“The best way to find out where you are from is find out where you are going and work backwards.”
(The 4th Doctor, played by Tom Baker from the Doctor Who TV story “City of Death”)
I happened to watch an episode of a “classic” sci-fi TV show recently. Although I didn’t recall seeing this particular story before, it was from a series I’d seen as a child and remembered that it could be quite scary to my eight-year-old self. In fact, a warning that “the following program contains themes of peril” preceded the recent TV airing I saw!
As I watched I found myself laughing at certain points I’d have considered just a little scary as a child. After all, time’s moved on and as an adult I now have a different perspective and knowledge.
The passing of time and things which once seemed important, stressful and perilous becoming inconsequential is not something that just applies to childhood television shows. There’s no doubt occasions you can think of from your past that appeared important at the time, that once some time had passed you can’t recall why that seemed like such a big deal.
This week I invite you to play with that concept to make a difference in the present.
1. Pick something to play with, which when you think about it at the moment seems like it’s a big deal. Maybe it’s a situation that appears stressful, draining or perilous!
The next stages involve playing with imagining things so don’t pick to do that when it is safer for your focus to be elsewhere – for instance when you are driving a car!
2. As I started by talking about a sci-fi program, imagine that you time travelled 2 months into the future – so that it is now January 2012. Look back on the situation that you thought of as big. Notice, now 2 months further on how you think about it now.
3. Once you’ve done that time travel a bit further so that you are two years into the future and it is now 2013. As you look back to November 2011 and that thing that you thought was big, notice how you look at it now with the benefit of 2 years extra experience and knowledge.
4. You obviously have got the hang of the time travelling because you have now travelled 10 years into the future, to the year 2021. Look back at 10 years ago, to the situation that seemed so important then and become aware of how important it is now in 2021.
5. Before we finish our time travelling, visit your “twilight years”, surrounded by loving family and friends, look back at that event, all that time ago. How significant is it to you now? With all that time that’s passed what advice or comment would you have given that younger you back in 2011?
6. When you’ve finished travel back to November 2011, bringing back any and all the valuable and useful information you gained by travelling through time.
7. Some people find that wiggling their fingers and toes, blowing raspberries and/or generally stretching is an ideal way to end a time travelling experience and making sure they are fully back in the present 🙂
8. Now you are back in November 2011, and armed with the benefit of the perspective of the future, you may become aware that the situation you choose to play with is now different. You may even have inspiration of what your next step could be when previously you were stuck.
Have a week with time travelling adventures and decreasing perils.
Love
Jen
This was originally posted on www.YourChangingDirection.com