The Secret to Emotional Mastery
Picture this: You’re caught in a storm of emotions. Maybe you just had a huge argument with your partner, or you’re stuck in traffic after a long day at work, and the frustration feels unbearable. Ever notice how trying to "fight" these emotions only seems to make them worse? Like quicksand—struggle, and you sink faster. What if I told you that instead of wrestling with your emotions, you could actually transcend them? Not through resistance, but by understanding what they really are: temporary visitors passing through your consciousness.
This is one of the most powerful spiritual teachings, something I’ve shared with clients over the years. It’s not about controlling or suppressing emotions—it's about recognizing them for what they are, stepping back from them, and ultimately mastering them.
Let’s break this down in a way that you can start using today. Because if you can master this, it’ll change how you approach relationships, your work life, and, most importantly, how you see yourself.
The Emotional Trap: Fighting What You Don’t Want
We’ve all been there—feeling stressed, frustrated, or overwhelmed. Maybe it’s a coworker that’s driving you crazy, or your business isn’t taking off the way you thought it would. So, what do we naturally do? We try to fight it. We push the emotions away or use every technique under the sun to "get rid" of them.
But here’s the catch: when you fight your emotions, you actually reinforce them. You give them power. You’re basically telling yourself, "This emotion is too big, too powerful, and I need to get rid of it."
Let me give you an example from a recent coaching call. One of my clients, let’s call him Mark, was dealing with a ton of anxiety about his business. He’d been putting in hours of work, making hundreds of calls, but nothing seemed to be working. He thought, "If I could just get rid of this anxiety, I’d finally get in the right headspace to succeed." But the more he focused on pushing the anxiety away, the stronger it became.
This is what I call the emotional trap: trying to forcefully remove the feeling, which only locks you deeper into it. It’s like trying to hold a beach ball underwater—eventually, it’s going to pop right back up, often with even more force.
Emotions Are Just Passing Clouds: You’re the Sky
Here’s the shift that will change everything for you: Emotions are not permanent. They’re like clouds drifting through the sky. And you? You’re not the clouds—you’re the sky. The clouds (emotions) might be dark and heavy at times, but they pass. They always pass.
This teaching isn’t about ignoring your feelings or pretending they’re not there. Instead, it’s about recognizing that emotions are temporary. You feel them, but they’re not who you are. They’re just passing through.
One of my clients, Sarah, used to feel overwhelmed every time her husband would come home in a bad mood. It immediately triggered her own frustration and resentment. But once she started seeing his moods—and her reactions to them—as temporary waves, she stopped taking it personally. She realized she didn’t have to engage with those emotions or fix them. As a result, their relationship completely shifted.
The Role of Free Will: Choose Your State
Now, let’s talk about one of the most important aspects of emotional mastery: free will. Not in the sense of controlling external events, but in the sense of choosing how you respond. You can’t always control what emotions arise, but you do have free will in how you perceive them.
Goddard’s teaching was that we only have free will in the selection of our state of consciousness. If you choose to dwell in a state of frustration or anxiety, you’ll experience life through that lens. But if you choose to dwell in a state of calm confidence, then even when difficult emotions arise, you’ll see them for what they are—just temporary reflections of an old state, not something to get stuck in.
Think about it like this: Let’s say you’re building a business, but you keep hitting roadblocks. Your first reaction might be frustration. "Why isn’t this working? I’m doing everything right!" You dwell in that state, and guess what? More frustration builds, and you’re now swimming in anxiety and self-doubt.
Instead, what if you chose to shift into a state of calm expectation? A state where you know that, yes, emotions will come and go, but they don’t have the power to knock you off course. You observe them without letting them dictate your actions.
Letting Emotions Win (On Their Level): The True Path to Mastery
Here’s something that might sound counterintuitive at first: let your emotions win. When you're in the middle of a storm, let the storm rage. Not because you're giving up, but because you're transcending it.
By letting emotions exist without trying to conquer them, you actually stop feeding them. This doesn’t mean you let them control you. It means you recognize that on their level—on the level of your temporary emotional state—they have no real power. You grow beyond them.
This is what true mastery looks like. It’s not about suppressing or defeating your emotions. It’s about seeing through them. You let them pass like clouds, knowing that you, as the observer, remain unchanged.
Actionable Steps to Start Mastering Your Emotions Today
Alright, let’s bring this all home with some practical steps. Here’s how you can start applying this teaching to your life right now:
Stop Resisting Your Emotions
The next time you feel an intense emotion, don’t fight it. Instead, say to yourself, "This is just a temporary reflection of my current state." Acknowledge it, but don’t attach a story to it. Let it be.Shift Your State
Choose a higher state of consciousness. If you’re feeling anxious, deliberately shift into a state of calm confidence. This doesn’t mean you ignore your emotions; it means you observe them from a different state. The emotion will lose its intensity when you’re no longer fueling it.Practice Being the Sky
Throughout the day, practice seeing your emotions as passing clouds. You are the sky—vast, open, and unaffected. Emotions will come and go, but they don’t define you. You are much bigger than any temporary feeling.Let Emotions Win on Their Level
When emotions feel overwhelming, allow them to "win" in the sense that you stop fighting them. By doing this, you’ll find that they lose their power over you. Remember, your goal isn’t to eliminate emotions but to transcend them.
Final Thoughts
Mastering your emotions isn’t about becoming numb or detached. It’s about seeing emotions for what they are—temporary reflections of your state of consciousness. When you learn to stop fighting and start observing, you’ll find a new level of peace and power.
So, the next time you’re in a heated argument, overwhelmed by stress, or doubting your path, take a breath. Remember: you are the sky, not the storm. Emotions are just passing visitors, and you have the free will to choose your state of being.
Go out and live this truth today.
Peace and Hair Grease.
