Working for the Vitality Security Agency (VSA)

I have had the pleasure of being in some fascinating conversations this weekend.  For those involved, I offer a sincere thank you.  What came up as an analogy was the concept of being your own TSA baggage screener as you see at airport security checkpoints.  The luggage passing through the screener represent frames or snapshots of awareness that come into the focus of your mind's awareness.  Our job is to "shop" through all the various frames of awareness to identify those that  elicit the most vitality.

It's sort of like a Mario Brothers game where you are constantly screening the conveyor belt with different looking packages try to guess which one had the most points (points equal vitality) contained inside.  Some frames elicit lots of points(vitality), even up to 100 units.  Most frames are more mundane, less intense and have only of 1 to 5 units of vitality.  Nagging habits can whittle away at your vitality cart and have negative values ranging -10 to -50.  But wait, there are some frames of awareness that elicit fear, anxiety and anger.  Those can be really, really intense and have devastating values of -50,000 units of vitality.  The points are stored in your "shopping cart"; which, by the way, has a small leak in that requires constant filling.

I'm sure you recognize, right away that it will take long, sustained success in selecting frames of awareness that contribute towards one's feeling of fulfillment.  A practice that will require on going success to keep up with the leak and is subject to the risk of selecting a frame that  instantaneously drains your vitality cart, all together! And that's not the worst,with your vitality cart empty, doubt about your identity (i.e. who are you shopping for) and purpose (who's doing the shopping) creep into your awareness.  It is very, very easy to let the drain of vitality get to the point where doubts grow to a point where they take control over the shopping process.  Left unattended, this drain can all too quickly grow into a suffocating mountain of vitality debt, in which you are entombed in an emotional rabbit hole from which escape seems impossible.

These are the ground rules  to the "app"; Life Mission.  Life Mission serves as a sort of "Agency" within your mind that is charged with looking out for your own health and well being. Your Life's Mission is to organize and operate the Vitality Security Agency (VSA).  This organization is responsible for both the process of "shopping" for frames of awareness as well as the results; i.e. the amount of vitality in your cart.  Mental Pilates practice develops skill for successfully selecting vitality and achieving fulfillment (a sense you are playing the game well and experiencing success).  The practice begins with answering the two most important questions of the game.  First, who are you playing for?  I can hear Bob Barker now say "Come on down, you've been selected to be the next contestant on.....Life Mission!!!!  Well let's ask the new contestant; "Who are you playing for?"  [Hint: it is your core identity]


The second question you must answer is "Who is going to be doing the shopping?"  (i.e. who is driving the bus; or who is s"selecting" the frames of awareness)  Answering this question is not as straight forward as it may appear on the surface.  You see the VSA agent ca get tired and/or bored and let in all sorts of frames that do not necessarily contribute to the vitality cart.  The VSA agent can take the day "off" leaving the security checkpoint all together.  Even worse, your VSA agents can be taken over by raising doubts and insecurities.  What were once mild lingering doubts can grow into monsters.  In their worst form, they become limiting doubts. Limiting doubts are beliefs that have been reaffirmed so consistently that they have become hard and fast rules..."It's just the way I am!!!!""""


In these extreme cases your VSA screener has been tied up and tossed into the back room.  The limiting doubts (your bears, your Bubba) have stripped you of your badge, identity card and uniform.  They are doing the shopping, your conscious mind is not available (i.e.it's tied up at the moment)  Bubba has no interest, whatsoever, in your health and well being.  The mission of the VSA is being grossly compromised.  With Bubba at the helm your doubts and worries are being fed 10 times a minute.

We will go on from here, but.....

Who are you playing for?
Who is doing the shopping?

Enjoy the rest of Sunday!!!

Andy