This morning I spotted a rat in my bedroom that ran into my closet. The building is brand new and it’s a gorgeous apartment. So, there is not much scope for the rats to run around in here but I found one anyway because of the construction that’s happening right across. It’s fairly small so I am assuming that it has not been around for a while. But I threw a fit over it as soon as I saw and I am slowly starting to worry about the damage it could possibly do to my stuff or the damage it has already been doing to my stuff in the house. I cannot wait until the maintenance guys come and take care of it. I might get some traps myself and kill it.

While that rat has been bothering me, something else got me thinking. What if there are other rats? What could they do to your life? Now, I am not talking about the literal ones, the metaphorical rats. I developed this idea of connecting everything to the inner life. Because, external stuff can be spotted and you can do something about it. But unfortunately (or fortunately) we are not just external/physical beings. We are made of three things – Mind, Body and Soul. And there could be rats that are running around right now and eating up your inner space.

I am honestly still trying to figure out exactly what kind of rats there could be out there but one I thing I am praying for sure – God, please show me those rats! (Now, both literal and metaphorical)

Because first of all, I don’t want any of my clothes to be eaten away :(((((

And first of all again, I don’t want any more of my life to be eaten off!!!

I started looking at my life in these different areas – Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, Physical, Financial, Relational and Social. All these areas are interconnected and feed into the entire composition of which I am – Mind, Body and Soul. It brought some clarity once I started doing it. So, every day I try to make some conscious decisions to do better in these areas. I clearly understood that if there is no gradual growth in all of these areas in parallel, it will have a bigger impact negatively at some point. So while I am making progress, I don’t want these rats running around and ruining my life.

From what i gathered, these are some invisible rats that eat you up; Some big and some small –

Ignoring – when there is a problem both with yourself and the others that matter. It could be as small as disrespect or as big as abuse; Procrastination – Putting off things or postponing just because we don’t feel like doing; Negative self-talk; Condemning nature; Constant nagging and complaining; Comparison with others; Approval seeking mentality; Pleasing people; Indulging in excessive vanity; Fear of missing out; Make believe lifestyle; Need to do more to feel accomplished kind of attitude; Got to have that kind of urge;  Trying to correct everything; Discouraging sarcasm in the form of constructive criticism; Self-blaming and Easily blaming others; Unforgiveness – Both yourself and others; Becoming numb; Living with no enthusiasm; Being sad and unhappy; Not being able to enjoy with your own self; Constant need for company; Looking out for what’s next all the time; Laziness; Over eating; Irregular sleeping; Unhealthy fun; Not being able to pause or unplug; And when you do so, Not being at peace with yourself and your  life; Arrogance that nothing could be wrong with me; Over confidence that doesn’t heed instruction; Pride that blinds and thinks others are not worthy or my equal; Living in Fear and Doubt; Constant Worry and Anxiety over things that you can’t control; Depression; Bitterness and Detestable Anger.

Looks like the list of rats that can eat you up are innumerable. Whatever it is, all rats start small and potentially grow into giants. It’s scary and disgusting to even imagine a big dirty rat running around. So, if you find a rat just kill it. And mind you, they are there!

A conscious decision to make is, first trying to kill the rats in your house (in yourself) than finding the ones next door or in others.

Lastly, rats (both literal and invisible) are more active in the dark. So, you really need to consciously let the light in and let the truth in to set yourself free.