Once again Australia’s been thrown into uncertainty with our governments sending us into lockdown for the… we’ve lost count of how many times it’s been now. And once again we’re left asking ourselves, is this really the best way to handle the situation? To react from a place of panic and fear over and over again?
With our freedoms being suspended once more, is there a way we can empower ourselves and take command of our lives despite it?
We’re not claiming to have all the answers, but we’ve been using our time at home for reflection in an attempt to answer these pressing questions for ourselves.
So, we had a chat with Matt Omo, Guy Lawrence and Petra Brzovic to gather their insights on the current situation here in Australia. Our goal is that reading these musings will bring you clarity and hope, and make this difficult time a little less difficult.
In conversation with Matt Omo.
For over a year now I’ve been asking myself “where are the true leaders?”.
COVID-19 has been affecting Australians since January 2020, over a year and a half ago. And still, our leaders are reactive instead of proactive.
We’ve spent the last 18 months reacting instead of creating a sustainable strategy that will allow us to live with, not hide from, a virus that won’t be disappearing anytime soon.
How is it that our leaders are still making decisions on our behalf out of fear and worry? How are they still using their positions of power to encourage separation and hiding?
To encourage isolation and loneliness, all the while ignoring the mental health pandemic that’s spreading rapidly throughout our nation and the world?
They’re throwing money at problems and attempting bandaid fixes instead of developing sound plans so that we can all begin to move forward in this time of crisis rather than stay stuck.
Every great woman and man that has helped lead humanity forward did so with courage, authenticity and honesty. They met fear with love, nurtured safety and security, and inspired change and resilience.
From the ways I have watched our government fumble and instil nothing but fear and anxiety in Australians, I think perhaps it’s time for new leadership.
When our leaders don’t lead, the only thing that’s left for us to do is to take command and lead ourselves.
I’m not talking about anarchy. I’m talking about self-empowerment, taking accountability, being in command of your own life and co-creating something extraordinary.
And, when you think about it, this is exactly what personal development is about. It’s exactly what we aim to instil in our community at Live in Flow.
Instead of jumping on the bandwagon of reaction, blame and fear, why not meditate? Why not find balance and ignite conversations about how we can move through this together with kindness, compassion and community?
We all have the opportunity to do this now. The ultimate freedom is choice and now, we have the opportunity to choose whether to continue reacting and perpetuating the problem or to find inner peace, move forward and transform the way we’ve been living.
In conversation with Guy Lawrence.
The first thing that sprung to my mind when the NSW government announced this most recent lockdown was an analogy I’d once heard mentioned by Sir David Attenborough. It goes a little something like this…
If you place 100 black ants and 100 red fire ants in a jar, they’ll live side by side and get along nicely. But if you shake the jar, you immediately trigger the threat response of both species and it won’t take long before they’ll begin to attack one another.
For over a year, we’ve been trapped in a jar with the lid screwed tightly shut. Not only is there a limited air supply that we all need to share, but our jar is being vigorously shaken. And just when we think everything’s about to settle down and the lid is about to come off, Covid comes along to shake it all up again.
So while we might all be experiencing some fear and worry right now, it’s important to ground ourselves before we jump into attack mode.
As history suggests, turning on ourselves and judging each other as ‘pro’ this or ‘anti’ that only feeds anger and hatred.
When we allow ourselves to live in a state of constant threat, we turn on others around us and, in doing so, create further separation. Separation from ourselves, others and universal consciousness. And when we separate ourselves, we aren’t living in alignment with evolution.
“Evolution is not based on competition, it’s based upon cooperation.”
So the bigger question… what do we do when our jar is being shaken?
As science researcher Gregg Braden said, “we need resilience, but we need resilience from the heart.”
We’ve been conditioned by an egoic left-brain thinking society that tells us to think things through instead of feeling our way there. Which is why we need to recondition the way we are in the world and our relationship with our own heart. In doing so, we’re nurturing the divine wisdom within ourselves, allowing us to hold love, compassion and peace no matter what’s happening in the world around us.
From this place of love and open-heartedness, we naturally become more resilient in our own lives and deepen our capacity to be there for others and work toward unity.
With all this being said, I now invite you to take a moment to stop and see the beauty of our uniqueness, instead of vilifying each other for our differences.
In conversation with Petra.
I could write a lot about my opinions on things. But I don’t do that. I don’t like to impose my opinions on anyone. I share how I feel or think about things, but I always do my best to do it in a way that holds a safe space for others to express their feelings and thoughts on the same subject.
A few days ago, I was confronted with the topic of vaccination. I shared my thoughts about the topic and, even though I made it clear that these were my personal views and beliefs, the other person got angry. They stopped talking to me because we didn’t share the same opinion.
Am I offended? No. Am I angry? No. Am I sad? No. I can hold that person with love no matter what.
But it made me pay attention more to what is actually going on in the world and how people are reacting to each other. This person in particular got so angry at me that it could have easily turned into a fight. But I managed to hold the space and observe as an objective observer, respecting the other person even though they couldn’t respect me.
So now, I’d like to invite you to bring some awareness to why people think, feel and at the way they do. Some of us are driven by fear and old wounds, so much so that we can’t think clearly. If we aren’t aware of how our subconscious is driving our actions, we reside in resentment, anger and blame.
Next time you’re confronted with someone who holds a different opinion, instead of reacting with anger hold that person in love.
Can you learn to respect other people’s opinions without taking them to heart? Are you willing to take responsibility for creating a world full of love instead of perpetuating further division?
In these uncertain times, it’s our priority to become more aware and loving. To be the change we want to see in the world.
We hope you’re all staying happy and healthy, and that we’ve been able to inspire you to use this time to foster compassion and self-empowerment in any way that you can.
If you’d like to spread the love and positivity, please share this blog with your friends and family.
