Turning Poison into Medicine
Ask better questions to get better answers
When we ask what we're going to do or how we're going to do something about a situation the energy of those question structures are often very mental.
The tension in this approach is perfect fodder for procrastination and getting stuck in situations for years!
The “gotta figure this out” approach, which feels poisonous and constricted, becomes the “breath of fresh air” feeling when we ask:
What can I create with this?
What's possible for me here?
How can I see this 5 different ways?
What is trying to transform here?
These types of questions are bringing the energy of alchemy. They assume an answer we haven't discovered yet is available and allow us to hold space for it to appear.
We have a troubling situation and we want to apply alchemy and turn poison to medicine, so what does that look like?
Examples:
What am I going do about this job I hate versus what can I create with this hate energy? What's really trying to happen here?
How do I get more clients versus what can I create with this (fear, desperation, tense) energy of trying to get more clients? What are 5 different ways I could see this? What are 5 different things I could create?
What am I gonna do about my marriage versus what's possible here with this (anger, sadness, frustration) energy? What's trying to transform? What truth is trying to be heard?
This process works best when written out on paper. It also works best to give it some time.
Write the questions down and wait a little bit, even a few hours or days, for answers and ideas to arise.
Notice if you're mind is trying, even in this exercise, to find the “right” answers.
Relax, maybe several times, back into the space of beginner's mind. Allow yourself to not know the right answer. Give yourself permission to be ignorant.
Hold space for this process the same way you'd hold space for a client or a suffering friend to freely explore options.
Next time you're struggling try one of these and let me know how it goes!
XO,
LMW
P.S. The next round of Nervous System Secrets for Writers is open for enrollment until Jan 6. www.bit.ly/Nervous-System-Secrets-For-Writers