Changing things is different than doing the work

We rush to fix things that feel uncomfortable- change the thought, shift the mood, or manipulate the outcome. Correct action is powerful, yet real power doesn’t start with action—it starts with awareness. Just noticing and releasing judgment and the need to feel different. It begins with being truly willing to be with just what is. That’s the difference between consciousness and the contents of our consciousness. As Pema Chodron says, “You are the sky. Everything else – it's just the weather."

Here’s the helpful paradox: the less we need to change everything, the more space we have actually to choose. When we stop grasping, a sense of clarity and peace can emerge, helping us access the freedom we need if we want to choose. This freedom isn’t found in forcing better thoughts or better circumstances—it’s found in realizing we don’t have to. We are free to change, yes. But we are just as free not to. And that’s where our power begins.

Where might you be able to do the correct work for your life if you focused on noticing the need to change before changing?