Getting out of bed can be hard. Sometimes this is because we know we aren't living at the level of success, be it professional or personal, that we want and know we can have. We churn in our heads about how we deserve better than what we are getting. The fact that we are saying a true statement to ourselves makes getting up and going even harder.

Resistance, when talked about from a psychotherapeutic perspective, usually refers to how a person inhibits themselves from living a fully engaged life. Resistance equals putting the cart before the horse as a flat-out refusal to surrender to the over arching process required for greatness to evolve.

What can you do about your inhibiting relationship to resistance?

1. Notice when it is happening and label it appropriately
   
2. Refuse to get caught up in judging yourself for having resistance
3. Get your body moving in the direction your mind wants to go. For example, dress for your role, show up even when you don't feel like you have energy, and look people in the eye 

I listened to a TED talk given by Bono. He talked about how his experience in Ethiopia moved him to do something.

My experience in Africa moved me to try and forget all about it. I was in Africa for a much different reason than Bono. I didn’t have a choice about going to Africa. I was on active duty in the Marine Corps. I went where my unit was ordered to go. Bono went to an orphanage to help during famine. I was mostly concerned with my own safety and could care less about having an “experience.” However, I had an experience that is very real in the DNA of how I see reality and move my life forward.

I think this has a lot to do with my personal identity as a man and my professional identity as a psychotherapist. I try to pretend events haven’t affected me. I think there are two reasons why I do this: 1. I try to protect an idealized image of how I wish reality to be and consequently create a glitch in how I exercise discernment. 2. A desire to be an emotionally bulletproof psychotherapist.

However, while I was listening to Bono, I had a moment of relief. I started repeating to myself, “I don’t have to pretend that I haven’t been affected by events in my life.” I felt a release of energy while repeating this phrase. I am affected by what I observed and by what I did in Africa. In my effort to maintain the front of “all good” I am really maintaining the pain. I have to wonder if I have maintained this pain because I haven’t known what I could do to really effect positive change in Africa.

There are so many preventable deaths over there…

Some of my emotional energy has been freed up by listening to Bono talk. I am curious to see where this energy is going to be directed.

Recognize that each moment, whether challenging or mundane, is an opportunity to sharpen your masculine edge. You can avoid frustration by relaxing and trusting your intuition. Understand that you have developed the level of discernment necessary to skillfully engage with the material of your experience.

I'm posting this a day late. I was too tired when I got home last night to write.

The Paramita of Dhyana is translated as meditation, which simply means stability of mind.

I have an intense job. I'm currently working in an environment that can go from peaceful to crisis in a matter of seconds. This happened last night. I handled an assaultive situation in a non-aggressive manner by having the personal stability to offer choices to someone instead of tackling them to the floor. This resulted in increasing trust between the client and myself while ensuring all staff members went home on time rather than staying late to complete paperwork.

Working from a strength-based point of view requires some form of mental stability practice.

This is day 12 of the 30-Day Paramita Challenge!

Today was exertion. It's midnight and I'm tired. I did my best today in a lot of ways. The highlight was helping a young man get his body prepared for Marine Corps boot camp. We were out in 5 degree weather running intervals and doing calisthenics. The wind was blowing yesterday's snow in our faces. I didn't have to do that. But I did. And I know it means a lot to him.

Today was a day of practicing patience, which specifically means bearing my own existence free from aggression. I had some/a lot of aggression today--I drove in rush hour. That's enough. I'm not a saint.

The Paramita aspect of patience is different than just waiting for something or someone to take some action. I think Kshanti has more to do with curiosity than anything else. Simply put, it's hard to be aggressive when we're curious. And being curious about what is going on is a great cure for boredom.

It's snowing again in Denver. The ground bears the snow with no complaint. The ground has no rush. It has been white for a while.

The part of dignified conduct I wanted to emphasize today was not expecting an experience to be different than it actually was while avoiding nihilism. This is hopeful anticipation that things are going to be how they are blended with vivid curiosity regarding the details of how things actually are.

This is a great way to avoid fruitless frustration. So long as we don't get frustrated with the process.

I've thought some more about picking up where I left off with the 30-Day Paramita Challenge. Refocusing is exactly what happens during sitting meditation practice. We get caught up in something that seems important in the moment and then come back to being present when the awareness reminds us to.

What if each goal you set for yourself is carried out in a similar fashion? That when you realize you have lost track of the goal you just come back to the goal rather than avoiding the goal due to a pride injury. Come back to the part of you which seeks a better life. Let go of the critical part of you who whispers self defeat.

I have been busy and neglected the 30-Day Paramita Challenge.

Tomorrow I will pick up with Shila and call it day 10.

It would be easy to forget about the whole thing. I stopped the practice so why pick it back up? I'm picking it back up because I made a commitment. I'm going to finish what I started. I'm not going to act like I never made this goal.

It's interesting to think about who reads my blog. I would like to think like-minded people aspiring to live their lives at really high standards.

Unfortunately, the one person who time and again contacts me from my blog is a stalker. That's right. A stalker. He was being creepy before I started blogging. And my blog has served as a vehicle for him to keep track of me and randomly contact me with bizarre emails attempting to break up my marriage.

I don't know what to say to this guy. There's already a restraining order. That was my idea by the way, and he hasn't got that message. My family (that's right--MY family) is creeped out and I'm afraid if I tell this guy the truth regarding my thoughts of his character that he will commit suicide. I feel really sorry for this fella. I pity him.

So do I give this guy attention and positively reinforce his behavior and respond telling him to get lost? Or, do I ignore it other than this posting and hope the behavior is eliminated? Or do I bill him my fee for psychotherapy (he isn't a past client)?

He has been told numerous times to leave us alone. He even emailed me all the times he has been told to stop. But he continues thinking I'm his friend and he is doing me some favor by insulting my family.

What do you like-minded (to me...if there are any...) readers think?

I've defined prajna as precision. Prajna today was in making a decision. It was an important one. As with most important decisions, I experienced relief soon after making it. I'm old enough to know the hem hawing was a necessary ingredient.