Hi Friend
My friend Rich regularly gives me a hard time about how positive these weekly letters are. I suppose he likes a little more gloom and doom. As I’ve shared, my filter in life tends to focus on the hopeful, so it appears in my considerations of each week. HOWEVER, this week, an event we already had booked for this summer, changed their plans. It was a blow because it was for all three speakers! Ugggghh!
This week I also drove down to Fort Worth for a meeting, because I own a house in Justin, Texas. The Alliance Airport, which is for commercial flights like Amazon, Fedex and such, extended their runway. These planes fly over my house. Because they are now coming in lower, creating more disturbance, they are providing the homes with a “Noise Mitigation program.”
Who knew such things existed? They are going to replace all the windows and doors in my house with soundproof ones. They say it’s an $80,000 value. I know windows are expensive and these things are thick, but that seems excessive. I’m grateful. I’m curious to see how this seven month process plays out.
One of the most fascinating things I learned at this initial meeting is that they are going to ask my mortgage company for an easement. Not in the ground, but in the air. Did you know you own the air above your property? Obviously not too far up, but because the planes are coming closer they are covering their bases.
Easement of Thoughts
As I considered this new idea for an air easement, it prompted the idea of a thought easement. I learned a long time ago every thought that crosses my mind is not necessarily my thought. I think of them as auditions. A thought comes about a person, situation, vision or effort and it says “hey, you wanna grab hold and ponder me for a bit?” If I give it an easement to pass into my mind, then it becomes mine.
However, I can also reject it’s attempt. I like the philosophy “Just because I have a thought, doesn’t mean it’s mine.”
I know an easement gives access to “pass through”, but what I find with suggestive ideas is that are passing through INTO our mind. Fear is regularly trying to gain access in a way that it becomes part of our mental property. Whether health, the future, our own insecurities, money or a loved one, fear wants an easement to lodge deep down into our heart.
Mind – Heart – Act
Maybe that’s a more accurate realization of the what’s transferring. The auditioned thought is trying to burrow into our heart, so it causes us to act or not act. I wonder how many thoughts appear a day that invite us to grab hold of it and make it our own? I wonder how many currently exist that we should cancel their easement access.
Instigating Ideas…
1. Is there a person or situation that you’ve given too much easement access to your emotional life?
2. When a negative thought appears simply say “No thanks. You don’t get access today.”
3. Have a conversation with someone about the difference between a thought of the mind and thought of the heart.
I suppose we could expand this idea of access beyond thoughts to people. Do we let people trample over our minds and hearts in a way that leave us deflated or defeated? I like the image of concentric circles moving out from us representing the different levels of accessindividuals are given. These easements enable us to retain our value and choose who gets what information.
Boundary Markers Empower
Defining boundaries isn’t for others. Whether thoughts or people, they are for us. When our client altered their plans and eliminated our involvement, I had all kinds of easement requests from disappointment, hopelessness, frustration and despair. I have a well-established boundary that doesn’t let those characters pass through to my heart. They bounce around my head for a minute, but then get ejected. #NoAccess
I hope this week you are mindful of your easements. Let through the good, reject the negative. Your thoughts and relationships certainly define your present and future fulfillment. You may need to soundproof your heart for those that zoom by even without approval.
On the flip side, are there thoughts and people you should be giving access but have denied???