Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Motivation - Impermanence

Episode Date: September 28, 2022

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If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Hey friends and welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm your host, Tyler, as always, and I'm so glad that you're here. Because today we're talking about one of the most basic principles in life, impermanence, the idea that nothing lasts forever. Impermanence is a funny thing because even though we know that nothing lasts forever, we hold on to things emotionally as if they do. We all get caught up in our minds sometimes, subconsciously believing that things are permanent.

But that can put us in a rut and make us feel stuck. Reminding ourselves of how fleeting everything in life is can help us feel free and make us appreciate the things we do. have the opportunity to enjoy. By the end of this episode, you will be reminded of the beautiful and everlasting truth of impermanence, which will leave you feeling comforted, grounded, and inspired to keep moving forward. Before we dive in, just pause for one moment. Wherever you find yourself, look around the space you're in and notice the objects that

surround you. Think about how these objects are actually not solid, but made up of billions of tiny moving particles. Think about how one day these objects will eventually turn into dust and wither away. And that's true for every single thing. There is a kind of ethereal comfort in understanding that nothing is permanent. Let's take a few deep breaths with the number of. knowledge that every breath you take is impermanent too, and it presents a chance to start anew.

So inhale, filling deeply into your chest. Hold at the top, and then exhale, just let it go. Let the air fall out. Let's do one more. Inhale, filling even deeper this time. Take an extra sip of air at the top and hold. And then exhale, release, just let the air fall out. No need to force it.

Great. Now feel free to go about your morning routine. Make your coffee, have a stretch or go for a walk. Whatever it is you like to do, I encourage you to do precisely that. And while you do, let's circle back to the idea of impermanence. Did you know that the cells in your body are replaced? every seven to ten years on average, your body is made up of trillions of cells, constantly dying, turning over and multiplying. Every second, your body is changing. Everything in life, both animate

and inanimate, is in a constant flux. As human beings, it's easy to get caught up in our minds and our perceived permanence of things. We can spiral for days, weeks, months, or even a lifetime in negative and harmful thought patterns. In other words, we can get stuck, thinking there's no way out of our own suffering. Recognizing your own impermanence is such a big wake-up call. It's a reminder that nothing lasts forever.

What we have to realize is that there is something incredibly glorious about this. To put it bluntly, impermanence reminds us that we are all going to pass, and so we don't have to hold on so tightly. The topic of death is often avoided in the West, but in Eastern cultures, death is seen as a sacred journey, an inevitable part of the cycle of life. The fundamental concept of impermanence, often mentioned in Buddhist teachings, allows us to adapt to changing currents of life more easily.

It allows us to let go of a clinging mindset and be more flexible. The Buddha said, Better it is to live one day seeing the rise and fall of things than to live a hundred years without ever seeing the rise and fall. of things. In other words, recognizing the fleeting nature of life is crucial to our fulfillment. If we can just take a deep breath and relax into the marvelous wonders of life's ever-changing nature, then we can also realize that we too are ever-changing.

If all of the cells in your body are replaced in several years' time, then so too can Can you change who you are? You can grow, improve, and completely reinvent yourself. My friend, you are never stuck. Impermanence reminds us to look at the bigger picture, to get out of our minds and experience the joy and wonder of life. It reminds us to lean into discomfort and pain as much as we lean into pleasure. There is a great comfort in acknowledging everything is fleeting.

It allows us to realize that we don't have to cling on to life so intensely. We can and should move on from things when they're no longer suitable for us. And that includes relationships, careers, hobbies, challenges, and goals. You see, to embrace impermanence is to free ourselves from the chains of our own minds. My friends, the impermanence of life is what makes it worth living. Understanding this reality and bringing it into our day to day is a lifelong practice of acceptance and continually letting go. Throughout life, we will experience loss in many ways, but we will use these experiences to learn. Every experience is a part of our path.

One of my favorites, Alan Watts, said this, the only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. So I encourage you to embrace change. It's common to be scared of it, but the flip side of change is that it's freeing. You always have the ability to change things you don't like. So you get to choose. you can fear change or you can simply see it as an opportunity. And I hope you choose the latter to see that change is beautiful and it's an essential part of life.

So when something joyful happens, we can indulge in the wonderful experience of the moment while also understanding its transitory quality. Mindfulness is at the core of this practice. So let mindfulness be your default. When you feel stuck, look around and appreciate all that went into the creation of the walls that hold up your house, the mug you grip in your palm, the table you eat your meals on, and especially those walls that you built that are currently caging you in. You built them for a very compelling reason, I'm sure of it. But they may not be suiting you anymore. It may be time for you to move on.

And so I encourage you to keep going, keep doing what you're doing, and do it all with love. Know that life isn't meant to be conquered. It's meant to be lived. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, so all we can do is live life the fullest right now. When something sad, embarrassing, or frustrating happens,

we can let it go. When we make a mistake, we don't have to blame ourselves. When beautiful things happen, we can be fully present without fear that the moment will end. My friend, everything that happens in your life

is a part of your path. If it comes, let it come. And when it goes, let it go. And never fear that you are stuck in a situation you don't want to be in. If you simply look around, you will find an ever-changing world with countless opportunities to free yourself.

Well, that's all for today. I really appreciate you being here, tuning in, and joining me. If you enjoyed this episode, then I'd really appreciate it if you took one second to leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can find links to do that in the show notes. I'll talk to you soon, and until then, go out and do not fear losing this day.

Instead, fear not making the most of it. And if you do that, I'm sure it will be an absolutely fantastic day.