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From the Audience
See yourself as if you were a character in a play. Watch yourself from the audience. See the things your character does and the trials your character goes through. Visualize him or her going through the day. Let yourself feel compassion for your character’s pain and happiness for their pleasure. Laugh at their foibles and quirks. Admire your character’s strength in keeping on.
Being Yourself
Imagine again you are a character in a show. Look at yourself as the playwright would look at this character she created. Are you playing the character that you were created to be? Are you fully yourself, or are you holding back important parts? How could you be more of the person you were meant to be? Remember, the show is largely improv. Your life has been scripted up to here, but you can ad lib. You can step out of character. Imagine a way you could change your performance to be truer to your self. What would that be like?
100 Years from Now
See yourself as an historian 100 years from now might see you. What have you left to the world? How was the world affected by your presence? For most people, their effect may have been small, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Think about all the people who have touched your life and whom your life has touched. Even a small contact, even one you’re not aware of can make a big difference as it vibrates outward.
Through God’s Eyes
Take the longest view you can possibly imagine. Look at yourself through the eyes of God, a real or imaginary presence that sees and embodies the entire universe. What do you look like to God? Can you see you are part of a limitless creation, infinitesimal but wonderful?See how beautifully you fit in to your place, like a tiny cell in an infinite body. Can you feel how perfect you are for your role?
All these exercises aim to do what meditation does: take you out of your thinking mind so the rest of you has a chance to be heard. I hope you will find some of them relaxing at least. You may also feel strong emotions while doing them, or a rush of creativity on days you practice them. Let me know how it goes for you.
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