Transforming Your Life

Many people today will tell you they seek "inner peace". But people seem very confused about what this inner peace is. They thus try escapes into all kinds of systems such as chanting, meditating, going on pilgrimages, giving up worldly possessions... but none of it works for most of them.

They are still distracted from being in the moment; they cannot fully enjoy the presence of their friends and loved ones; they may be prone to verbally or even physically violent outbursts; they are always feeling stressed out or frantic, with "no time" to relax.

Inner peace really does have to emerge from one's insides. It cannot be brought in from the outside.

So, what authentic ways are there of being able to realize inner peace?

One of them is to face problems squarely and look fate in the face, here and now. Do not accept "quick fixes" like an uneasy compromise, escape into drunkenness, or telling yourself you'll sleep on it. Be very pro-active in solving all problems as soon as you know they are there.

Another thing is that you must see things as they are and accept them that way. The only way to solve problems and be at peace with the life around you is to deal with things as they are, not as you wish them to be or think they "should" be. When sages say, "Everything is already perfect like it is," this is what they mean. They don't mean that you have no problems, only that escape into delusion cannot solve them. Also keep in mind: you can heal and repair yourself, but you cannot change other people and you cannot heal them unless they want you and invite you to do so.

Take responsibility for your life, including how you interact with and react to other people. Yes, many other people are cruel and ignorant; they hurt you. But as the Buddhist proverb says, "Pain is inevitable; suffering is not." If another abused you, that may not be your fault; but if you are still suffering and scarred from it so that your life is interfered with 20 years later, that IS your fault.

Learn how to observe your own emotions from someplace "outside" yourself, rather than just being swept away by them. WHY do you react in such and such a way to this or that? WHY do you feel you desire this or hate that? You'll realize that you can change your emotions about many things, and that you are not your emotions.

If you want inner peace, you'll never have it unless you resolve to always be honest--and if there are times when people beg you to lie to them (tell a little white lie), at least never, ever lie to your own self.

Understand that "you" are many things at once. You are an ego, you are a Higher Self, you are a bundle of needs and desires, you have memory and awareness and dreams for the future. These things may conflict; it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you if they do at times. Just be sure you take it upon yourself to resolve the conflicts honestly.

Remember that getting angry is easy. But getting angry at the right person or event, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right reason--this is very difficult. Never take the easy way out.

Finally: Just do it! They who hesitate are lost. Seize the day.

The ancient Egyptians considered the heart, not the brain, to be the seat of awareness and spirituality. Modern science has confirmed that the brain and the heart exchange electrochemical information... and that the heart sends more information to the brain than vice-versa!

I mention this because we have all heard about the importance of following your heart. We have also all heart about what a silly romantic notion that is for a modern "rational" person. We are supposed to follow, not our hearts, but the needs of the business world, the expectations of our parents, the pre-digested "education" that we received, the "rational" thinking. If we follow our heart--especially, in our society, if we are male, although females are also talked off of doing this--we are just some fool going off the edge of the cliff. We are told that nobody should expect to find their fantasy partner in a romantic relationship, so we should "settle" (this, it just so happens, is what the females are more supposed to do). We should not set our ambitions too high; we are very likely not "talented" enough to be what we want to be in our hearts, and we don't want to set ourselves up for disappointment, do we?

It used to be taken as a given that a person could become "heart-broken", which meant that if they loved someone or something with all of their being and had this source cut off from them or taken away from them their heart could swell with such energy born of pain that it could burst and they could die. Today, most people who are educated consider that to be a silly notion, or an overly romantic one.

Yet, there are modern stories of people who have lost a beloved one, such as a child, to death...and very soon after the death developed "cancer" and died themselves. The doctors might call it cancer, but what that is is a broken heart.

To follow your heart is not to literally follow any imagine dictations from a muscular organ that pumps blood through your body. It is to listen to your entire being. It is to pay close attention to your conscious mind, your subconscious mind, your nervous system, your bones, your total health and wellness; it is also to take your emotions seriously, yet without overreacting to them. For what our emotions demand is not REaction, but ACTION.

We must trust that what we deeply desire is not something whimsical and misguided; it is an instinct that has built up within us for years and years, ever since we came into the world.

We need to learn to trust the voice of our deepest dreams and desires. This is not some childish or silly voice. It is not "irrational". It is a voice that has been building wisdom for us for many long years. When we feel that we must act on a desire, if we are mindful we will know that our feelings are not leading us down a dark, blind road; they are heeding the call of where we are meant to go now. If our hearts are what keep us alive...why should we not follow them, our most intimate part?

A lot of people nowadays are hearing more and more about the power of visualization for achieving their hopes and dreams. They hear about and read about envisioning being with what they want, feeling the excitement of it coming to them, meditating to focus their minds intensely on their desires, programming their subconscious mind to attract into their waking life all they wish for and need.

But then... they are disappointed, they are crushed, when these things don't come to them. They are very sure they have read the good books and websites, the ones that are recommended. They meditate daily, calming their minds, focusing on their breathing, opening up a clear channel of imagination in which they see all that they want in the room with them, being held in their hands. Yet, not much of anything that they most want is coming to them or manifesting in their lives.

Well, we have talked about what they have done right; we haven't hit upon what they haven't done at all. Where is their action? What are they doing to make their dreams and desires manifest? Judging by their results, the answer is nothing.

We live in a kinetic universe. We are creatures of action. That which is alive is animated and crackling with energy It is our nature to take actions. When we do our meditations and visualizations, when we say our affirmations and get ourselves into the state of feeling our desires "comin' down the pike" right at us, we are also supposed to begin acting in a way that reflects our abundance. Besides having an attitude that is filled with a quiet patience, a knowing of what is going to soon be seen, we also have to listen to our own inner, still, small voice; and when that voice tells us to take a certain action, that is what we are supposed to do.

If you want to be a great classical guitar player, you can visualize yourself playing perfectly, you can mentally imagine hearing yourself making gorgeous guitar music, all you want to; and that is great, and you should do those things. Now, the question is: what is your practice schedule like? Oh, you thought that the guitar was just going to start playing by itself while you imagined playing it? Tell me, how's that working out for you? It's not, is it? You're not playing classical guitar, are you? Of course not: you haven't taken any action! You aren't practicing! You aren't studying how to read music!

You just have to listen to that inner voice that you have. Trust to your instinct and follow the course of action that you feel called or nudged to take. You might be uncertain or hesitant at first; but just keep listening and trying out the action you feel inspired to follow and you'll get things right soon enough. After you visualize and affirm with words, it's time to cut to the chase and get on a course of action. It's in your actions that the magic lies.