Tag: Peace Talk

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What would you really be without thinking about it?

The other day, I had one of those moments where I noticed….

….”OH. I’m here. Without thought. Just here.”

Even though seconds before I had images in my head about all kinds of things with a voice offering advice: go make those copies for Breitenbush, do laundry so you’re ready with clean clothes, I hope he’s doing OK with his cancer treatment, I hope she’s going to find peace with her mother, I need to email them, I wonder what she’s doing right now, I need to reply to him, set that up, do this.

The mind is so fast and full. Jam packed with possibilities and ideas and plans.

Scenes, memories, pictures, thoughts ticker tape through.

But as something draws your attention through your day….who are you without your thoughts about it?

Who am I without my thoughts?

Dang, what a crazy question…but what a wonderful, fascinating, exploratory question.

Don’t I need my thoughts? Wouldn’t I be some kind of weirdo without thoughts? Or dumb as a post?

As a memory steps through your mind, the image of someone’s face, or a scary picture, or the idea for a task, or your calendar, there’s a response in the body, in emotions perhaps (or sometimes, oddly, there is not response at all).

Who would you be without believing the image, picture, response was true?

Kinda cosmic, right?!?

But WOW.

It’s lighter, it’s even exciting, it’s relaxing, it’s a willingness not to take whatever you’re bumping into so seriously, including the pictures floating through your own mind about what your encounters mean about the future.

Turning the whole entire experience around: Thinking is not required. I don’t need to think, to “have” thoughts, or even “good” thoughts in order to be safe, secure, alive, successful, or happy.

Holy Moly.

Thoughts appear. Then, I notice they aren’t present, I’m simply observing. I also notice I’m sleeping sometimes–no thinking going on during sleep. I notice I also “lose my train of thought” all the time, and everything’s apparently fine.

Life goes on. Without a thought about it.

As I observed this wonderful and weird phenomena of noticing the absence of thought, the beauty of something just being here, I decided to make a Peace Talk podcast Episode 132.

(These things just appear, I have no idea what’s going on).

What’s here, without our stories?

“The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things. Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding.” ~ Tao Te Ching #1

Much love,

Grace

P.S. If you want to listen to the ten minute Peace Talk episode, head over HERE.

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My latest Peace Talk: the first time I did The Work (it made me sick)

sickdog
Listen to Peace Talk to hear my first time doing The Work, and feeling sick as a dog

Two people wrote to me yesterday and asked if they could get the masterclass replay Ten Barriers to The Work and How To Dissolve Them. Since I got asked twice, out it goes. Replay is now enabled.

To watch and listen to the MasterClass replay, click here. No opting-in. It’s yours, in service. This link will work until September 5th. This is the day before we start Year of Inquiry which I mention at the end of the masterclass–so it will be outdated after YOI begins.
So, if you want to look at it this weekend, or next long weekend in the United States, feel free.
Then it will go into review, revamp, update mode, or potentially be built into a longer series since there was just so much material to cover in two hours (yes, I know–two hours is a long time….so maybe listening to a part, then coming back later is the perfect way for you).

So speaking of those barriers (will she ever stop?) I was thinking about the Big Kahuna Number One Barrier again yesterday.

Which is doing The Work of Byron Katie on yourself. Not other people or things outside of you in your life. Just wanting to do it on YOU.
Now….here’s the funny thing.
I suddenly remembered that the very first time I did The Work ever in public was when Byron Katie came to my city and offered a weekend-long workshop. There were hundreds of people there.
And guess what I did The Work on?

Um. Yes. (After all this talk of not doing The Work on yourself).

Me.

That’s exactly who I filled out my Judge Your Neighbor worksheet on, even though we were invited to NOT fill it out on ourselves and instead consider someone else we might not have forgiven yet.

Me.

But here’s what I remember happened that amazing and horribly difficult weekend. I realized something profoundly important, even though I was “working” on myself.

That I might not be the awful monster I thought I was.

It was a huge beginning to an incredible journey of waking up out of a zombie trance of self-criticism.

So, can I really know it’s difficult or wrong, or even a barrier, to do The Work on oneself?

No.

If you’re one of the people who feels deeply compelled to question thoughts that bring you suffering about yourself, you might enjoy this latest Peace Talk Episode 120.

Even though I spoke on Peace Talk last time about doing The Work on yourself and what to do instead, or how to take it a bit deeper, in this episode I share what happened when I did The Work on myself, anyway.

During that first dreadful weekend workshop, I hardly spoke, I gave no one any eye contact, I never raised my hand (wouldn’t have dreamt of it), felt physically like death warmed over, hated what I wrote on that worksheet…..

…..but something shifted inside of me that was the beginning of the end of the pain…..

…..even though my worksheet appeared to be all about me. 

So even though I’ve gone on and on about Barrier #1 to deepening The Work being the way we want to do it on ourselves at first…..

…..there’s nowhere you can’t go with The Work and nothing that will prevent you from freedom, if you answer the questions.

(Peace Talk is also on IHeart Radio and Stitcher by the way, and it helps spread the word so much when you leave a review or subscribe).

“Thinking that people are supposed to do or be anything other than what they are is like saying that the tree over there should be the sky. I investigated that and found freedom.” ~ Byron Katie in I Need Your Love–Is That True?

This goes for ourselves, too. Thinking WE are supposed to do or be anything other than what we are is like saying something cray cray.

Investigate it.

Much love,

Grace

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Peace Talk: Sam-I-Am Practice for Who You’d Be

Peace Talk Episode 118: Do you notice sometimes, The Work feels like the LAST thing you want to do when you’re overwhelmed with heavy emotion?

