It’s one that every feline, domestic or wild, knows.
I’ve only been truly practicing waiting for a couple of years but in the beginning, waiting felt counterintuitive. I was quite comfortable being busy and spontaneous, slow to trust that waiting would yield any benefit to my goals or my life. When the idea was introduced through Human Design, I might never have trusted the concept of waiting had I not already experienced firsthand success using other Human Design tools.
I had always prided myself as a person willing to “jump in,” ready to take risks. Trying to prove myself, I experienced one failed enterprise after another. Naturally spontaneous, I trusted others more and never waited. I never graced myself with enough time, time that would eventually expose flaws or false foundations that were there from the beginning. The idea of slowing down, stopping, terrified me. I was mentally certain that if I did not act, the moment would be lost and I would lose out.
I felt courageous every time, diving in without question until years of hard work and effort melted away along with my confidence. Either betrayed, ashamed, or embarrassed, facing reality was retribution for what I eventually felt was a stupid decision. Licking my wounds, I didn’t wait but instead jumped into the next “greatest” opportunity. It was a cyclical nightmare.
Until I met Human Design and started waiting.
I now trust that “doing nothing” is “doing everything” as I move closer and closer to living the life I’ve always dreamed I was capable of living. Waiting gives me a chance for clarity, for personal honesty, for self-acceptance. Amazingly, the correct things find me. I trust myself and in the comfort of my own skin say “no” with certainty and “yes” with confidence.
I have to admit it was hard as heck in the beginning. Fears were amplified and frustrations increased my anxiety until I experienced results. In short order, however, practicing it renewed and saved my relationships, my health, and my sanity a thousand times over. Frustrated far less frequently these days, I am at peace and trust the unknown.
There is a traffic light near our home. It sits on an extremely busy street where drivers often run through red lights rushing by at speeds of up to 60 mph. I don’t trust green lights any longer. Instead of “go” they mean “wait and move cautiously.” That little shift in my perception has saved my life, literally and metaphorically, more than once.
Not everything is life-threatening and green lights can mean go; but in the words of my mentor and dear friend, Mary Ann Winniger, Wait!Trust that life knows where you live. I would add, “Enter the intersection slowly!” It’s a wonderful thing to discover that life is on your side and has been patiently waiting for you to slow down and join it!
If you’d like to know more about Human Design and how it can improve your life, please contact me at info@lydlifemap.com or visit my website at www.lydlifemap.com.
I discovered these words, torn and discarded from my 8 year old granddaughter’s notebook, in our trash bin after one of our son’s visits. My husband had lost his hearing aid. Were it not for his absent-minded toss and my fear of the financial consequence, I would certainly never have crawled headfirst into our stinky trash bin. The wisdom of my granddaughter’s lyrics, so innocently and faithfully written, might have been lost but for grandpa’s misplaced hearing aid. The irony is not lost on me. These words would have been forever silent, lost among the ruins of banana peels and broken boxes. Such is the perfection of life.
Don’t we all know, at some level, the wisdom and truth of my granddaughter’s words? A child can only know that one thing: you and me came true into the world. As children, we have no choice but to trust that instinct, ignorant of the world and armed only with innocence. The crux of the matter is that we must survive and so begins the surrender of that True Self. We watch, we adjust, we give ourselves over to a mentally fabricated “pretend-self” to persevere. As adults, it takes awareness and years to erase that kind of conditioning.
“Minding the Mind” is the art of remembering our basic intuitive wisdom. It takes time to hear the deep inner astute voice that recognizes and embraces the Self we are meant to be. It takes time to de-condition the mind. It takes time to trust again.
Mental chatter is not the same thing as the brain processing information. Without the brain, our bodies would be lifeless. Without the mind, however, our lives would be fulfilling and purposeful. Perhaps baffling on the surface, the profundity of ignoring the mind is life changing. After six years of practicing this I am far closer to being myself than at any time in my 65 years on this planet. Finally comfortable in my own skin, my life is better. My family better for my continuing effort.
What I have discovered is that the mind does not know, it only harvests information. It can help me drive a car and remember how to turn on the coffee pot. It can help me spell and write stories that have meaning to me. It remembers (sometimes) where I put my keys and how to get to the store. But when it comes to decision making it is truly inept, a light switch on a fake wall, disconnected from its power source. My mind has gotten me into more predicaments, more trouble, than I care to remember but am inclined not to forget.
Our mental construct teachers us to hate, to fear, to object to anything that does not align with our false image of “right” or “wrong.” We build walls, real or imagined, and align with false narratives that keep us acceptable. We stay in relationships that abuse us, believe people who lie, and/or surrender our authority of “inner knowing” to another. In the most heinous of extremes, we vilify and tell lies about others who are descent, fly airplanes into buildings, or use automatic weapons to destroy life. All based upon mental decisions that choke the life out of humanity.
But there is hope. There is a way. There is a map. It begins with practicing one simple exercise that can change a person’s life forever. The secret?
WAIT.
Wait. Ask. Instinct. Trust.
Wait before making any decision or before taking an action. The world will not end if you take time to clearly know or sense whether something is true for you or not.
Ask a simple question, Is it true? Ninety-nine percent of mental chatter is false and sells lies and conspiracy theories, most often attached in some way to religious, political or social dogma.
Instinct. Trust yours. People who trust themselves are calm, confident, and assured. They make an impact. We cannot be like everyone else because we are not like anyone on the planet. We are magnificent in our own right and are enough. We are more than enough. We are Divinely created and perfectly Designed. Life knows where we live.
Trust that. Trust that your gifts will be discovered once you know what those gifts are. Your contributions are worthy when created from your uniqueness and will always find a home in those who are ready to receive them.
There are a lot of minds asking us to be like them.
There is no one like you.
I invite you to be you, wholly and completely, beautifully and correctly you. Within the cocoon the butterfly longs to take flight.
This article was written by Candace Conrad and inspired by Isabella Conradi and Reese Jessner.
