I would like to introduce you to a new way of approaching God or in fact finding out if there is a God. Whether you buy into God or not, I believe this will help you in everyday life.
Tomorrow when you get up in the morning say to yourself Today I will make no decisions by myself. Hmpf, you might say. Think about it. What are the odds of you making a right decision? 50-50? If you're used to making bad decisions, the odds are increased against you. If you hold a level of competence where currently your decisions have proven successful, say 70-80% of the time, the odds are increased for you. How would you like to make right decisions 100% of the time (or near, after all, we are human)?
After you've repeated the mantra, Today I will make no decisions by myself, what's next? You don't have to be a person of faith to increase your success rate. The idea that you can consult another being or your inner-being for unity is what this is all about. There's nothing new about counseling, but what is new is that you can self-conduct counseling sessions in private all the time, every time.
Everybody has a spirituality about them. Admitting it might be a problem, especially for those without a faith tradition, for they may think it's "giving in to God", or worse, giving into the religious culture. The spirituality of what's known for an atheist can be very much alive; if, the person will acknowledge it and come to work with it.
It may be even more difficult for faith-persons to tune into their spirituality if they're so attuned to that in which they are so comfortable they can't know to what degree spirituality is at work. One can only test it for themselves. Faith comes in different forms. If you were born into a faith family, your parents sent you to the right schools and had you participate in the right rituals. A cradle to grave faith may be just fine, or it can be inhibiting in finding one's spirituality. It all depends.
If you became a faith person as a teen or early adult, chances are your choices took you there. Now it's a matter of how literal your teachers are; do they thump the book and breathe fire, or, are do they inspire to your satisfaction. In any of the aformentioned scenarios, it's real easy to find a comfort zone and stay there. I call it, digging a rut and living there. I don't mean to be unkind for you may be pleased as punch as to where your faith has taken you. That's OK. We're just talking here, but, should we be satisfied where we are, or should we always be in search of new horizons? I like the latter. It's like putting a seed in the ground without knowing the plant's name and see what comes up.
Whether you're frustrated in life (with or without a faith tradition) or whether you're just fine where you are; will you consent to trying a new process? Here it is.
1. Today I will make no decisions by myself.
2. If I don't decide on my own, I will have no questions about what is
handed me. In time, with practice, the two will
come together in unity.
3. At worst, I can decide I don't like what has been handed me today so far. My self-deciding hasn't worked out, in fact I was wrong and my rate of success today is zero.
4. I want another way to look at this.
5. At best, what have I to lose by searching my inner spirituality and try Step 1.
The key is meditation, or prayer, the latter needing to be other than rote, i.e. spontaneous. Huddle up in your private place and decide to give up ego. Humility always pays, ego never. People usually wait till they've exhausted their ability to cope to "give it to the Lord". I'm asking you to do that from the git-go before the wrong decision is already in play and you're down the wrong path, leading to nowhere.
My mantra is, Check with God first. On one hand I seem to know when I've forgotten Steps 1, 2 but on the other, I've accumulated a certain confidence in decision making and my rate of success is improving but I'm still working on it.
Wherever you are in your walk, faith or without, give it a try. I'd like to hear from you when you've given it a go.
Blessings Always,
Vern Schanilec
Comments