The Book of Doing and Being: Rediscovering Creativity in Life, Love, and Work by Barnet Bain

Author:Barnet Bain [Bain, Barnet]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, pdf
Tags: Self-Help, Creativity, Personal Growth, Success, Motivational & Inspirational, General
ISBN: 9781476785479
Google: y04jBQAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1476785465
Goodreads: 23492622
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2015-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

One of the most powerful practices I know for productively facing and freeing ourselves from obstruction is known simply as The Work. Created by Byron Katie, teacher and author of Loving What Is, The Work is a process that involves four questions for unmasking and reprogramming our obstructions.

The Work—A Self-Inquiry and Journaling Practice

STEP 1: Bring to mind the obstruction that you would like to move beyond. Is it procrastination, judgments and self-criticism, self-doubt, being overwhelmed, losing focus, perfectionism, or another form of obstruction? And what does that voice of obstruction say? Here are a few examples to help clarify your limiting statement:

“I’ll never get past this habit of procrastination.”

“I’m not capable; I don’t have what it takes to succeed.”

“I have failed before. I’ll probably fail again.”

“Nobody will want what I have to offer.” . . . etc.

STEP 2: Take the limiting statement that you just identified through the following four questions:

Question 1: Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to question 3.) Is it really true? In other words, are you always obstructing, procrastinating, screwing up, or whatever your particular story says? Do you ever flow? Do you ever follow through?

Question 2: Can you absolutely know that it’s true? (Yes or no) Can you really know that it’s true that you obstruct or procrastinate or whatever it is? As you ask yourself this question, remember that absolute knowledge is awfully hard to pin down.

Question 3: How do you react—what happens—when you believe that thought? How do you react when you believe the thought that you always procrastinate or you always get sleepy or you always do whatever you do that is your form of obstruction? Focus on the physical sensations you experience when you have the thought. What happens to your breathing? What happens in your stomach, your shoulders, your back, etc.?

Question 4: Who would you be without the thought? Who would you be without the thought that you always procrastinate or always get sleepy or are never in the mood to do your creative work, etc.? What would it be like if you let that thought go?

These four questions are total game-changers. Come back to them whenever you need to get past an obstruction. They can help you to figure out the beliefs and perceptions that are limiting you or causing you pain. Whether I’m working alone, with a film crew, an organization, or an individual, the first response to obstruction is usually, “I can’t!” Whenever I encounter this heels-dug-in certainty, I find that Katie’s questions are a powerful resource, as they were for a CEO who sought my advice when he hit a painful wall.

This highly successful executive was having a conflict with his wife. Accustomed to running a large corporation, he acted like he was at the helm of his married life, too. Refusing to acknowledge that being the CEO at home was causing a rift in his marriage, he was adamant: “I am how I am. I don’t know any other way. I’m not capable of re-creating or changing who I fundamentally am.

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