“Suchness”

The word suchness describes reality as it is. Most of our suffering arises from our ideas and concepts. If you are able to free yourself from these concepts/beliefs, anxiety and fear will disappear. Our own beliefs and concepts can be the cause of much of our suffering.  

I can see how this has played out in my own life. Specifically, I think of the times I have been anxious because of the expectation I have in my head about a certain situation. For example, after I have my initial meeting with a client and they accept my proposal then we have our first ‘official’ meeting. I cannot tell you how many hours of sleep I have lost worrying about what are their expectations for our first meeting.  Will I disappoint them? Will I have any good ideas? What if I don’t know the answer to one of their questions?

Clearly these are stories or beliefs that are not based in reality. These are old anxieties; I can’t even remember a real incidence that resembles these scenarios I am envisioning. Yet they feel very real and can potentially debilitating. This is the kind of stuff that could keep me from succeeding in my business and my life. So what to do? Lately, I have been able to catch myself and realign my thoughts with the present. In the present, I can take positive actions like doing some research prior to my meeting, get some exercise, and write down any questions I want to remember to ask my new clients in order to create a better design.

What is the story or belief that inserts fear and anxiety into your life or business? Consider what each day would be like if you approached it free from old ideas, conjecture, and past hurts?

For me, it would mean going into each client meeting fully present. I could meet potential new clients without being overly invested in the outcome. I would offer a better experience for my clients with with a better outcome with less stress. A win-win!

I would love to hear about what your business would look like when you are fully present. Let’s talk!