Humans are funny. Unlike every other species on this planet living out its existence, we humans believe that we need to be busy and active in order to be making good use of our lives. We hear things like needing to be productive, and being purpose driven, seeking meaning to being alive.
Perhaps we are propelled to self improvement and doing good for others because we do understand the gift of life, and because we feel such gratitude, we feel compelled to give back. Because, that is what we were taught – that we can’t just be in receipt of all the time, we have to return the favour, return the love, show appreciation.
It is beyond our comprehension that we could just be here to enjoy this beautiful planet, and live out each day in contemplation, and appreciation of the planet’s many gifts. In many ways, this planet is the paradise we are in search of and the ultimate prize we seek to earn/ win. Earth beings are treated to glorious landscapes and tableaus, lit and changed daily with each season as they quietly come and go the way they were intended to do. Thousands of species; insects, flora and fauna all so diverse yet co-existing, and supporting an intricate eco-system so complex we are just beginning to understand how we are all connected.
As children we sat in wonderment observing tiny creatures around us accomplishing their mission. The ants seemed to have a purpose, busily hustling and bustling with such persistence and determination. What are they doing we asked and where are they going? Why are bees spending all day gathering pollen and making honey? To what end were the birds always building nests, and the squirrels endlessly hoarding nuts?
Is it a wonder that 90% of the people we will encounter have a persistent, nagging sense of “not enough”? They struggle with the feeling of not having enough, not doing enough, not being enough. We experience painful traumas and hurt because we think we are not smart enough, not pretty enough, not wealthy enough or not fit enough. We believe we are not wise enough, not patient enough, not talented enough. We feel that if we could just do more, even be more spiritual, then we might be worthy enough or good enough.
Could this deeply seeded and incorrect assumption be the root of so much of our stress and dis-ease?
There is persistent pressure in our society for achieving more of ourselves and for others and so we spend our lives trying to fix the perpetual self-lacking image of ourselves.We compare our own value against another’s as we try to find our way back home to a sense of peace.
What I am learning, is that while we are dedicating ourselves to a never-ending self-improvement project, we live a smaller than we were meant. I am convinced that we are already in possession of the value we have been searching all along. The irony is that as we wait, and search, we pray and meditate and we get busy doing so that we will find what is missing. In the meantime, we bypass the entire experience of living whole and fully, and never finding it.
Even mindfulness practice takes us away from within. We aim to do bigger yoga poses, more breath practices, deeper meditations with better intentions. We read more books, go to more workshops so that we will gain more knowledge, while we drink more tea, wear more malas, and the list goes on and on.
But, really, what if all we need to do is remember? The worthiness we seek is in the human that we already are, in this being that has always existed.
By being yourself, you put something wonderful into the world that was not there before.
– Edwin Elliott
We are minuscule. In the great tapestry of life, we are only one thread. As unique, essential and magnificent as we are, we are just one thread. The greater weaving is vast and much more mysterious than we can ever possibly imagine or grasp.
Going Within
Getting out reminds us of how the existence of everything in nature is co-dependent on and affected by the existence of everything else and, yes, we too are supported by the rhythms of life. Going within, reminds us of why we are here.
Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths.
Once your awareness has dropped inward into the space of the heart, ask yourself anything. i.e.
- Who am I?
- What is this quality of my existence before I have a thought about it?
- What is it that I live for?
- What is the next step on my journey? Would it serve my soul’s journey to choose this or that?
Remember the questions are yours and the answers are there.
Todays journal prompt and meditation intention
Allow yourself to be awed by the sunrise, stunned by the stars, captivated by the silence, taken by the wind, melted by the touch of a child’s hand, honored by the words of the elders, sunken into the earth in your garden firmly planted and growing, inspired by the colorful frog that jumps 50 times its own length, humiliated by the intricate pattern of a pinecone, persuaded by the persistence of a flower that pushes stubbornly up through stone, humbled by the grace of a seashell, rocked and humored by all of the waves and expressions of life while you still can.
– Meg Mccraken
SOAR Coaching and Personal Insights 