Trust the Spirit

I've had a 'visitor' the last few weeks that I have not had for a few years -- the Spirit of Christmas.  This is not a post about if it is better to feel the Christmas Spirit or not, or why now at this time I am experiencing it when I hadn't for the last few years, or even what the Spirit of Christmas means. This is a post about trusting the Spirit that we have.

The last few years I have been in the spirit of simplicity and calm and quiet.  I have done my best to allow myself to follow the ebb and flow of the different spirits coming and going whether they were in tune with what others were doing, or what society was doing, or not.  That is not to say there were not moments when I felt it would have been nice to feel a bit of Christmas Spirit, but the truth was I just didn't.   

A couple of times during the last few Christmas Seasons I had wondered if maybe I had just out grown having the Spirit of Christmas and that it would probably never return to what I had felt before, and that was O.K. too.  Then, low and behold, to my surprise, this year I started to notice a whiff of Christmas Spirit here, and a whisper of it there, until it became constant enough that I actually felt like following it with some action.  But, my point being, I didn't go looking for it.  I didn't force myself to be in the Christmas Spirit, or avoid it.  It is just what naturally occurred, like an unexpected but welcome visitor.

So whatever the season or occasion or activity or celebration you are in throughout the year, trust the Spirit that is really You.

LOP is knowing it is 'alright' to trust the Spirits within because they are 'all right.'

Feel the Fear, LOP, and Do it Anyway . . . or Don't!

I have recently been reading the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (also the author of Eat, Pray, Love).  It's an easy read where she gives us an inside look at her creative process.  One aspect of Elizabeth's book reiterates a concept brought to our attention in 1987 by Susan Jeffers, in her book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, and that is don't let our fears get in the way of our creative expression.  Overall, I agree with the concepts presented by Susan and Elizabeth and understand what they are encouraging us to do.  However, as my clarity has increased, I think I would add to this catchy title to improve the accuracy of the concept.

When one initially says the phrase 'feel the fear and do it anyway' it would be easy to interpret it as meaning that we are just needing to go through our lives pushing through our fears.  But, I have found that hanging out on the brink of fear all the time, or even occasionally, is not a joyful place to be, it is certainly not us presenting ourselves at our best, and it is not Living On Purpose (LOP).

I think a more complete phrase might be:  feel the fear, LOP, and then do it, or don't do it (not as catchy, I know).  So what's the difference?

Well, step one, feel the fear, means don't avoid, ignore, deny, or protect myself from this thing I am perceiving as fearful.  I don't need to make laws about it, try and convince others of the wrongness of it, or invent contraptions to beat it down.  I want to hear it, listen to it, catch it and recognize it as what it is -- guidance that is helping me understand that the way I am perceiving this fearful thing right now is not how Who I Really AM (WIRA) perceives it.

Step two, LOP, means take a moment to remember WIRA.  Meditate, talk to someone who knows me, go for a jog, journal, watch an uplifting movie, affirm the beliefs I already know are WIRA.  Do whatever it is I do that helps me remember ME.  Once I have reconnected with WIRA I will be able to see the fearful belief in a new light and be better equipped to make a decision that is truly in alignment with what I want to experience. 

Step three, do it anyway, or don't do it, means chances are once I have taken the time to LOP I will be able to 'do it anyway' with grace and ease and success, or it will become obvious that there is a better option on the table.

So here's an example.  Let's say I am wanting to have a conversation with someone, however, I am really nervous about it.
Step one:  O.K. I could just sweep this under the carpet and continue to ignore it, but I know this is bothering me because I keep thinking about it and I have been uncomfortable when I am around this person.
Step two:  I sit down with my journal and ask myself honestly, "What are the fearful perceptions I am having about this?
'I am worried this person will be upset.'  
'I often feel the need to defend myself around this person.'  
'I hate having conflict, I would rather avoid it.'  
Then I ask myself, "What are the perceptions that the confident part of me knows and believes about this situation?
'This is a conversation that can have value for both of us.'  
'I am not needing to be right or defend myself, I am simply sharing what I am experiencing.' 
'In all likelihood this person is also wanting to have this conversation.'
'I really do want us to find a mutually beneficial solution to this situation.'  
I believe that by having this conversation we will both stand in a new, better place in regards to a number of things.'  
Now here's the important part -- I know I am complete with step two when I mentally, emotionally, and physically EXPERIENCE A SHIFT around the situation.  I am not ready for step three until I do.
Step three:  Depending on the new perceptions that I now have, I may end up 'Doing it Anyway' by contacting the person and letting them know I would like to have a chat and find out when would be a good time for them.  Or, I may end up realizing that this doesn't really have anything to do with that person and I 'Don't Do It.'  The choice of action matters less.  Seeing this from the perspective of WIRA matters most.

