Staying In Your Own Business
I can find only three kinds of business in the universe: mine, yours, and God’s. For me, the word God means "reality." Reality is God, because it rules. Anything that’s out of my control, your control, and
everyone else’s control -- I call that God’s business.
Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our own business. When I think, "You need to get a job, I want you to be happy, you should be on time, you need to take better care of yourself," I am in your business. When I’m worried about earthquakes, floods, war, or when I will die, I am in God’s business. If I am mentally in your business or in God’s business, the effect is separation.
I noticed this early in 1986. When I mentally went into my mother’s business, for example, with a thought like "My mother should understand me," I immediately experienced a feeling of loneliness. And I realized that every time in my life that I had felt hurt or lonely, I had been in someone else’s business.
If you are living your life and I am mentally living your life, who is here living mine? We’re both over there. Being mentally in your business keeps me from being present in my own. I am separate from myself, wondering why my life doesn’t work.To think that I know what’s best for anyone else is to be out of my business. Even in the name of love, it is pure arrogance, and the result is tension, anxiety, and fear. Do I know what’s right for me? That is my only business. Let me work with that before I try to solve your problems for you. If you understand the three kinds of business enough to stay in your own business, it could free your life in a way that you can’t even imagine.
The next time you’re feeling stress or discomfort, ask yourself whose business you’re in mentally, and you may burst out laughing! That question can bring you back to yourself. And you may come to see that you’ve never really been present, that you’ve been mentally living in other people’s business all your life. Just to notice that you’re in someone else’s business can bring you back to your own wonderful self. And if you practice it for a while, you may come to see that you don’t have any business either and that your life runs perfectly well on its own.
--Byron Katie
What does staying in your own business mean to you? Can you share an experience of a time when you gained insights from realizing you had strayed from your own business? How do we develop the awareness needed to avoid mentally living someone else's life?
ignorance is bliss.
Several people have commented that this philosophy is selfish and uncaring to others' problems. For me, however, staying in my own business frees me from judgment and allows me to meet others with more, not less, potential for true relationship. The truly enlightened spiritual gurus practice total detachment and they exude warmth and kindness to everyone. Staying out of others' and God's business releases expectations and creates space for healthy connection and respect for every other human being. When you practice this philosophy, everyone on this planet becomes your business, but "by invitation only" . That makes a huge difference.
Peace and Love from Asha! I have discussed this before in my spiritual circle. Most got upset. Most felt that it is OK to get into the business of their loved one. It is important to first erase our belief system before one can accept this very important aspect of spiritual thinking to set you free from the feeling of 'HEAVY'.
Knowing self is more important. In a day we spend most of our time in thinking about others and speaking about others and we fail to think about ourselves. God is with us at all time. It not right forgetting our own life purpose and talking about others. we should know the real purpose of our life with God's plan for us there by we can fullfeel God's , Our and Others business.
To me this means simply, that we cannot control other people's thoughts, actions or words; nor can we make assumptions about the intentions of their thoughts, actions or words. When we make assumptions or judgements about others, and how their words or actions relate to us, we are likely to suffer. The only "control" we have in life is that of our own thoughts, behaviors, etc.
I feel it is not about staying in your own business. As long as you accept the other's business or even god's business as your own business and deal with the issues without being judgemental, and with full committment, and responsibility, there is no distress or disharmony. It is a matter of owning up and life flows. It is part of growing up to be a leader.
Does this make you selfish? Arent you doing this sometimes out of love and care and concern?
In early recovery I found out that I was an emotional enmesher, I lived others ups and downs, wins and losses, felt their pain and suffering and basically was an exposed nerve with no healthy boundaries. It's good to know your motivating factors and even though you may be trying to help you could still be compromising their integrity. As a healer in recovery, we go into engines that are hot and running, and we are building the plane while it is flying, bringing everyone home with a safe landing is the mark of our craft. Peace, Matt
Why people keen to have others problems and least bother abut their own problems . It gives pleseant and soothing effect to the heart of course if one take initiative to solve others problem , giving backseat to his own problem . But if you are living on others dream ,it is not practical be yourself .
