Never give the Master Bedroom to emotions that belong in the Guest House (at best!). Listen, we all have bad days, moods, fits, impulses to say or do things we KNOW we will regret. Such transitory feelings are just passing squalls. Let them pass! Water under the bridge! Or, put other way; think of them as “guesthouse” emotions, temporary emotions that will soon be on their way UNLESS we allow them to take root, to move in. Bad idea! Very bad idea!
To be clear: We are not talking about denial or avoidance or ignoring serious, foundational issues that need to be addressed in a healthy, constructive way: “Feelings buried alive never die.”
We are talking about managing your moods, increasing the space between stimulus and response, ensuring our emotions are our servant, never ever our master or that we do not do permanent damage while in the grip of temporary emotions. Live smart, avoid dumb, don’t sabotage.
Closing Quotes:
“Never let your emotions rule, but always let them testify” – Robert Brault
“To balance and control your emotions is one of the most important things in life. Positive emotions enhance your life. Negative emotions sabotage your life” – Dr. T. P. Chia, b. 1941, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, 2015
“Afflictive emotions – our jealousy, anger, hatred, fear – can be put to an end. When you realize that these emotions are only temporary, that they always pass on like clouds in the sky, you also realize they can ultimately be abandoned.” – Dalai Lama
“Our identity is very closely associated with our thoughts and feelings. Usually, when we feel anger, we become angry. We are anger itself. When we feel depressed, we are depression. When we feel greedy, we are greed. It’s easy to see ourselves in the emotional ‘guise du jour’ and mistake this costume for who we really are beneath it.” – Marc Gilson
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier