In my last column, I spoke about ‘the curve’, which was a metaphor for difficult, challenging situations in life that one faces. In this article, I will talk about the emotional targets and then continue with the second part of ‘the curve’ in the coming week’s column.
What are emotional targets?
Just as you keep physical, tangible targets to map out your achievement levels, you can keep emotional targets too to see your progress on the emotional scale. An emotional scale being a range of feelings you go through and where you predominantly float (in terms of feelings).
This may sound funny but keeping a daily emotional target is every bit of a real and achievable goal as a physical target is. This will be perceived by your subtle senses; just as physical targets are seen by your physical senses.
How are emotional targets helpful?
Physical targets are the final outcome of the emotional state of affairs. If you were to take a step backward, meaning retrace a step, you will see how emotions have a say in your physical output. For example. If your emotional mindset is jovial, your physical output, the final outcome, will contain the energy of joy, whether your work relates to an office project or sculpting or drawing or even saying words to others.
If your emotional being is not so jovial, your work will feel uninspiring even to you. You may delay the work, extend it or simply lose interest. If you have found yourself in this energy, then try picking up your work again when you are in a high-flying mode. The difference will be felt.
Keeping emotional targets and attaining them
Let’s say you want to attain the target of coming out of sorrow. So, don’t dwell into it, meaning, pull away your energy from that emotion and place your goal on an opposite emotion, that of cheerfulness; this becomes your target. (Refer: ‘How to Switch Your Thoughts’).
What makes you feel cheerful? A thought, a cup of coffee, a smile, a memory, a piece of uplifting music? Whatever it is, bring forth that feeling to assist you in the greatest. Not the memory, just the feeling. Build that feeling, dwell into it, give it more energy through your attention. Let it gain some speed and then go back to doing your work abiding into that cheerful feeling. (You can keep a ready reckoner of good feelings!)
Give the good feeling a life. You will be able to come out of the emotion of sorrow. And in hindsight you will also see, how you were so close to not living your brightest potential of the day.
Emotional targets mesh with life challenges
Having said that, dwell in an emotion (even sorrow), if you must, to release pain. You will know the difference whether an emotion is there to help release the pain in the now, or is it just there to feed energy off you. The point being, do not dwell into not-so-good feelings longer than required. All emotions are valuable and connects us to our human-ness, in that, balance is required.
Challenges bring forth not-so-good feelings. When dwelt into them longer, emotions themselves become a challenge to be worked with because life situations keep on changing. Therefore, it is important, not to stick to an emotion and make it larger than it needs to be. If we have felt sorrow, we must also know how to find and feel joy, to keep the balance of life. This flexibility makes life enjoyable.
So, what is your emotional target of today? Make one as you wake up. Even better, make one you go off to sleep.
Disclaimer: Urmila Rao is a healer and a forgiveness teacher. All the ideas expressed herein are her own and not professional advice or medical prescription. She can be reached at: milarao2018@gmail.com