The following is a quote on this same subject, from a Source to which I owe much.
"There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of that. We are encouragers of coming into alignment, and then taking the action. We are encouragers always of getting rid of the fear; we would never want you to keep doing things that you feel fearful about. And maybe the path of least resistance is just not get on the horse. Maybe the path of least resistance is to get on a different horse—but we would never move forward in fear."
--- Abraham Workshop Billings, MT Saturday, June 21st, 2003 

LOP is feeling the fear, embracing it for the fantastic guidance that it is, and becoming an even clearer expression of my genius self.

The Traps of Safety Nets

Safety nets.  We love them.  They feel safe, and we believe they will catch us when we fall.  A safety net could be a person -- a spouse, a parent, or a friend.  It could be a job, or a boss, or the company we work for.  We are advised to create safety nets that equate to piles of cash like bank accounts, RRSPs and insurance.  We ask our governments to make and take care of our safety nets so that we don't have to.  Safety nets can even be the belongings (house, vehicle, wardrobe) that we have worked hard to accumulate because they make the image, that we are trying to present to others, seem real.  And, safety nets can be our routines that suffocate verses nurture, the beliefs that are not in alignment with our desires, or the habits that have outgrown their usefulness.  I guess really, anything we are not comfortable letting go of when we know it is not working for us, could be a part of our safety nets.

We love safety nets because they help us feel secure.  We have become comfortable with them exactly as they are, and they help us relax and have faith in life.  We have built our future around them and we are relying on them being there so life can play out as we picture it.  They give us a sense of having a buffer if things go wrong.  We believe our mediocre okayness is propped up by their existence.

Now, I am not saying that LOP means you must eliminate all people and worldly goods, as some spiritual practices recommend (although, if that is what you are inspired to do, then that is LOP).  What I am saying is LOP is being aware of what our safety nets are, and understanding how we may be making them into more of a trap than a net.

One trap is that if our safety net should disappear we can lose our balance, fall down, or become confused about which direction to go.  A death, the loss of a job, a dip in the economy can understandably create immense changes in our lives, however, if we have the majority of our weight leaning on anything that disappears, we fall flat on our faces.

Another trap is that safety nets can become huge energy suckers.  Logically, if my okayness rests in the existence of this thing, I had better take care of it.  The energy we sometimes put into controlling and micro-managing something that we perceive as our safety net can end up being more life draining than if the net actually disappeared.

So, if not having safety nets means not putting our trust and faith, or all our eggs in the basket of something else, what does it mean?  Well, figuring that out is what LOP is about.  For me it is about remembering, trusting in, and expressing who I really am, but the answer for each of us will be tailor made for us.  All I know is finding that answer is where the freedom, unconditional love, and the innate success resides for us all. 

"General Hand Grenade" -- By Trooper

The following lyrics are from the chorus of Trooper's song "General Hand Grenade".  It's on my workout playlist and besides the snappy tune, the words remind me of why Living On Purpose (LOP) is important to me.

People gettin' high

People gettin' low

People gettin' nowhere

'cause they don't know where to go.

LOP is the peace, fun, foot-tapping enthusiasm of clarifying and knowing where I am going.
Hope you enjoy!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwtKTpfNevU

The Love's Prayer

A LOP version of "The Lord's Prayer":

Oh Unconditional Love,
may I remember the importance of You in my life.

I am willing to believe in You,
I am willing to trust in You,
here and now,
each moment of my day.

I know that as I follow Your guidance
I am given exactly what I require,
now and al-ways.

Therefore, I make the choice to let go of the conditional love
with which I perceive myself and others.

