“Impatience is a failure to trust in the universal intelligence and it implies that we are separate from the all-providing spirit. Impatience implies that our ego is the boss of desire.” — Wayne Dyer
Have you noticed there is an impatient four-year-old who lives in your mind? Are we there yet? How much longer before we get there? How much time is this going to take?
Time takes forever when we are waiting for an event to happen but disappears when we are living in the moment. Time seems endless when we want our goal achieved but vanishes when we release attachment to the results.
George Leonard shares in his book, Mastery, that in martial arts training, there is a moment when it appears the student is no longer improving. The skill level seems stagnant and stuck. Actually on the inside there is an abundance of activity of the mind, body, and soul all coming into alignment. The challenge is not to stop practicing but to continue, regardless of the outside results. Progress is happening on an inner level that we can’t see.
Change happens, not always on our time schedule. This is the practice of faith.
Faith isn’t something we turn on or off. It is a seed planted in us. As we nurture and cultivate it, our faith grows deeper, stronger, and more profound. We build faith when we find something to be grateful for in the midst of a challenge or experience, a moment of joy in the midst of sorrow.
Faith expands when we appreciate each day as a treasure and every experience as a gift.
May your days be filled with patience, faith, and a sense of peace that you are doing exactly the right task, at the right time, with the perfect outcome.
Affirmation: I have the faith to live each day with patience and peace.
Excerpt from Soul Musings: Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary
“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” – Maya Angelou
When out to dinner with a friend, she asked if she could have the chicken warmed up on her barbecue chicken salad. “No” replied the employee. He didn’t say, “Sorry it’s against company policy,” “Not usually, but let me look into that,” or the most customer-centric answer, “Of course, we can do that for you.” His reply was clear: No.
So she asked the question again, and the reply was still no. She rephrased the question and asked a third time. Finally, seeing that my friend was not going to take no for an answer, the waiter asked another employee who said, “Sure, I can do that.”
What fascinated me more than the disturbing lack of customer service, was my friend’s persistence in asking for what she wanted. Three times. She was never rude or arrogant, but politely continued asking. She was clear about what she wanted.
Wayne Dyer says, “We are divine enough to ask, important enough to receive.” This is a great reminder to continue to ask. It may not happen the first time or second time, but we should continue to ask with quiet expectancy. All that we desire is already available to us. Our work is to be willing to receive graciously and lovingly. Our practice is to live in a state of gratitude.
This is a simple yet powerful reminder of what is available to us every day. “Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open to you.” Matthew 7:7
Affirmation: I accept that whatever I ask for is already known in the mind of God.
“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it…It is just easier if you do.“ Byron Katie
I was hiking with a friend in the Mt Hood National Forest when she suddenly tripped, lost her balance and bumped into me full force. Fortunately, I was grounded and didn’t lose my balance. I picked up her hiking pole and we hiked on and enjoyed the beautiful day.
I reflected on this event later and realized its powerful metaphor for life. When I am grounded in faith, secure in my spiritual practice, steadfast in knowing truth, all sorts of obstacles can bump into me and I will not budge. Breaking news, upset co-workers or my own random thoughts and fears cannot sway me off my path. I feel stable, centered and can stand in the midst of whatever challenge is happening.
We are bombarded with overwhelming changes to our lives every day that can take an emotional toll on us. When our emotions are worn down and we feel distressed, we can be easily influenced and may make decisions that are not in our best interest.
Spiritual practice is more important than ever before— the need for us to stay grounded in principle and faith so we won’t falter and fall but will stand steadfast. Ernest Holmes reminds us, “Realizing that all action starts in and is a result of consciousness, prepare your mind to receive the best that life has to offer.”
When centered in principle we can make conscious decisions —choosing discernment over judgment, caution instead of fear. We can create healthy boundaries instead of borders. Consciousness is the key.
Are you willing to be grounded in peace and not pushed off balance?
Affirmation: I am grounded in my faith. I am fully supported by the Universe.
“There is a Divine spark at the center of your being. But you need to recognize this, believe it and act upon your belief.” Ernest Holmes, Thoughts are Things
Have you ever found yourself arriving home but don’t remember driving there? Some days we can be so lost in thought that we drive on autopilot, failing to notice the world around us.
When we practice mindfulness or awareness, we are paying attention. How am I feeling in my body? Where do I notice tension? What emotions am I feeling?
Once I am aware, I notice the tension and the tightness in my body. I feel the feelings. I am awake to something more than my physical body and senses.
There’s a subtle shift that happens in the mind when we go from taking life for granted to being in awe of how the world works and how the universe functions. I am awakened to being part of something greater. I am awake to my connection with Spirit.
When we manage to stay in that awakened state, the world seems magical. We noticed the colors, the sounds, the intricacies of a flower, the beauty of nature, the joy of laughter. We live in appreciation and gratitude.
When we live in awareness we live in amazement and we are open to unlimited possibilities. Activist and spiritual teacher, Barbara Holmes says, “When we are fully alert in Spirit, mind and body, we are more than we imagine and can accomplish more than we suppose.”
When we are awake we live in a state of wonder, amazement, and we are seeing through the eyes of our soul. We are seeing through the eyes of love. We know something wonderful is bound to happen.
Affirmation: Today I am aware, awake and enthusiastic.
