Pretend you are a helpless, little creature in the bottom of a deep bucket with the rest of your family. For some, this wont take much imagination as it is an all too familiar scene. Okay. So you are on this journey of life... your adventure on planet earth. You learn a few things and forget a few others. You take a few steps forward, take detours, you go into deep caves and finally, one glorious day, you actually find your way to the top of the bucket. Wow! You can see out. The view looks so much different from here. Free, open space. Fresh air. Wide, expansive view. You like it! Uh-oh! The family doesnt take too kindly to your making it to the top. Does it remind them of their inability to get out? Are they threatened in some way? Do they just want your company to share in their misery? Are they jealous of your success? Whatever the reason, they do everything in their power to pull you back down to the bottom where you belong, by golly! No climbing out into any sunshine for you. No sir! Stay right in the dark with the rest of the crowd. No rising above your station in this life-time. Who do you think you are anyway? Sound familiar? So, for now, you sink back down into the deep, dark abyss with the other tortured creatures. Every now and then, you remember what it felt like to make your way to the top and the feeling of sheer delight when you got there and felt the sunlight on your face! The vision haunts your dreams and you feel a pull to go back to the top and see the light again. You do! This time, you take a jump right out into the clear, open space and experience such freedom and happiness that you have never known! Heaven. You like your new adventure. Every once in awhile, you worry about how long your new-found freedom is going to last. You worry so much, that you forget to enjoy the beauty right before you. You literally worry yourself right back into the bucket. Your world constricts. Eventually, you realize that thinking about darkness, problems, negativity will make that reality grow and you will create that very experience. You wont even need those desperate creatures to haul you back into the hole. You will put yourself right back in there with your focus on negativity. You have the power to create your life exactly the way you want it to be. Most of us have forgotten how and are locked in a life of unnecessary struggle. How do you keep yourself out of that bucket and in the sunlight? Here are a few tips: - Follow a daily spiritual practice that really works in your life. - Start your day with a daily intention and a concrete plan. - Become an expert at observing yourself and noticing where your attention is. - Practise kindness to self and others. - Practise living in appreciation and gratitude. |