And when I forget You,
I know Your call will be there
to remind me of Who I Really Am.

For nothing is more powerful,
nothing is more constant,
nothing is more Me,
than You expressed through me.

For ever and ever.
Amen.

Hard Work

There is a common belief that there is no success, or happiness, in life without hard work.  I think this can be confusing because I can see that there are at least two different ways "hard work" might appear.

There is the "hard work" that perhaps is the first perception that comes to mind for most of us.  It usually involves: having to motivate ourselves to do something; a feeling of exhaustion; the overriding essence of needing to rush or push; a battle with procrastination; and the resentment of the work, or others, as we try to complete it.  The main joy from this hard work is when the work is done and it gives us a short-term-pop feeling of accomplishment.  It usually lies in the category of a should, in other words if we felt we had any choice in the matter we would probably be doing something else.  Our motivator for even bothering with it is usually money, or the acceptance from others, or fear of what might happen if we don't do it.

Then there is the "hard work" that I would consider the LOP definition.  It is when we are mesmerized by doing something that excites us, and we just can't seem to pull away from it because one great idea after another keeps flowing forth and we are eager to capture them all.  We can spend hours at something and we just feel more energized by it, and we are so focused and present with what we are doing our mind does not drift to regrets of the past or worries of the future.  We appreciate the end result but we also love the process that it involved.  The overriding essence is fun, or creativity, or passion.  Our motivator for doing it is usually an internal inspiration, a knowing feeling, the unstoppable oozing of who we really are wanting to express out into the world -- not necessarily to achieve anything, but just because it feels so good to express it.

Lou Tice described these two ways of being by comparing what a child can be like on a school day morning and on Christmas morning.  One full of resistance, procrastination and complaining and the other enthusiasm, energy and joy.

We may look at someone and think they are "working hard" when actually they are having a LOP Christmas morning.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Presenting and Underlying Beliefs

In my day to day practicing of Living On Purpose (LOP) I notice there are potentially two layers of beliefs operating at any moment -- the presenting and the underlying.

One is on the surface, one is often a bit hidden under the first.
One might tend to be more common, the other more rare.
One might be what people assume, the other might surprise them.
One might be very automatic, the other might take some digging to find.
One might be really safe to share with others, the other may get an unsupported response.
One probably does not require explanation or justification, the other may not be understood even after a really good explanation.
One might be what you hear everyone else saying, the other a secret in your heart.
One would be filled with how you think you should be, the other with what you want to be. 
One might feel ordinary, the other more on the adventurous side.
One might feel mediocre, the other holding the seeds of success.
One might be really boring, the other full of excitement.
One might be exhausting, the other invigorating.
One might feel like work, the other like play.
One might be who you present yourself to be, one might be who you know yourself to be.
One will probably allow you to fit in with the crowd, the other supports the genius that you are.
One might be living a habit, the other Living On Purpose.

Living On Purpose is sometimes digging a bit deeper to see what lies within.

Still Here, Still Living On Purpose

Posted to Facebook September 2
As I look at the date of my last post I see that almost two years have passed. Oddly enough that is not because there has been a lack of practicing Living On Purpose (LOP), but actually because I have been practicing like never before.

These months have been filled with opportunities.  The opportunity to practice LOP in new situations, and to take the time to be present with what was going on and not hide in the safety of busy-ness.  The opportunity to lighten my load by letting go of 'stuff' that had outgrown its usefulness, and to better understand what living unconditionally really means.  And, I have experienced clarification of my priorities for this phase of life.

During this time of moving forward sometimes I was graceful, more often I was clumsy. The great thing about practicing LOP is that it doesn't really matter -- both of those experiences lead us to better understanding who we really are. I wouldn't say that I would want to repeat the last couple of years, however, I wouldn't give them up either.

What worked? Well, being honest with myself about where I was (and I am talking about the potentially embarrassing, vulnerability producing kind of honesty), and more importantly being honest with myself with what I know I really desire.  Also, being honest with myself about what I have been believing, and being honest with myself about what I know is True for me.  And finally, being willing to let go of some control to discover the "safety net" that has always been there.

LOP is trusting, and then knowing, that nothing wrong is ever going on.

Really nice to be here.