If we only focus on cleaning ourselves and leaving the rest to God, we will have the situation in India where every home is clean and the outside is an incredible mess. We can pollute the Ganga because its God's business to clean it.
There is 'our' business and there is also the overlap in our individual business. Also, there are extroverts who improve by getting feedback from the 'sangha'. Yes, there are yoga practioners who practice and improve on their own. But many find it better to go to a class, get feedback, watch others, make friends, share, comment, ... and improve yoga thru interaction. Often, someone who find it 'their' business to comment on mine, help me grow and learn (even if the feedback is often negative or negatively given). I have found it difficult to work only on myself, by myself.
Service does give me a path, and sangha gives me enormous support and courage.
What would the Buddha say? The four noble truths, the eight fold path, the 5 or 8 precepts, all of these are for a single person to understand and practice. You can't self-clean by involving yourself in others. Many of the reflections here from others just get me more confused. It's rather simple, though like AA, it's hard to practice: stay in your business. Yes, it's simple and what? Do you really know more than the Buddha or Jesus? Do you have a better way?
Balance. I'm sorry Byron. Though I think I understand the point quite well, and though it may work for you (though I'm not sure why you would be here concerning yourself with the business of others if you totally believe what you say) and I do see some truth in what you say, I think balance is the key. We don't live alone nor just for ourselves, though many self-help gurus would encourages us otherwise. Should a mother not be concerned about her daughter's abusive boyfriend? Should she not say something? Should Annie not sacrifice to care for her Dad who has cancer? Certainly there is value in being able to recognize the difference in whose business you're stressing over, but it is indeed simplistic to think we should just be in our own.
Everything would be fine if all of you would only accept God and do what I say.
When I am aligned and feel myself as being part of the Whole,life is beautiful. No expectation, no worries, no fear... As soon as I build a fence between myself and the others or in contrary if I project myself in the others, everything get wrong...Trying to be in consciousness...
I wrote a process for my own recovery from codependence 25 years ago, and this teaching from Katie was pivotal to the process. The 3rd "High-Way" of 8 to Great is Full Responsibility. Now we have over 2000 trainers teaching this powerful concept that "I'm in charge of my life, I'm not in charge of yours" in schools and businesses around the world. Thank you Katie for changing our lives with your simple wisdom!
I was married to a man for 30 years and we were always in each others business instead of our own. I was so dependent that I needed to know what he was thinking, if he loved me, was he seeing someone else, was I thin enough for him, etc. He, on the other hand, was in the business of improving me - I should be thinner, I should do this to the kids, I should know what he wants, I should be there for him, etc. I woke up one day to this relationship that had no selves and had to leave. Each day I work on myself in order to be able to give and see and care the right way about the reality and others.
there is relative business and ultimate business, just as there is relative truth and ultimate truth. Focusing on 'my business' allows me to bring more to 'your business' if required and appropriate, knowing and familiir with what is ultimately true in 'my business', which comes down to two basic things, there is this life here now, and the I knows absolutely nothing. This means we can flow between the two poles on the continuum which says 'we are in this world but not of it' with love
How simple it appears now to me the key of happiness when in reality I don't think it is clear enough. Keeping my own business then would mean to me to be free of all the worldly associations one has, otherwise, somehow or the other, other's businesses will certainly cross paths with mine or vice-versa.
I am hearing the author perfectly. In trying to understand and support a friend, I have left my own business. My personal anchor (with each person I aid) becomes less rooted in the sand.
I am always late! The only thing I hope not to be "late" for would be Jesus' call. (This I pray.) I have so many "irons in the fire". Too many dependent elders. Children needing hope, love, support, encouragement and someone to say, "I believe in YOU"!
Please pardon my tardiness. (I would rather be late and present than not present at all).
Too, let me say, JC loves you and so do I.
PS. For complete understanding, I go to God. He KNOWS you like no other.
This reminds me of the classic 'circle of influence' and 'circle of concern' which is always a superset of the first. Our greatest power is always in our circle of influence, but we often discount the tremendous ripple power of authentically inhabiting that limiting circle. As the Servicespace ecosystem often says, "Change yourself, change the world."
