It feels like no one is really even thinking about what lies ahead or what our actions will bring about tomorrow. In case you misunderstand me, this post is not about politics. It is much greater than that.

Most people don't even bother to ponder what life is about or why they are here. Some go to church once a Sunday and then exclaim they have the answer. Others, feel like they should deviate from the church and religion, only to bundle spirituality up into something that resembles that which they long to flee. You've got others that chase every ounce of snake oil offered up in philosophies, facebook forwarded messages and tabloid magazines. Yet, there are people who chase the corporate dream, hoping to save enough money for later years that they can enjoy if a heart attack or some other disease doesn't take them out first.

At the end of the day, we as humans spend very little time on what truly matters in life. We walk around with our heads in the clouds, acting as if we have the answers. We forget that life is more than just having the answers. Life is about searching, evolving and discovering all there is to know.

We can listen all day long to the speakers of our time and our location but if we fail to listen to what is within, what have we profited. We end up with a head full of regurgitated facts and a body so out of touch, that life is forever altered. The messages we seek are there within us, but yet we look to so many others, so many systems and so many ways of thought to find them.

I hope that we will begin to wake up as a human species and really and truly begin to understand that there is so much more out there. We are not the sum total of all that we can be. In fact, in many ways, we have only begun on our journey of discovery. My hope is that we as a human species will learn to harness the power of fear so that it will transform us into a more evolved human.

We should never settle for what we know today or what we think today is all about. For tomorrow may not come as we think it will. Life can change in the blink of an eye and the more we understand our purpose, our role and the process, the more we truly will become human.


Blog Post & Images (c) 4/9/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Simply Just Open The Door

The picture on this blog post was one taken by mistake but it just seems to have a story to tell. And so as I thought about it, the story begins to unfold. Of course, one could just look at it as a ladder leaning against a closet door but would be rather boring in many ways. Feel free to make up your own story on this but here's my take on the ladder against the door.

How many times do we go through life searching for that which we need. We may realize that what we need is in a closet or some area which is not readily seen by us. We may or may not know for sure that the item that we seek is inside the closet but sometimes our gut feeling says it is in there. We cannot see it, but somehow we just know that it is in there.

So then, we begin to figure out ways to get into the closet to find that which we are looking for. Most people would say, well why don't you just open the closet and look inside for the item. To most people standing back and not searching for the item, this would seem very obvious. However, to the person searching, it may be anything but obvious.

The searching person than decides that they are going to get into the closet and instead of opening the door, they do all types of hocus pocus tricks to get it to open. In this case, the searching person has gotten a ladder to see if they can crawl up and above the door to get inside. They go to all kinds of effort to bring the ladder to the closet, set it up so it is sturdy and then begin the climb up the ladder. The only thing is, they soon realize that with the ladder in the way, they will not be able to open the closet door.

Eventually the searching person realizes that the way into the closet is through opening the door. Of course, when they realize this, it is like a light bulb going off in their mind. In reality, the solution was right there before them and everyone but the searching person could not see it.

In many ways, we as humans do this. We search and seek something which we need for our lives and yet, we find the most difficult ways and methods to obtain it. We design elaborate systems to view what is beyond the doors only to give our self the false illusion that we are making progress. When all we really need to do is just simply open the door.


Blog Post & Images (c) 3/5/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Looking For What We Need

So often we go through life looking and questioning and wanting what we need. Often times, it may be right before our eyes and we are just intent on looking for it that we miss what is before us.

More importantly though as we open ourselves up to what is all around us, we will find exactly what it is that we need to keep us moving forward. It is more than just finding our resources within for some situation we are currently facing because this current experience of our day is but one moment in the evolution of our awareness and consciousness.

If you're asking and searching and seeking for something to guide you through these moments, stop and take a look at all that is before you.

Take a look at all that is within you and what you feel deep within your body. It is in this way that you will discover the strength for the journey you walk.


Blog Post & Images (c) 3/2/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com