Focusing On The Present Moment

I feel like I’m in a much calmer place than I had been for the past few weeks.  I decided to move forward with self-publishing.  I feel that it is where God is leading me.  Part of the reason I wanted to be “traditionally” published was to have a third-party stamp of approval validating the information to potential readers.  But the truth is, lacking approval doesn’t make me doubt what I’ve shared in the book.  I know the lessons are solid and that they have the potential to help others, which has always been the goal of the project.  Now there’s just more of an onus on me to be the foot soldier for sharing the information.  That was a little scary at first, but when I really think about it that’s what I’ve been put here to do—to share what I’m learning and applying in my life with others.  It’s not my luxury to simply sit in the solitude of my room and write—I’ve got to get out there (wherever that is) and share it.  That’s a part of the plan that I believe has been set for me.  I can’t shirk the responsibility no matter how scary, daunting, and uncertain it seems.

We each have elements of what we enjoy doing and elements of what stretches and challenges us in the unique plan that has been set for us.  We’ve got to own the responsibility for both if we want to see the plan through.  Our individual plan has been perfectly ordained for us, but within our respective plans necessary growth is required to meet the demands of the plan.  We have to develop into the person that is needed to carry out the specific plans that have been assigned to us—and that comes through stretching our comfort zones!  We must grow beyond our current status quo to continue forward.  We have to trust that everything we need will show up when it is supposed to—the liaison that we need to partner with a crucial person in our journey; the unexpected but timely advice that we receive from a friend or book that we’re reading; the finances that we so desperately need to continue on; the necessary lesson to grow into the person that we need to be to carry out the plans that have been assigned to us; etc.

I frequently experienced this synchronicity while I was writing the book.  I just wrote whatever was coming to me and there were times when an essay remained inconclusive.  But with time, I would have a conversation with someone, read something in a book, or experience an “aha” moment in my prayer/meditation that would perfectly tie off the unfinished essay.  Things of this nature began to happen more and more frequently as I trusted that the answers would come.  The writing process itself had a direct impact on my growing faith.  The starkest contrast to how I felt during the writing process and what I’d been experiencing over the past weeks has to do with my state of allowing.

When we are in a state of allowing, we trust that something greater is guiding us.  Unfortunately, all of this comes crashing down when fear creeps in.  Fear is a lack of trust.  Blinders shoot up preventing us from intuitively connecting to where we are being led and the desire to control begins to overtake us.

It will all show up in perfect harmony so long as we are open and trusting in the greater plan that is at work.  Will there be setbacks and obstacles?  Undeniably Yes!  But, they too, are there for a reason.  The quicker we open to the lessons these setbacks and obstacles are meant to teach us, the quicker we reach peace of mind and greater trust and faith in the plan at hand.  If you can’t seem to find a lesson in the setback, maybe it’s simply meant to slow us down as a part of the Divine timing that is work.  Sometimes it’s not always about whether or not we are ready to be where we desire, but instead, it’s about aligning with the timing of someone else who is supposed to be in our path.  Maybe the setback was to slow us down for this to occur.  It is all for a reason (even if we do not currently understand it).  It’s a process of patience for sure!  Fortunately, the more comfortable we get with the idea that there is a Higher-Intelligence orchestrating the overall flow of our life, the easier we can relax into the moment that we are currently experiencing.

I find that this is my task at hand—to discipline my mind to focus on where I am right now.  These last few weeks have been constant cycles of mentally jumping ahead to the future that I desire and then a forced effort to bring myself back to the here and now.  Each time I engaged in a future oriented desire and experienced either the discomfort of not being there or the fear of feeling that I was not moving towards those desires, I failed to see all that was great in my life.  My mind became wrapped around all that it perceived to be missing instead of focusing on all that was present.  This is never a healthy state of mind, as it is one that is based in incompleteness (ego) versus wholeness (spirit).

If we are not consciously living from a state of wholeness, we are severely limited in our ability to be and extend ourselves from the qualities of spirit (peace, love, joy, compassion, kindness, gratitude, forgiveness, etc).  Why?  Because we are too worried about getting what we need to feel whole.  Our mind’s attention is on our selfish desires (ego) instead of the ways in which we can give of ourselves.  Ego uses the illusion of incompleteness to keep us from seeing these opportunities.  My desire to be ten steps ahead of where I currently was kept me trapped in this illusion.  I was focused on my perceived problem instead of the ways in which I could purposefully serve others.  My task (and yours too, if you choose!) is to discipline my mind to serve from a place of wholeness.

The trick is to maintain gratitude for where we are in a given moment versus constantly orienting our focus on our desired end game.  There is no end game.   When we get to the specific destination that we envision, they are still just moments that will ultimately pass.  In order to shift my focus from being destination oriented, I remind myself that each day offers an opportunity to align with a higher-purpose by simply choosing to meet the world with compassion and kindness.  With this goal, there is no end game—it is ongoing and it keeps us in the present moment.  We can still continue to focus our efforts on moving towards the other goals that we have for ourselves, but with this present-oriented goal of compassion and kindness, we are prevented from thinking our lives will be shaped with meaning and purpose when XYZ is accomplished.  Instead, we see that there is purpose in being kind, compassionate, and loving.  In fact, it is our highest-purpose.

As always the journey continues…

Much love to all,

Shanna

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