I don't know that we've ever started a new year with such fear in our hearts. We've witnessed the devastation of a climate in crisis. We've red-lined the limit to our tolerance for racial injustice. We've seen the rising of dark geopolitical forces that threaten to destabilize the world order. And closest to home--for everyone in the entire world--we've recognized just how small our global village has become, that an invisible airborne virus can bring us all to our knees.
It would be easy, and forgivable, to find ourselves feeling overwhelmed. We might hear ourselves saying things like, "The problems are so big, and I'm so small," or, "Circle the wagons: charity begins at home," or even, "Well, isn't that just the way of the world: things only get worse."
The stories we tell ourselves about our circumstances, whatever those circumstances may be, good or bad, draw the line between hope and despair. Is this an apocalyptic time, when we will see the destruction of everything we hold dear? Or, is it a time of rebirth and these are the birth pangs for a new age that is on its way? It matters which stories we tell ourselves, for we will live out the stories we tell, like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Liz Wiltzen has a way of helping us see the potential, even the gift, in each new situation that life delivers to us. She calls it, "Tracking Yes," which is also the name of her podcast. An artist, a life coach, and an all-out enthusiast for life, Liz is my guest in this week's Mystic Cave. Her openness to learn from whatever life throws at us makes her a great coach. But her infectious curiosity makes her a spiritual teacher for troubled times, showing us by example how to lean into the wind that threatens to bowl us over.
I cannot think of a better New Years' gift than this episode as we enter this strange time together. I can honestly say that if you feel like backing into 2022, or putting y0ur hands over your eyes, or walking away from it altogether (as if you could), you need to listen to my conversation with Liz Wiltzen. We may not like what's coming down the pike. But, by "tracking yes," we just might find ourselves learning from the dark portents and telling ourselves the life-giving stories that will give us hope.
Happy New Year!
This week in the Mystic Cave (just press Play):
PS. Btw, Liz just interviewed ME for HER podcast, which she released last week. I'm a bit of a talker, as some of you know, so it's rather long (at one hour and twenty-two minutes), but it's also lively. Several listeners have even said it captivated them and held them right the way through. So don't let the length deter you. Here's a link that'll take you directly to that episode:
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