Patrick Mosher shares a four-step method for moving through difficult moments: ask why repeatedly to find the root cause, reach out using the Lakota principle mitákuye oyás'i (we are all related), pray an Infinity Prayer that links past and present, and express gratitude to the moment itself.
Chapters
I recently spent a day in the woods. 45 degrees, partially sunny. My fire starts easily, blazing with the new wood I hauled. As I sit and think about things, frustration creeps in. My business is moving much slower than I want. To-dos mount faster than to-dones. Great ideas swirl around in my head and so few are getting implemented. And I'm not doing my daily exercises or hydration practices consistently. As I watch the fire, my frustration mounts. A strong gust of wind blows through the fire and picks up a few red-hot sparks that splash my face. I recoil and instinctively close my eyes. The frustration and the heat take me to a body memory. 25 years ago. I'm standing in ceremony on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Hot sun beating down. I feel empty. The fumes in my gas tank were used up hours ago. Knees weak. My field of vision is slowly constricting on the edges, gray like tunnel vision. Yep, I'm ready to pass out. I lean back and pop a new site. As I sit here by the fire feeling down, feeling sorry for myself, and a bit ashamed, I realize I'm clutching a past moment. Let go. Sitting by the fire, I re-engage my 4-step formula for getting out of a down moment. Step 1: Ask Why am I here? Feel like having a— you're having a hard time? You forget your why, your intention? Well, then ask why 5 to 7 times. Each why goes deeper until you get into your root why. Once you re-embed that intention back into your heart, you feel lighter. Step 2: Ask for help. Talk to your significant other or connect with a friend. Talk about how you feel. For me, this is so hard. The Lakota phrase, "mitákuye oyás'i," means we are all related. My family and friends are there for me and me for them. Step 3: Pray an infinity prayer. Now, this is not a religious practice. It's a spiritual one. I was raised Catholic, and I love this particular prayer. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Now, you don't have to use this particular prayer. Perhaps your spiritual tradition has some infinity prayer like that. That links the past, present, and future all into one beautiful bundle. And if you don't have that, then make one up. When I pray this way, I'm reminded every past and future moment is exactly the same as this present moment. Harmony exists right here, right now. And if I'm true to the Infinity Prayer, I get very present. And if I go through the motions and I still feel down, I repeat the Infinity Prayer emphasizing the words "is now" until I get 100% present. And sometimes my Infinity Prayer just gets shortened to "is now, is now, is now." Look, I can't define perfection because perfection is merely my expectation. That I create. Perfection in the universe is so much bigger than me. Everything is perfect as it is. A tree grows crooked in the woods and it grows perfectly, right? With my true intention in my heart, feeling held by my relations, and feeling the infiniteness of this present moment, I'm ready for the last step. Step 4: Send up a thank you. Each moment is a gift of breath and life. If I follow these 4 steps, my thank you fills my being and comes from my soul. Tears of frustration turn to tears of joy and gratitude. And that's how I turn a down moment into a soul-filled pearl of harmonic moment. My little fire in the woods now has burned into glowing coals in the night, and I am shining. Live 100% empowered.
