Do You Control Your Life?

Do you believe you have no control over your life? Are you who you are today, by choice or by fate? Will a change in your actions create a change in your life? Many people have given up on their dreams… they say, “Dreaming is only for the rich. When you have money, you can dream. When you have no money, don’t dream.”

That’s true… not everyone is lucky enough to be born with a silver spoon. If you are lacking in funds, it’s going to be difficult to start living life the way you want to. Money buys you freedom to follow your passions. But you don’t have to give up on your dreams, just because you lack money.

Feeling Out Of Control Of Your Life?

Depending on where you are brought up, you will face limitations depending on your family finance, culture, and environment. Some of us are born to have easy lives, while some are born to take a more challenging path. Perhaps the limitations and obstacles you currently face, that lead to feeling out of control of your life,  are part of your journey — you must overcome them to grow stronger on the path to achieving your goals.

If You Want to Live Your Dream – Take Control of Your Life!

When we are young, we all seem to have clear idea of what we want to be when we grow up. But somewhere along the way, these dreams get buried under the reality of daily living. The focus shifts from ‘living the dream’ to just ‘finding a good job with a stable income’. “Survival first”, as they call it. The sad part is that many people spend much of their lives doing what they don’t like, so they can finally earn enough to start doing what they do like.

I say, that’s a great way to bury your happiness and turn into an economic slave. Doing what you dislike, day after day, will numb the sense of joy within you. Soon you will feel that your life has no greater purpose, and there is nothing to look forward to but work, work, work…. You will have forgotten how much fun it is to spend your time doing the things you like to do.

The Secret to Living Your Dreams

It’s painful if you don’t make enough money to live comfortably. But what ís more painful is if the work you do has no meaning to you. Everyday you can drag yourself to work, perform meaningless actions, and then drag yourself back home. Apart from sleeping, work takes up the majority of our time. So if you’re not enjoying your work, you’re not enjoying your life. And life is so short, isn’t it?

Your Life is Happening Right Now!

We probably have less than a hundred years to make our mark in this world. And you never know… you fail to look while crossing the road and BOOM! You could be gone tomorrow. So why spend your life doing something you don’t like to do? We don’t slog three-quarters of our lives just so we can enjoy one-quarter… we might not live that long. Understand that the essence of your life is happening right now — you are walking a path; making your journey through life.

And if the work you do, is not designed to help you fulfill your higher purpose in life, then perhaps you are walking in the wrong direction. No point taking this path… change direction.

If you want to feel in control, if you want your dream to stay alive, you have to act on it. It’s like a fire that grows brighter and stronger if you fan its flames and keep adding wood. If you leave the fire alone, never doing anything to keep it alive, it will burn itself out. When you fail to act on your dreams, they die.

The Music In You

There is music within you, and you only need to coax it out. The daily grind forces us to forget what we love to do. Imagine you’re retired. You have enough money to live comfortably, but not to splurge. How would you spend your time? What activities would you find purpose in? What would you do to amuse yourself?

If you have an idea of what you would love to do but are not doing, then schedule some time everyday to do it. Making time for what you love is just like fanning the flames of your passion — the fire can only grow stronger. It’s what will bring a sense of purpose and meaning into your life; that spark of joy and wonder.

The happiest people are those who enjoy their work. They’ve managed to make money doing what they love to do, just like Leanne. And this can happen for you… if you are willing to reject the World’s Greatest Lie. Realize that you always have control over your actions, and therefore your results. The only time your start to fail in life, is when you stop believing in your ability to make a difference.

You don’t need a silver spoon; you don’t need to be a genius. What you need is a sincere belief in yourself and willingness to take action towards your dreams. Believe me, you have what it takes. It’s your choice – believe the world’s greatest lie, or take control of your life!

Spiritual Life = Having Quiet Time

“Be Still And  Know That I Am God”, or similar wording, appears in most spiritual traditions. To live a spiritual life in today’s hectic world means taking regular time out to meditate, pray and contemplate. It is ironic that many westerners turn to eastern traditions to teach them meditation and contemplation. The Christian church has a long history of doing both. For some reason the strand of Christianity that came to Europe lost these techniques, except for some monastic codes.

Yet if you look at the works of people like Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating and Cynthia Bourgeault you will se that underneath the man made layers of the Christian religion lies a powerful set of techniques for Quiet Time. I’ll be writing more about this in a future blog.

Spiritual Life = Kaizen

You can’t live a spiritual life and be stagnating because the spiritual life is all about growth. Its’s the embodiment of the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen of demanding daily incremenral progress in ourselves.

Spritual Life = Forgiveness

Someone who is living a spiritual life does not hold deep grudges and resentments against others. Instead, you need tolerance and patience with others, and this comes from a genuine humility–knowing that you have probably made as many mistakes as anyone else. The spiritual life also requires that you forgive yourself for your mistakes.

Spiritual Life = Gratitude

The spiritual life is about remembering to say “thank you” – in prayer, in meditation, when speaking to others. All spiritual traditions emphasise the need for gratitude. Anthony Robins decribes it as developing an “attitude of gratitude”.

