The Art of Letting Go

Recently, I was at a seminar where I heard the speaker make a startling statement. He was speaking about the polarity of all things (i.e. good/bad, right/wrong, light/dark and so on) and he mentioned that when we are intent about anything, we also intend that thing’s opposite.  While this statement wasn’t entirely new to me (reference my blog entitled “Why Inequality Exists”), the impact of this concept’s ramifications had a newly profound effect on how I now see everything.

According to the speaker, one cannot ask for something or want for something without noticing that what he wants or asks for is missing.  So when we’re focusing our intention towards something, on some level we are also continually noticing that thing is not present in our lives.  Because of this, we’re giving energy to both things – the having and the not having!

To look from another perspective, think back to when you were a child and think of a time when you got something you had really been wanting for a long time – something you wanted really badly.  You asked your parents for it.  You asked Santa for it.  You asked God for it.  And, you continued to want that thing until you finally got it.  When you got that thing, you immediately expressed gratitude for that thing and went off to play with it or use it.  And, then, if you were like most kids, it seemed like you immediately began to focus on something else that you wanted.  In fact, that may even describe you in the present.  I know that is certainly how life shows up for me.

Looking back at that analogy, what was the first thing you did when you received that which you wanted?  You stopped wanting that thing!  You no longer wanted it because you now possessed it.  And, then you expressed gratitude for having it in your life.

As grown ups, when we focus our attention on what we want in our lives, we do give energy to that thing.  But, we are also giving energy to having the absence of that thing.  If we really believed that we received that for which we asked at the time in which we asked, we would have no need to continually focus our attention on the wanting of that thing.  Just like the child who receives the object he desired, we would immediately stop wanting and then we would give gratitude for that which we believe that we had received.

This is the true secret of “The Secret.”  The power in receiving anything is all within the art of letting go.

It’s completely fine to want things.  I believe that we are all created to continuously desire more.  All of creation longs to expand itself.  That is our nature.  It’s great to set your intention to have good things come your way.  And, you can set your intention to attract specific things into your life.  But, ultimately, you want to let go of your desire . . . not like no longer caring, but more like believing you already received that which you desired.  Otherwise, your continual focus will remain on wishing for what you want, and noticing what you don’t have.  And, your energy will go to both things.

Instead, desire, intend, ask, and then believe that you received what you desired.  And because you have it, you no longer have to want it.  You can simply move straight into gratitude, thanking God for providing that for which you asked.

[End of Post]

Copyright ©2009.  All rights reserved.

Living Your Life with Intent and Purpose

Our lives are clearly given (or, shaped if you will) by our beliefs.   And it is through our beliefs that power is given to our words and actions.   If we live our beliefs, then our words and deeds will be shaped by those beliefs and they will bear greater weight in the eyes and ears of those around us.   It’s the same phenomenon that’s present when someone shares with you about that which he is passionate.   When we hear and see the passion in another, we our moved with the inspiration conveyed in that person’s communication.

This same conveyance of energy is present for others when we act according to our convictions.   Those around us may not always agree with what we say or do.   But if we are acting out of our passion or conviction, they will be moved and freely see that we are doing what we believe to be right.

In that same vein, there is a power that is made available to us when we operate with intentionality.   When we intend to accomplish something, there is a rigor and a discipline that is present in us, and there is a power that is present for us to make that thing happen.   And while intention can be given in the moment, it is most powerful when it is given by the purpose we have in life.

What we have purposed for our lives, or what we see as our life’s purpose, gives us additional power to produce that for which we are living.   And along with that power, comes the additional power added by our intention to live out our life’s purpose.   Those who are living without purpose may find that they are getting along just fine in life.   But they will lack that something extra, that added spark of excitement one has to get up in the morning or to produce that day what one has planned to produce.

I’ve seen a hundred times over a phenomenon that I believe most of us have seen.   In my life, I’ve had many co-workers or friends retire from work and many have retired to do nothing.   In my eyes, there is nothing more harmful for someone than to be about nothing.   Not only are the people who are about something the ones who make a difference in the world, but they are also the people who have something for which to live.   Once someone retires, if he has nothing to live for, the pattern I’ve witnessed is that he dies earlier than his given life expectancy.   When we’re about nothing, we have nothing to live for; nothing to wake us up in the morning; nothing about which to be excited.

Finding our passion gives us something to live for.   We all of a sudden are up to something in life.   We are up to creating something that’s bigger than who we have known ourselves to be.   And, we suddenly will find renewed purpose, power, energy, and life-sustaining force that will be evident in our every word and action.

If you don’t know what you’re passionate about or what your purpose in live is, it’s not too late to find it.   Be watchful of your emotions.  Look to see what lights you up.   You might be timid in expressing it to anyone right away because you haven’t had time to be with it yourself.   Once you key in on that which you love, begin to imagine that as your life’s purpose.   You don’t have to know how it will come about.   That’s up to God and the Universe.   We don’t choose the channels and we don’t choose the how.   Just allow yourself to begin desiring a life in which you are living your passion.   And be prepared to take action once inspiration for action arises within you.

Copyright ©2009.  All rights reserved.

Intention – A Powerful Force in Causing Results

In my blog of Tuesday, July 21, 2009 (“Meditation - The Secret to Manifesting your Desires”), I wrote briefly about being intentional in your meditation. But really, being intentional needs to become a way of life for you if you are to have what you say.

Scientists have been experimenting for some time with exercises that involve intention – mostly with athletes. One of the first published experiments involved the U.S. athletic team who was competing in the Olympics several years ago. These athletes were required to spend some amount of time each day in visualizing themselves being successful in their particular sport. Basketball players visualized themselves throwing the ball and it going through the hoop. Figure skaters visualized themselves making difficult jumps and nailing them. Runners visualized themselves pulling ahead of the other runners to win the race.

Each of the athletes involved in the experiment used visualization exercises everyday. The scientists who were running the experiments had connected sensors to the athletes’ bodies. These sensors recorded any electrical impulse sent to that part of the body during the visualization exercise. What the researchers found was that the athletes’ muscles responded to the visualization exercise just as if they would have responded had the athletes actually been competing in their sport. The brain couldn’t tell the difference between an actual event and an intentional visualization of the same event!

However, the athletes who were part of this experiment performed better than they had previously. Since that time, more research has been conducted to prove out the theoretical concept that intentional visualization actually makes a difference in performance and outcome. In today’s athletes, we find that many of the best athletes use visualization exercises to see themselves achieving their goals.

However, these types of intentional exercises are not reserved for athletes only. They can be used to visualize your body as being slimmer - - achieving your goal weight, visualizing yourself as a successful business person in the career of your choice, or living the life you want surrounded by the desires of your heart. You get to say what your reality is. And only you can make it happen. For it to manifest on the outside, you must first see it on the inside. Begin to visualize the life of your dreams. Be intentional about it. Don’t think about it now and then but actually be intentional to set aside time each day for your visualization exercise.