growth
You Don’t Need A New Year For A Fresh Start!
Ever since my early childhood, I have always adored, and still do love the New Year. It is a thrilling time, after all, of fresh starts, new goals and exciting plans. But as the years rolled by, and I came into my mature years, I have also learned that whilst enjoying the New Year, we can actually have a fresh start at any time!
There is need to wait for a particular moment in time to exact any change in our lives. It is true to say that for a lot of us, as the old year comes to an end, it can be somewhat tempting to procrastinate by offsetting any new goals until the next New Year, when in fact they could have been implemented sooner. Furthermore, the sooner we start to implement positive change, the sooner we begin to feel the benefits.
The following guidelines may help you to make a fresh start whenever you choose.
Have A Vision
If you enjoy making resolutions on New Year’s Eve, then, by all means, go ahead. However, you would be wise to strengthen your commitment to your long-term goals, which align with your actual core values. By doing so, you should have an awful lot more to gain than one successful resolution could ever bring you.
After all, it is how we evolve in the long run that really matters. In simple terms, by putting your words into action, preferably by using the guidelines outlined above, you should be much more successful in achieving your goals, whatever time of year it may be.
New Day, New Year, New Vision
New Year’s Day is the perfect opportunity to reboot your life and redesign your future. What haven’t you manifested that is important to you? What tugs at your dreams moving forward? Today would be a good time to do something about it and change your life for the better.
However, if you only come across this later in the year, fear not. Any day can be the first day of a brand new year for you. It does not have to be January 1st. Your New Year’s Day can be whenever you choose it to be. Today, is a new day, just as tomorrow will be, and so forth. Choose any new day for you to start living your life. Whenever you are ready, declare what is in your soul and change the direction of your life.
To get started, the best counsel I can give you is to buy yourself a nice journal or notebook, a glue stick, a comfortable pen and, if it pleases your soul, some positive affirmation stickers. This is how you start your new year. And again, it does not have to be January 1st.
As you go about your daily life, take note of things that make you smile – whether it be a picture, a saying, something kind that you saw someone do, or something selfless that you did for someone else. Journal about it . Write about how it made you feel in that moment. Let these feelings come to the surface of your life and allow them to grow.
You will begin to notice, over time, that the more positive instances you write about, they more frequently similar experiences will come into your life. It does not happen overnight, so don’t sit there the next day and think, “Well, I wrote about seeing someone buy a homeless person a coffee and it made me feel good, but nothing good happened to me.” This process takes time. You are working on your inner being to simply be more accepting and positive as you walk your daily path.
The Wisdom Of Supporting Others
Being kind, compassionate, supportive and treating others as we want to be treated, is important for our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Negative energy at work and in our personal lives, can drain our energy and negatively impact the health of mind, body and soul.
Work related issues carry their own special stress, since that has a direct impact on financial well-being, as well as personal happiness. It is best to avoid the envy, jealousy, gossip and betrayal. Beware the eye-rolling, personal attacks, whispers behind closed doors, and the divulging of information that isn’t meant to be shared, as well as the ‘just plain pettiness.’
If you are the one being attacked or targeted, resist the temptation to respond in kind. A public battle of words, or ‘tit-for-tat’ gossip, will change nothing. Adding fuel to the fire will only guarantee that the battle will continue and become even more nasty.
You don’t need to be phony, but it is advisable, and always empowering, to be civil and dignified, and to stay centered. Sometimes it is best to just remain silent. Let your actions speak for you, and to your character.
You don’t need to make excuses for, or feel sorry for the other person, or the group. Just remember what your goals and purpose are. Reach beyond that, and implement an energetic and spiritual practice that will empower both yourself and others.
Letting Go Of Those Old Branches
As winter arrives, it is always a time of reflection for me. Winter storms are so bittersweet. They are beautiful, but they also can be very destructive. In a winter storm last year, I have observed some of the strongest, oldest trees losing their branches. Those large branches were the first to snap. They looked so strong and have weathered so many storms, yet they could not withstand the wind.
As I analyzed the results of that winter storm, the realization came to me that the smaller, more supple branches had the ability to bend with the strong winds. The large, majestic branches, however, had become rigid over the years and broke easily in the powerful, icy wind.
The same principle could apply in our lives. How well we handle a challenging situation will depend on our ability to remain flexible and adapt. A very strong, experienced person may appear on the surface to be able to move mountains and handle most situations with ease. But if that same person is unwilling to listen, refuses to compromise with others and cannot remain open-minded, they will most likely be doing a lot of ‘snapping’ when facing adversity.
