Nothing you want is upstream

I love the Law of Attraction and especially enjoy the funny and clear ways it’s explained by Abraham Hicks (many of their conversations with audiences you find on YouTube are enlightening comedy gold). Recently I’ve been thinking about this gem of an analogy from them; we could all be floating and flowing along the river downstream in our canoes,  gaining momentum but so often we turn our vessels upstream and start paddling and sweating and struggling to get anywhere.

“We watch you getting more efficient at fighting the current. Your muscles get stronger, your boats become sleeker, and you discover more effective oars. And, always, we listen patiently as we hear a variety of versions on this same general theme of justification for paddling upstream, but then we always explain what we consider to be the most important thing that our physical friends could ever hear from us: Nothing that you want is upstream!” —Abraham Hicks “The Astonishing Power of Emotions”

When something feels hard and there’s lots of obstacles and speed bumps in the way, we often feel we should grit our teeth, push and hustle our way through and accept the blisters on our hands and our water-filled shoes. But nothing that you want is upstream. I’ve recently realised that studying Kinesiology online is upstream for me at the moment. I love Kinesiology as a client and will continue to use many techniques I’ve learnt in daily life and may well return to it in the future but I was paddling against the current studying online and interstate when I prefer the face to face local option.

I could have picked up on the upstream signs earlier like when I was told this course would not be offered in Melbourne and I had difficulty finding people to practise on and finding the time to practise. Sometimes your health gives you clues too that you are not on the right path and I’ve had a sore throat (not speaking up), a sniffle (confusion) and lower back pain (money issues). Even though paddling upstream was tough, I felt like I should grit my teeth and keep going as I’ve always thought ‘you should finish what you start’. But when I decided to lift up my oars and finish for now with a Certificate rather than a Diploma, I felt a sense of relief.

Likewise, we should be mindful of relationships that feel heavy and hard and career choices that come with physical side effects. While you might be building your biceps by paddling iron-man style into the crashing sea, this is not sustainable long-term and the skimpy swimwear really rides up! Author Gay Hendricks says instead of staying in our “Zone of Incompetence, where you are doing things that you don’t have a good grasp of or skill in”, we should focus on finding our Zone of Genius, “In this zone you are in ‘the flow’. Time almost stands still and you are fully absorbed and utilising not just your skills but the full spectrum of your gifts”.

Not exactly sure what my Zone of Genius is or where I’m heading in this vessel, somewhere Holistic HealthY perhaps, but it’s sure easier to be floating downstream on the path of least resistance and enjoying the view.

Love and light and lift up your oars xxx Yvette

Abraham Hicks “Upstream/ downstream”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlTPYu2wDfA

Louise Hay List of physical symptoms and their emotional meaning

https://ourangelsguidance.ca/pages/louise-hays-the-list

Gay Hendricks “Zone of Genius”

https://tinabindon.com/finding-your-zone-of-genius/