The Inner Rebel
I hate being told what to do. When someone says, "Do that," suddenly that is the last thing I want to do. I start wanting to rebel, duck out, goof off.
And
none of my inner parts like being told what to do, either! Which is why
it's a recipe for trouble when one part of me decides to be the boss
and order the other parts around. "Don't eat that." (I'm sure to eat
it!) "Time to go to the gym." (Time for a nap instead…)
If
you're like me, perhaps you even get identified with that inner rebel.
Like you could put on a black leather jacket and ride your motorcycle
through town, scowling at the cops and the teachers and anyone who
looks like a parent.
You might feel resentful, put upon, sullen,
surly, angry… and yet somehow young and less powerful than those
vague authority figures you're rebelling against.
And when you
act out those rebellious urges, that can look like too much drink or
too much ice cream or too much late night computer solitaire. ("I don't
have to go to bed yet!")
Nobody likes being told what to do… so let's not do that. Let's not tell any part of ourselves what to do.
And
let's not hang back while two partial selves inside us duke it out, one
stiff and judgmental and demanding, the other feisty and fighting back.
Let's step in between and say Hello to one… Hello to the other…
"Hello, I know you really hate being told what to do. Of course!" and
"Hello, I really hear how impatient and frustrated you're feeling, that so much isn't getting done."
When
YOU are not either one of those combatants, something huge can shift.
If you are not the rebel, then you are also not the worried taskmaster
that the rebel is pushing against. YOU can be the whole person, holding
it all in calm compassion.
And something really new can happen!