Like….I don’t know….say, ANGER, for example?

Identifying common ways people get stuck in self-inquiry can be so helpful….ultimately for yourself.

When you study the ways many humans stop allowing insight like The Work to work, you might recognize one or more of the patterns of resistance are very, very familiar.

Like me, you might think “Gosh….I do that!” (lightbulb turns on!)

As I’ve become more acutely aware of the stories I tell internally about why The Work or any self-inquiry isn’t working, I can see the symptoms of a story coming on before they get really big. Kinda like knowing you’re about to get a head cold because you have a very small tickle in your throat, as opposed to noticing you have the flu and need bedrest when you already have a temperature of 105.

In today’s Peace Talk podcast, I include a little exercise (one of my favorites) I call the Sam-I-Am Practice.

It’s super helpful for me when I’m stuck in my racing mind, frightened, angry, worried, nervous.

I love using it with Question Four the most: Who would you BE without this stressful thought?

“Can you really know that inquiry is not working?…..Be gentle with yourself. Life will bring you everything you need.” ~ Byron Katie

Much love, Grace

P.S. Your comments continuing to come in about why you get blocked, confused or stuck sometimes in The Work are awesome. So, so helpful. It reminds me, we are all one mind–there are no new thoughts! I’ll be using your feedback and all this fantastic information in my upcoming masterclasses in early August….on dissolving barriers to inquiry.

If you know you want to join for sure, the two masterclass options are scheduled for August 4th 5:30-7:30 pm PT and August 9th 9-11 am. You can save your seat here.

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Forgive yourself for seeking approval: Peace Talk podcast

When I was a kid, I distinctly remember not caring about other peoples’ approval.

Not all the time.

But I remember the feeling really well, like a free-form state of absolute comfort being alone with myself.

This may have been age 4.

Then something happened (like I share in the newest Peace Talk Episode 117) where I felt driven by the need for approval and doing it right, instead of doing whatever I wanted to do.

And from there the concerned continued. I was critical of myself for wanting approval.

Oyes, I couldn’t win.

The other day, considering my own inquiry, I noticed a loosening up on a belief I didn’t even realized was pretty stressful: I shouldn’t have wanted my grandpa’s approval so badly. 

Or my mom’s. Or my dad’s. Or all my sisters or grandparents, teachers, adults….well, the list goes on into adulthood.

I shouldn’t have wanted their approval, is it true?

Peace Talk is now on IHeartRadio, too.

Much love,

Grace

P.S. I am planning a wonderful masterclass with slides and interaction, to look at the big reasons I’ve heard (or, ahem, experienced myself) about why The Work or inquiring into a thought doesn’t seem to “work”, when it doesn’t.

I’ve got a great list to share. If you’re interested….you’ll be the first to sign up. Just click here to register. Share the link with any inquirers you know who might love to participate to find out why, how, where or what they’re getting stuck in.

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Peace Talk With Barbara

Many years ago now, I subscribed to a newsletter on email, maybe my first ever.

It was called Joyfully Jobless and written by the dear Barbara Winters, who has helped many people have the courage to pave their own way in the field of work and how they earn.

We got to have a conversation the other day, and I asked her what peace means to her.

Listen to hear what she shared.

Click Here for Peace Talk.

It’s short, sweet, and powerful. No extra fluff.

Leave a rating and review. Thanks for listening!

Much love,

Grace

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Really? A New Podcast Called Peace Talk

Oh boy.

I just launched my new podcast called Peace Talk.

It’s a little weird. I’m more of a writer than a talker.

(Although some of my sisters might argue that comment).

But still, it’s been strange to have this podcast creation process unfold.

A friend said “you should do that!”

He connected me with a coach and podcaster and said “tell her what to do”. 

I followed the directions and almost the whole time was watching from the ceiling thinking….

…..“Really? You’re seriously doing this?”

Looks like I am, I said, as I unwrapped the new orange snowball microphone from the UPS box. Looks like I am, I said again, as I ordered an Itunes cover photo on fiverr. Looks like I am, as I watched youtubes of how to get the f*&$ing mic to actually start recording on my laptop.

“Really?” Said the voice.

You have nothing new to share. You ramble. You’re not that funny. People will smirk. 

Looks like I am, anyway.

Perhaps this is one of the living turnarounds that happens when doing The Work.

I just can’t believe the voice saying “Stop, danger-danger Will Robinson, you might get criticized or judged or challenged or exposed! Help! Run for your life!”

(I know, I know, I tell on myself constantly in these Grace Notes, how could I possibly be more exposed?)

Who would YOU be without the belief that you have to be perfect, or even good (heh heh) to launch something?

“I sing because I’m happy.

I sing because I’m free.” ~ Gospel lyrics  

You know that thing you’d like to try?

Who would you be without the belief you can’t do it?

Yippeeeeeee!

To listen to the podcast, search Grace Bell on Itunes in podcasts and you’ll find Peace Talk there.

Notice: if you search “Peace Talk” in Itunes or anywhere, it won’t even come up. It takes a few reviews to have it appear in search engines.

Which means…..I would sooooooooo love you to submit a quick review.

You can just say a few short words, you don’t hafta say much, only that you listened and you’re out there.

I am here to serve and help spread the peace movement, self-inquiry, The Work of Byron Katie, and the message that anyone can discover peace within.

You can too! Let’s do it!

Here’s a quick 3 minute video on how to write a review for a podcast on Itunes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAv3gq1tjJc

Much love,

with a deep bow,

Grace