“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
~Abraham Lincoln
Do you want to be free of those bothersome habits that plague you? Then try arcing over. It’s an idea I just learned about, and I love the image. Taking off, soaring, and leaving the trouble behind as you expand into freedom that is unconditioned, limitless.
In any moment, we can make the choice to arc over. In fact, if change is to happen, we must arc over at some point. Picture yourself ready to walk forward into a familiar pattern with a familiar outcome that you know doesn’t serve you. You’ve walked into this quicksand countless times before, and you realize that it won’t get you the peace you really want.
You can step into this pattern, again – or you can arc over. Instead of being pulled down by the weight of your well-learned reactions, you look up, take flight, and arc over into freedom.
I’ve done it, and you can do it, too. You can break the ties with your ingrained habits, and arc over. Are you game?
Habits Are a Signal to Arc Over
Everything is useful when it comes to discovering the happiness we all long for. The appearance of a habit can be cause for celebration because you have the opportunity to arc over. It is a signal to wake up, be conscious, and connect with your deepest desire. Then, the choice is clear.
You can arc over anything:
- A behavioral pattern like overeating, smoking, or drinking.
- An urge to pick a fight or defend yourself.
- A habitual feeling such as heaviness when you wake up in the morning or fear that is unwarranted.
- A moment of being too busy to be kind and thoughtful.
- A grudge you’ve been holding – for how long?
- The stress you feel to accomplish too much.
- An addiction to a substance, behavior, or person.
- The need for approval.
- Self-critical thoughts.
The Choice to Arc Over
How do you do it? Arcing over happens in the moment. You are faced with the well-worn groove of your habit that keeps you chained to the past, and you make the choice to launch instead. You say to yourself, “I’m not going to do this. I’m going to arc over.”
You enter the space of the unknown where you are free of concepts, beliefs, and expectations. You are present and alive.
Where you will land, no one can say. Because when you arc over, you open to all possibilities. You are willing to leap into the unfamiliar, you are available and receptive without the constriction of patterns that deaden you.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that arcing over is the panacea that will change everything once and for all. Many habits are deeply rooted and take some time to unwind. But every time you choose to arc over deconditions the habit. You are loosening the bonds and making space for what is fresh and new.
What holds you back from living as your fullest expression of yourself? What keeps you from realizing that happiness is always here? What brings suffering to your magnificent life? See it clearly, then arc over. You will be glad you did.
What do you need to arc over? How did it go? I’d love to hear…
