Today, as I’m driving around in my car running errands, and I’m listening to what is quickly becoming one of my new favorite books. The book is “Loving What Is” by Byron Katie. The point of the book is how to get in to your head and deal with the thoughts that are causing you to suffer. She teaches you the basics of the process, and the background of the process. I would definitely recommend that you check out Byron Katie’s book. It’s based on her own life experience and created initially to work on herself.
At one point in the book, she talks about three types of businesses that you potentially have to deal with. And, I’m not talking about commercial businesses or retail businesses or anything like that. I’m talking about businesses as in somebody else’s business. There’s your business, there’s everybody else’s business, and then there’s God or the Universe’s or the Creator’s business or whichever fits your belief system. It’s a powerful way to look at things and it made me go back into some of my thoughts how I look at the three businesses. She talks about knowing what is your business, what is something you can control, and within your realm of being able to change and make a difference with for yourself.
Then, there’s everybody else’s business, which is all the stuff that people do, driving too fast on the freeway, not quieting their children in public, or talking on their cell phone in the restaurant. All of these things are other people’s business that you can often get all pissed off about, when realistically you can’t do anything about it. There’s no sense in getting yourself angry and upset about those people because it doesn’t resolve anything, it doesn’t serve anybody except to hurt yourself.
Finally, there’s God’s business and that’s everything else, how do the trees grow, whether it’s raining today, whether it’s sunshine, whether it’s cold or wet or damp or snow on the ground. Whether or not it’s a white Christmas. All of these are God’s business.
Another way I look at it. There are things you can do something about and there’s things you can’t do anything about. The things that you can do something about, then do something about them. Don’t just whine and complain. You have them within your control to change. Whether you don’t like where you live, you don’t like what your job is, you don’t like what jobs you have available to you, you don’t like your level of education, or you don’t like your friends. You have the ability to make changes in those things and more.
The realm of things that you can’t do anything about that’s other people’s business and that’s God’s business. Those things are completely out of your realm of control. There’s no sense in setting yourself up for suffering due to those. It’s like water off a duck’s back. Just let it go, lose your attachment to it. And just let it go. If you have trouble letting it go, check out Byron Katie’s work or find a life coach, life strategist or mentor that can help you to let them go, and help you find a better way to deal with what’s in your head and learn to live in your heart.
Figure out for yourself, recognize and be honest with yourself whose business you’re dealing with. Is it your business, is it other people’s business, or is it God’s business? Recognize what you can do and what you can’t do to change those things and change how you think about those things.
Check out Byron Katie’s book, Loving What Is. You will love it. It’s an amazing book, beautiful stories, and just an amazing, amazing tutorial to deal with your thoughts.