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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Self-pity, resentment, hockey silver and Willow


Maybe I should have gone to bed after the second period in last night's World Junior Hockey Game, when Canada was glowing with anticipation of winning gold. It all kind of came crashing down in the third period.

Today a lot of Canadians seem to be full of resentment and bitterness as thought they have been short-changed a gold medal. Time for a national dose of the Bach Flower essence Willow it seems. I doubt that is what Dr. Bach was thinking of almost 100 years ago when he developed the essence but it seems to apply.

Willow is indicated when you have feelings of self-pity. In the negative Willow state you begrudge other people's good luck, happiness or success. In this case a Russian team of kids that is going home (if they ever settle down enough to be allowed on a plane!) with gold medals that Canadians felt they deserved. The Willow state is really one of victimization. People that benefit from this essence would rather see themselves as victims than admitting to needing improvement. In a way they give up the control of their lives by blaming someone or something else for what they see as their misfortune.

I watched that game thinking how incredibly proud the parents and friends of those hockey players must be. I thought of the hours sitting in a cold rink in the early morning to help your child pursue a dream such that it most likely became your dream as well. I still thought of that in the third period but my perspective just shifted a bit to think how Russian parents most likely felt the same as Canadians!

What I think could use improvement is not the ability of those guys to play hockey. I think they did a great job. Rather than feeling bad about loosing gold we should feel proud they won the silver. Were we not celebrating the game before that took us into the playoffs? I can't imagine winning a silver medal at that level in your career and stage in life and have it be looked at as defeat.

Taking Willow can help you forgive and forget past injustices (real or perceived) so you can enjoy life. The positive potential of Willow can help you attract positive conditions and friends as you move out of a sense of being "hard done by". Taking Willow can help you balance your emotions to move out of the sense of victim and into a space where you feel in control of your own destiny.

It's all about choices. So, today I'm choosing to feel happy about Canada's silver medal win. I'm choosing to think about how grateful I am that we have so much talent in Canada and across the world (including Russia!). I'm choosing to feel how relieved the parents of all those hockey players must be that the stress is over, the injuries aren't life-threatening and their efforts to support their children have been rewarded. And after taking a few drops of the Bach Flower essence Willow, I really think the silver medal is shinier anyway!!

To Hockey Players everywhere- congratulations!!

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