If we can ‘bend’ to at least agree to disagree with others, and keep a more flexible, adaptive attitude in difficult times, it makes life a lot easier to maintain harmony with the world. If tunnel vision is how we choose to see life, it is impossible to see that others may also be right sometimes, or have a better solution. When we become rigid, stiff, closed and inflexible, it becomes harder to see the bigger picture and to have a more peaceful approach to life.
When we are rigid and think our way is the only way, it is also hard to make and keep lasting relationships. In a group situation there are always people that see the opposite side any situation for a problem. Sometime these people may play devil’s advocate. They listen to each point of view to arrive at a compromise.
Overcoming The Trials Of Spiritual Transformation
Major setbacks and challenges in our lives can lead to a ‘crisis in faith.’ However, as much as they may seem like unjust setbacks, they’re actually about transcending major hurdles for the purpose of spiritual growth. In truth, these moments of adversity are evidence of an impending, giant step forward within our emerging consciousness. Cherish them.
For those of us who guide others coming into their spiritual power, it is important to understand the significance of these signs, so as to not misinterpret them. That said, it’s not easy for those undergoing these symptoms, which can include feelings of being in limbo, doubtful and depressed, often creating rifts with family and friends. All of these signposts are marking the path for spiritual transformation in the now. For example, if you catch yourself having moments of letting go consciously of self-limiting negativities, that is letting you know that you’re right on track. Honor them.
It’s not unusual for an emerging lightworker to suddenly let go of family and friends whom they no longer resonate with, or to undergo a career change which formerly would have been inconceivable. One becomes less concerned with matters of everyday security, often feeling that the cultural values we have been taught are nothing but an illusion. Or, some may feel they are in mourning, as though something or someone has died – which is a actually an apt description. Indeed, it’s a death of priorities and loss of all meaningless ties. As a result, it’s not a loss at all. Rather, it’s marking the path of self-sufficiency.
For me, it often goes something like this: “Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit restless. Is there something I should be pursuing? Is there a calling I’m missing?” The answer usually comes as I wait on more information with intention. I call it WOO: Waiting On Orders. Although the ‘orders’ may not come immediately, sooner or later, I am back on my path in the direction indicated by the objectives my higher good is setting out for my next challenge in the spiritual growth process. Be aware of them.
Seeking Spirituality
During the years of private study with my teacher, Adyashanti, he used to speak a lot about belief systems and spiritual practices. I learned from him, among other things, that to believe something, as opposed to having a direct experience of it, are two entirely different things. If you believe something because you’ve been made to feel guilty for being a non-believer, or merely because you think it’s the ‘right’ thing to do, it’s likely that this belief will be challenged throughout your life.
However, if you have a direct experience that is of a spiritual nature, you’re more likely to remember it and the impact it had on you, and you are more likely to truly believe as a result. The direct spiritual experiences we have, whether through meditation, dreams, or psychic and paranormal phenomena, are the ones that help us grow as an individual and bring us into alignment with our soul.
Why is this? If you think about it, we are bombarded with information every day that our minds must either believe, memorize, and somehow apply. Our authentic state, soul or higher self, has a direct, intuitive knowing that doesn’t come from this information or thoughts triggered by the external world. This kind of ‘knowing’ comes from within. When we have moments where our ‘everyday mind’ is out of the way, either through a psychic vision, spiritual experience, dream, or simply a quiet, meditative state, we come back in touch with this original ‘inner knowing’ or ‘beingness.’
Some call this ‘enlightenment.’ According to my teacher, Adyashanti, and from my own direct experiences, true enlightenment is not something that can be learned, rather it’s the ‘unlearning’ of all thoughts we’ve taken in.
The Power Of Mindfulness
Many spiritual and metaphysical teachers focus much attention on spiritual practices like meditation and mindfulness. The goal of these practices is to allow our consciousness to shift away from the past and the future, to focus instead on the present moment.
It is important to understand that the past is over. There is nothing taking place in the past any longer. This is important to understand if someone has a habit of rehashing the past in their mind. It doesn’t matter if someone is focusing on positive past experiences or negative events. Too much attention on the past is never useful.
The future is another area where people expend a lot of mental attention. Fantasy and worry are the two most common focuses when obsessing over the future. However, there is no amount of fantasy or worry that can ever make someone’s life better.
When we expend too much of our energy on the past or future, we are sacrificing the precious present moment. For this reason many spiritual teachings and traditions encourage mindfulness and meditation. These practices allow us to recognize our daily thought patterns and help us gain an understanding of where our attention is focused.
The present is the only moment that is real and that truly matters. This is where everything is happening – in the now. This is also the only moment where you have any real power.