“Ron, where are you?”
“I’m in a glass case of emotion!”
This quote is from the movie Anchorman. Will Ferrell’s character, Ron Burgundy, shouts this response into a telephone booth receiver. Ron has just lost his beloved dog Baxter and his is so crippled by raw emotion that he cannot describe his whereabouts in conventional terms. He can only muster this non-specific (but actually kind of profound) description as the tears stream down his face.
What this scene accurately conveys is the power emotion tends to have over our lives. When we experience strong emotion it can overtake us and become the dominant force in our decision-making. Emotions are so powerful, in fact, that they can completely short-circuit the logical and rational parts of our brains. When this happens, it’s like we are yanked around by a dog collar with our emotions holding the lead. We can lose the agency to make decisions for ourselves.
When we experience fear, sadness, depression or any other unpleasant emotion the tendency is to flee. We quickly jump ship and attempt to get as far away from whatever or whomever is giving rise to those emotions. But here’s the thing: avoidance only makes unpleasant emotions stronger. If we allow unpleasant emotions to make decisions for us then our world will inevitably shrink. We will end up trying to avoid an ever-growing list of possibly triggering situations, and we wind up cutting ourselves off from life itself.
I recently realized that I have spent the majority of my life carrying around several fear-based assumptions that have forced me into living a shrunken-down, overly-safe existence. One example is the assumption that I must achieve a state of emotional balance and strength in order to be “ready” to go out in the world and live my dreams. I’ve mistakenly assumed that self-confidence, motivation, enthusiasm and belief are prerequisites to living the life of my dreams. I have spent, well, my ENTIRE life waiting for this perfect emotional state to take root. Newsflash: it hasn’t.
It’s probably obvious that there are some major problems with this approach. For example, we don’t have direct control over the emotions we experience. Emotions are always swirling, changing, ebbing and flowing. Depending on a certain emotional state to take shape is a very shaky foundation on which to build anything. Also, and this is the big moment of clarity I have had recently, taking action can be the healing balm that leads to emotional health in the end.
Simply choosing to take action in accordance with one’s dreams regardless of how one is feeling that day can quiet negative emotions. Feel like crap and have zero energy? Well, I’m going to get up early and work out anyway. Experiencing a crippling feeling of self-doubt? Sure am! But I’m going to still apply for that job and set up some networking meetings anyhow. Creating space between our emotions and our actions can be very powerful.
So here’s the question: Is it possible to actively notice and identify our emotional state at any given time, but to then place those emotions in a glass case and leave then there? Can we take back all the power from our emotions in order to make decisions in accordance with a vision of our very best lives even if we feel like total and under sh*t?
Well, I sure don’t feel like it sometimes, but I’m going to do it anyway. And that is my sincerest hope for you as well.
Matt Smriga
Matt Smriga is a husband, father and, at 6 feet 8 inches, is one of the world’s tallest dance enthusiasts.
Trained as a Kabbalist and 2nd Step Initiate in the ancient wisdom traditions taught at the Modern Mystery School Matt is passionate about seeking spiritual understanding, a calm, clear mind, and a deep sense of inner peace. He achieves this state maybe 50% of the time, which isn’t too bad. He relishes the opportunity to help others in any way he can, and is currently trying to navigate a path toward greater service.