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Where are you now? Where are you headed?
I received this quote in an email recently “We aren’t what we ought to be. We aren’t what we’re going to be. We aren’t what we want to be. But, thank God, we aren’t what we were.” -Anonymous
I was amazed at how well these four sentences summed up my life. And even though things aren’t always the way I want, I can’t help but feel grateful for my life and where it has evolved.
As many of you know I was an alcoholic with a severe back injury and after years of suffering I was eventually told by my medical doctor that there was nothing that could be done to heal my back and I would live in pain the rest of my life. At that very moment I heard my higher guidance clearly for the first time telling me I would find something to help me. I began exploring alternative therapies after that experience leaving the medical model behind.
After trying many different modalities I finally met my mentor in the fall of 1987 and began the long journey of healing my back and my life. Six months later I was able to get sober and stay sober, something I had struggled with since high school. Since then I have continued to heal my body, mind and emotional state. This has led me on a journey of self-discovery that I continue today and look forward to for the rest of my life.
Too often we forget that we can participate in creating our lives. That we are not limited to the outcome of some pre-ordained destiny; that we do have free will and choices are available to us in every situation. Not only can we change our lives but they are changing all the time whether we are actively evolved or not.
Do you contribute to the direction of your life consciously or do you sit back waiting while the course of your life unfolds? If I answer this honestly I would have to say I spent 30 plus years watching as things unfolded, not consciously participating, almost sleep walking through it. With all that practice even to this day I do not fully participate all the time but I’m getting better at noticing, intending and creating. It requires paying attention and with all the distractions this world offers that’s not always easy.
Can you see the possibilities? Can you see what I am saying? If you have a great life then be happy and grateful but don’t stagnate. If you are dealing with difficult times or illness do not ever give up, do not turn your power over to someone else and certainly do not let yourself stagnate.
Know that whatever your circumstances are you can change them and continue to evolve to a better and better place. Look for what you can learn from your circumstances. Begin to find things that you can be grateful for in your life. There is always something to be grateful for in our lives. Our attention is too often focused on what we think is wrong, on our pain or what we do not want in our lives instead of being focused on what we do want; on what is possible.
The journey of self-discovery is the surest way to change your life and heal that I know. It is our purpose here. Remember that those who offer us instant enlightenment mislead us. After all, we have to bring the mind itself under control, and there is no more difficult task in life. We should be prepared for a lifetime of challenge. But then, we need challenges, or we stagnate. Life is not meant to be pain free: that is an illusion. We live in a world of opposites, pleasure and pain, good and bad, happiness and sorrow. The less we are bound by these dualities, the more clearly we are able to see the real Self in everyone, even in people who cause trouble.
Do you know anyone who has lived their life without pain and suffering? Have you been fortunate enough to see someone move through their pain with ease and grace? If you have, you were in the presence of a master. It is only the spiritually mature person who develops the skills that matter most in life: patience, forgiveness, and freedom from likes and dislikes. Non-attachment to the outcome of any of life’s experiences is total freedom. This is what ultimately leads us to the pure joy of life and seeing the perfection in all that exists just the way it is. When we let go of what is we can create something new, something beautiful and pure. We can accept who we are now, and become even better.
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