What if you know you have to bite the bullet, but you can't?

[Elia Gottardi]

Let's say you've reached a point where you KNOW that you have to swallow some bitter pill about the nature of reality.

You've pinpointed it as the cause of your suffering. You KNOW that swallowing this pill will end (or significantly reduce) your suffering.

But yet, the pill is too bitter to be swallowed, and you can't.

You want to, but you can't.

Too afraid, too weak, too whathever.

You are trapped in this hellish dilemma. How do you swallow it? 

Instead of getting angry at reality for "having you to do it"

[Jamie Universe]

For me you have to build up to it. First just communicate with yourself, whatever you know is the correct arguement, just question yourself why your holding back, maybe an affirmation would help too.

[Elia Gottardi]

Thanks for your reply

[Elisabeth]

Accept the resistance? Accept that it's gonna take a little longer, and just watch all of it? 

(Not sure if that's the best answer out there, but that's what I would do.)

[Rilles]

Depends on what kind of pill you mean? I find that if I have to so something emotionally tough I just do it mechanically despite the ego kicking and screaming. Its like taking a cold shower, youre gonna have 1000 thoughts objecting but then again... just take that 1 step. 

Edited February 12, 2019 by Rilles

[YaNanNallari]

You can take it gradually. Being too arrogant about it is a trap, not doing anything can be a trap. Both still lead somewhere though. So you can go with the best you got and have balance, improve. It can get easier in the future

[pointessa]

@Elia Gottardi  In a way you have answered your own question. Some aspects of the nature of reality can be very difficult to deal with at first. Once you have the understanding, I don't think you can go back and forget about it. Truth doesn't have that capacity.  Hovering about whether to accept and incorporate the truth is more painful and hellish than accepting it.

[Jamie Universe]

no problem

[Elia Gottardi]

@pointessa

On 12/2/2019 at 3:27 PM, pointessa said:

Hovering about whether to accept and incorporate the truth is more painful and hellish than accepting it.

This is profound!

[Gabriel Antonio]

Respect your limits.

Stopping being obsessive about swallowing whatever bitter pill you think you need to swallow is in itself a bitter pill.

[Joseph Maynor]

This is the starting point for a lot of personal development work: how do I make change?

If we could make all the change that we wanted to, personal development would be unnecessary.

My advice is to single out the change you want to make very clearly.  Set it as a project.  Take baby steps to execute it.  Break the project down into steps or stages if possible.  You also want to know why you're doing what you want to do and what kind of long-term effect it will have.   Then you need a way to hold yourself accountable to chipping way at it.  For example, make a daily checklist that you print out every day that has the work to be done that day which you cross off when completed.  And then also you might want to experiment with doing some reprogramming of your Ego-Mind with positive affirmations to get your Ego-Mind bought-in to what you want to do.  That's important.  If your Ego-Mind is against what you want to do, that's like swimming against a current.  And when you start taking action, you'll build up a little momentum which is important too.  Oftentimes once you get started on a project, the hardest part of the project will be done -- because getting started is the hardest part because the Ego-Mind is not convinced that what you're doing is a good thing: that fear kicks in and blocks you.  Oftentimes you hear the cliche, "getting started is the hardest part of a project".  That's true!  So, get started, break your project down, take baby steps, and build that momentum slowly.

Edited February 20, 2019 by Joseph Maynor