Q: How can I release myself from the judgment of my self and others?
John: For one month, live your life without having any personal opinions. Your judgments come from your opinions. For one month have no opinions about your self, no opinions about others, and during that month live in openness where opinions used to be. Live for one month without any personal opinions and you’ll see how much room there is, within, for you to breathe.
Q: So for one month, no speaking or thinking about personal opinions?
John: Yes. When you’re full of personal opinions you’ll be full of self-importance. When you don’t live with those personal opinions what you’ll have is self love.
Q: So when I take the opinions away I make space for love?
John: Yes. When you, awareness, relax, you love. You don’t need your personal opinions for you to be in your heart and for you to be what you really are. But you do need your personal opinions for you to be separate from your heart. Your use of personal opinion is out of control so, in that way, your opinions control you. Do without them completely for a whole month, and then after that, very carefully, reintroduce the place for opinion but don’t take them in quickly, because they’ll take over again. There is a little bit of value in opinion, but it needs to be held very lightly, and used like salt: not too much.
Go on an opinion fast and then reintroduce your opinions, but only about two or three percent of them, so you’ll be choosing carefully and very lightly which ones to use. That will change your whole tone in your use of opinions. You’ll have a lovely use of opinion that touches others.
Q: What can I do if I see myself having an opinion? How can I choose to not have it?
John: Can I give you a little practice? Every time during that month that you slip into an opinion, right there – regardless of whom you’re with – drop to the floor and do just one push-up! And if the other person is a little bit baffled with your performance, then just sweetly explain to them what you’re doing. What all of that means is that you are taking goodness, within, to heart.
