This podcast explores the concept of being ordinary and its importance in personal growth. It challenges the misconception around being ordinary and highlights the negative impact of society's obsession with being special. The speaker shares their personal experience of realizing our common humanity and emphasizes the importance of recognizing our own ordinariness as a beautiful gift. The podcast also discusses the perils of being attached to external image and the wisdom of philosopher Sidney Banks. It encourages listeners to focus on love, trust themselves, and create a beautiful life.
Being ordinary means being aligned with our innate mental health, peace of mind, and happiness.
The pursuit of specialness can lead to insecurity, anxiety, and a constant need for external validation.
Deep dives
The Power of Being Ordinary
The podcast episode highlights the misconception that being ordinary is synonymous with mediocrity or being unremarkable. Instead, it argues that ordinary means being aligned with our innate mental health, peace of mind, and happiness. By understanding that we all possess the same gifts of mind, consciousness, and thought, we can tap into our ordinary state and create profound changes in our lives. Embracing our ordinariness allows us to let go of the need for external validation or specialness, preventing us from getting caught up in ego-driven pursuits. The podcast suggests that true happiness and contentment come from within and that we have the power to choose a path of service and joy, reminding ourselves that we are all just ordinary human beings.
The Pitfalls of Specialness
The podcast delves into the dangers of seeking specialness, either in a negative or positive sense. It highlights how the field of psychology, emphasizing diagnoses, can reinforce the belief that individuals are different or flawed. The pursuit of specialness can lead to insecurity, anxiety, and a constant need for external validation. The podcast emphasizes that trying to convince oneself of being special or countering negative self-perception with positive beliefs is a temporary solution that doesn't lead to lasting happiness. Instead, it suggests that recognizing and accepting our ordinariness is a more powerful and sustainable path to inner peace and wellbeing.
Embracing Ordinary and Finding Inner Peace
The podcast explores the journey towards finding inner peace through quieting the mind and embracing our ordinary state. It emphasizes that true happiness is an inside job, independent of external circumstances or affirmation. By quieting our thoughts and recognizing that our experience of reality is created from within, we can tap into our innate well-being. The podcast shares anecdotes of clients who experienced profound shifts in perception, realizing that they had created their own suffering through ego-driven thinking. It encourages listeners to trust themselves, listen to their inner guidance, and turn towards love and creating a beautiful life as they navigate the ups and downs of human experience.
People often express confusion about Sydney Banks' advice to "just be yourself; be ordinary." They hear it as if it means "mediocre" or "not realizing your potential." Actually, the deeper meaning of "ordinary" is "part of the order of things," and that is what we point to with the Principles. Everyone comes into life with extraordinary gifts: the divine universal energy of Mind powers us to be able to create Thought and become Conscious of our Thoughts as our reality. To be ordinary is to be comfortable in your understanding of the order of things and the power you have to use these gifts to create the life you want. That's special, but it's available to all people, so it's ordinary.