Teach A Cat To Bark
We Suffer Every Time We Believe A Thought That Argues With What Is
If you want reality to be different than it is, you might as well try to teach a cat to bark
Teach A Cat To Bark
You suffer every time you believe a thought that argues with what is.
When your mind is perfectly clear, what is, is what you want.
If you want reality to be different than it is, you might as well try to teach a cat to bark.
You can try and try, and in the end the cat will look up at you and say, “Meow.”
Wanting reality to be different than it is - is hopeless.
And yet, if you pay attention, you’ll notice that you think thoughts like this dozens of times a day:
- “People should be kinder.”
- “Children should be well-behaved.”
- “My husband (or wife) should agree with me.”
- “I should be thinner (or prettier or more successful).”
These thoughts are ways of wanting reality to be different than it is.
If you think that this sounds depressing, you’re right.
Much of the stress that you feel is caused by arguing with what is.
Resistance
Reality is what is true. The truth is whatever is in front of you right now.
For example, whether you like it or not, it’s snowing now. “It shouldn’t be snowing” is just a thought.
In reality, there is no such thing as a “should” or a “shouldn’t”.
These are only judgements - thoughts - that we project onto reality.
Remove the judgements and you can see reality as it is, and this leaves you free to act with clarity and effectiveness.
In a previous article in this series I wrote about The Transformative Power Of Acceptance which is a mindfulness practice that I use and that is based around deep acceptance of how things are right NOW in this present moment.
This practice involves consciously exercising deep and intense acceptance of the feelings that are present in the moment – especially all resistance, negativity and fear about accepting what is present.
Through increased mindfulness practice, you will discover that you are almost continuously in varying degrees of resistance to something. I know and accept that I am.
This process is known as “The Work” and was created by Byron Katie, and it is free.
Here are the full instructions.
This is a simple practice.
I use it, and in my experience it is powerful, and I commend it to you.
Further Reading On Acceptance:
The Transforming Power Of Acceptance
Next Article:
Return from: "Teach A Cat To Bark "
LATEST ARTICLES
Not Every Urge Is a Decision - The Missing Gap Between Feeling & Action
Seeing the Urge Without Obeying It. An urge can feel immediate, compelling, and persuasive. It arrives with emotional charge and a sense of necessity. Yet not every urge is a decision. An urge is an i…When Insight Is Not Enough - The Missing Piece in Behaviour Change
What Mindfulness Reveals - And What It Leaves Unresolved. Many people reach a point where something genuinely shifts. They can see their thoughts as thoughts. Patterns are recognised.Triggers are obvi…Why the Brain Replays Threat at Night - And What It’s Responding To
Bad Dreams, Mental Overload, and the Cost of Unresolved Threat Processing in the Brain. Many people lie awake at night wondering why the mind turns hostile when the day goes quiet. Thoughts that felt…The Kingdom Is Here, Now - Awakening Is Not Later
What contemplative traditions point to - and how progress quietly replaces presence. Across contemplative traditions, a strikingly consistent message appears: truth is not somewhere else, not in the…Adult Development Without Becoming Someone Else - Growth Without Identity Upgrade
You do not grow by becoming someone else - you grow by placing authority where choice becomes possible. So much of what is written and taught about personal growth quietly assumes an identity upgrade…Belief and Thought: What Zen Tools Works With - What It Leaves Alone
A Clarification Of Scope Within Zen Tools - Not A Position On Belief As soon as people begin to notice their own thinking more clearly, questions about belief and thought naturally follow: - If though…How Thought Becomes Identity - The Hidden Mechanism Behind Overthinking, Self-Worth, and Inner Conflict
Thought Is an Event, Not a Self Most people believe identity is something they have - a stable sense of who they are. In reality, identity is something the mind is continuously producing. It is not fo…When the Brain Is Hijacked - Where Does Choice Sit?"
Pressure, the Hijacked Brain, and the Question of Authority
When the brain is hijacked, people are often told they have “lost control”.That language is understandable - and misleading. In reality, man…Reduce Digital Overthinking To Lower Your Constant Inner Noise
Why Constant Micro-Stimulation Increases Your Internal Noise. Modern digital life generates a level of mental activity that previous generations never had to deal with, and this is fundamentally why w…Pausing Before You Act - Make It a Meta-Habit
How A Tiny Moment Unlocks Clarity, Choice, And Self-Leadership. There is a moment in life so subtle you barely register it. A colleague questions your idea. A notification flashes. A moment of uncerta…How to Interrupt Emotional Spirals Using Thought-Awareness
The spiral is fueled by your mind believing the story your thoughts tell. No one sets out to be swept away by a surge of emotion. One second you’re handling life, and the next, your mind has broken in…Universal Awareness and the Machinery of Thought
You Can’t Control Thoughts - But You Can Learn To See Them. Why do our thoughts have so much power over us - and how do we reclaim clarity? The foundation of thought-awareness is the ability to see yo…