Loving What Is: Why I'm Learning Why People Are Raving About the Book

About a month ago I purchased Loving What Is on a whim (aren't those always the best choices). Well, I'm glad to say that it was money well spent because this book has four questions that will challenge the thoughts that cause you suffering, and in turn will change your life-or at least it did for me.

****This work is so wonderful, transformative, and amazing! So of course I automatically wanted to try it on my boyfriend who is usually tangled in his thoughts (well so am I). I never got through the questions on the two different occasions I did try because I ended up getting yelled at and attacked (not physically, just emotionally) each time I tried The Work on him. So its important to remember: The Work is only for people who are ready for it, who are ready to bring their demons out of the closet because they are tired of their suffering and they want peace or something of the sort. I learned my lesson! ****

So here is a quick overview:

• Our attachment to our thoughts cause us suffering. It is not the thought that is harming us, but the fact that we believe in the thought.
• Some thoughts make you feel good, while other thoughts make you feel bad
• By challenging each thought that causes us to suffer (stress, anxiety, sadness, panic, unwillingness, guilt etc.) we can find that another reality can exist outside of the thoughts that make us feel bad, it helps us tell a different story, it helps us destroy the prisons in our minds-and this book teaches us how to do it, and very simply at that.

But before we can start off with the four questions that will begin to give relief and peace of mind, make at least one statement about someone else, or even yourself that has been a cause of suffering. Ex., I hate it when John doesn't take me seriously. Now we're ready for the four questions!

The four Questions Are:

• Is it true?
• Can I absolutely know that its true?
• How do I react when I think the thought?
• Where would I be without the thought?
• (then comes the turnaround, where you take your original statement and turn it around on yourself. Ex., I hate it when John doesn't take me seriously becomes I hate it when I don't take myself seriously)

Later I will put an example up of one of my own statements and turnaround. So far the questions have been changing my life and I'm very interested in reading her other book, A Thousand Names for Joy.

The website http://www.thework.com/ is full of video's of the seminars with Byron Katie and normal people who are there to transform there life and end their suffering, it is also gives you all the information you need about the work, as well as helpful worksheets to aide you for free! Also http://www.katiebyron.com/ is Katie's blog which is full of little goodies that aren't on the website, like letters people right her about their changes, their own turnarounds, and even snippets from Katie's life and insights.