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November/December 2006 Spirituality
Using Intention to Handle Holiday Stress

by Tzun Tzun Hsue

Now with the holidays approaching, it's time to be more aware of how you're responding to stress. This is the time when people's hidden issues begin to surface. They surface in places where we are unconscious. We become too busy or wrapped up in ourselves to notice. We are not as conscious as we want to think we are. This is a time when we begin to speed things up. Some of us are even addicted to speed. This time of year magnifies that speed.

Letting Go of Your Stories

You've got several challenges. One challenge is to pay attention and observe yourself honestly. This means to be fully aware of the places you may not want to see, but it is necessary for you to see now. If you can remain open, you can learn something about yourself.

The stories we tell ourselves are another challenge. What is keeping us stuck is not our fear or resistance, but our connection to the stories. So long as we deny we're telling a story, we do not have to see our behavior. We have our versions of reality and want to keep that script. Our ego likes to think that what it is showing us is the truth. It is far from the truth because the ego runs on fear. The ego paints a certain picture that is based on the reality it has created, nothing more, nothing less. Do not allow your mind to tell you a story of what you want to look like.

Yet another challenge are labels you use to represent yourself. See and accept what is really being shown. Take the mask of your label off by losing your arrogance and insecurities. This is about doing something different, so it's time to put aside your dramas, judgments and assumptions.

Shifting Energy and Intention

For the holidays, stop trying to avoid making mistakes. You're walking a tightrope and it won't take much to tweak it. When you do it right, it's because you have no fear of doing it wrong. Intentionally go out and make as many mistakes as you can, on purpose. And then you'll know how to do it right. You have an idea that you have to be perfect and because of that, you don't know how to adjust when things don't go your way.

When you purposely try to strike out, you couldn't strike out if your life depended on it. Practice shifting your energy and intention. Practice directing the intention and focus that allows things to happen. No matter how many mistakes you make, you will always end up in the right direction, in the right moment, at the right time.

Opening to Love

We are here to do incredible things. Our energies connect to other beings to help us in this journey. When we step up to the plate, incredible things happen. We start learning about our skills and gifts. One of these is the ability to feel and sense. When we get our ego mind out of the way, we become radiant. This is a great time we are going into if we remain open. We are all incredible beings with unlimited potential.

This holiday season, unplug from your excuses. Stand and be counted. The journey into greatness is now.

Tzun Tzun Hsue was born in Hong Kong. From the age of seven, he was brought up in a mystical order in Tibet, where he perfected skills in Tibetan Chi Kung, martial arts and maintaining a connection to the source. Since coming to the U.S. 30 years ago, he has taught chi kung, martial arts and ancient indigenous spiritual wisdom, updating it for the Western world.

Tzun Tzun offers classes at Quiet Thunder in Portland. Through Ancient Winds, a life school, he teaches personal development and how to use the knowledge of the ancients in a practical way. For more details on upcoming classes, including a Nov. 18 workshop on "Energetic Principles and Universal Laws," visit: www.quietthunderchikung.org.