Spiritual Life = Understanding that Life is A Gift from God.

You may not use the “God” word; you may prefer “The Universe”, “Spirit”, Source” but whatever your choice of word, life is a gift. All of life – it’s easy to believe that only our soul is a gift. But the spiritual life means recognising that body,  mind and soul are all inter-connected. Any idea of separation is an illusion. Life is a gift!

Spiritual Life = Choice and Responsibility

The spiritual life recognises that the quality of our lives depends on the quality of the choices we make. We choose to live a spiritual life. WE choose the way we feel. We choose the way we behave. We are always responsible for our choices.

Spiritual Life = Walking Your Talk

Believe that honesty, integrity and dignity matter more than anything else. Doing good is a much worthier and more satisfying goal than doing well. You have to be willing to give of yourself and some of what you have to others to achieve greatness and goodness.

Spiritual Life = Dealing with Uncertainty

Some people think that living a spiritual life is only possible once you have all of the answers. For me, that’s looking at things the wrong way round. The spiritual life lis a journey, not a destination. The spiritual life is a journey of becoming.

How about you – what tips would you add to hep those trying ti live an even deeper spiritual life?

Before looking at these spiritual tips, it’s important to understand that stress is neither good nor bad. Rather, it’s neutral, a bit like a gun. It’s what you do with it, how you manage it, that determines whether the outcome will be positive or negative.

Spiritual Tip 1. Break the Stress Cycle

Relieve your symptoms of stress by exercising, meditating, sleeping etc. Take care of your body by eating well and getting enough sleep and exercise. Besides, you can try observing your reactions to stressors and whether they are appropriate for the situation. Observation alone is a great way to manage stress.

Spiritual Tip 2.  Look for Grace.

Keep an eye out for little miracles in your life.

Spiritual Tip 3.  Find quiet.

God talks when we listen. When you reconnect with yourself, nature and your Higher Power, the ways to manage your stress naturally appear. Our little human worries seem inconsequential.

Spiritual Tip 4.  Do Whatever Makes You Feel Close to God.

Put yourself in the environment where you feel God. If you don’t at the moment, go to where you used to feel sacredness. You can try going back to church or any sacred places to sit and relax.

Spiritual Tip 5.  Remember what you Love.

For mothers, loving our children can reconnect us to the Divine.  This includes nature, life and your partner.

Spiritual Tip 6.  Find a Trusted Person or Persons to Support your Desire to Reconnect.

This person could be a priest, minister, your partner, friend or grandparent. Discuss about ways to manage your stress spiritually.

Spiritual Tip 7.  Remember when You Used to be Connected and Make it a Practice to Remember That Every Day.

When stress approaches, recall that peaceful time and imagine actually being there.  Remember how protected you felt then.

Spiritual Tip 8.  Mindfulness

Practice being fully present and mindful.  Give yourself the assignment of being mindful for 1 day, 1 hour or 1 minute.  Really be present.  Observe yourself and the events around you and fully participate with your heart.

Spiritual Tip 9. Choose to Change your Patterns

Make a choice to find yourself again. However, do not force it nor stress about it. It is not advisable to manage stress by creating more stress.

Spiritual Tip 10.  Be Grateful

Remember to be thankful every day for everything that you have in your life

Spiritual Growth Means Looking Inward.

Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. Spiritual growth comes from periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in as well as reflecting on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. These provide useful insights on your spiritual growth, your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard.

Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek and see the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers that will help you with your spiritual growth:

- be objective,
- be forgiving of yourself,
- be patient
- focus on your areas for improvement.

Spiritual Growth Means Embracing 2 Values.

Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Western and Eastern spiritual teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit.

Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure spiritual growth and are expressed in 2 values common to all of the world’s major religions:

1. Unconditional love of God (The Universe, Spirit, whatever term you are comfortable with), self and others

2. Reverence and gratitude for life

Spiritual Growth is a Search for Meaning.

Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam propose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Whether we believe that life is pre-determined or self-directed, spiritual growth means understanding that we do not merely exist. There is a purpose to our lives, one that emerges as part of our spiritual growth.

This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potential into use; it sustains us during trying times; it gives us a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.

Spiritual Growth Means Recognising the Interconnectedness of Everything

Spirituality stresses the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a Higher Being.

On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow.

Spiritual Growth Rejects Greed

Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. Spiritual growth is in part a journey of rejecting greed and arrogance. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.

Spiritual growth is a process of our day-by-day development . We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.

The Spiritual Entrepreneur and Freedom.

Most of us want to achieve a sense of freedom. You set out on the path of the spiritual entrepreneur so that you can become independent in one of the key areas of your life. Being successful and independent will boost your confidence and improve the quality of your life. We are all equipped with this positive energy within us and can use it to make a major shift in the way we live.

Spiritual Empowerment

Spirituality may be associated with religion but in the case of the spiritual entrepreneur it does not have to be. As a spiritual entrepreneur, you live your life based on spiritual empowerment, because your consciousness has been awakened. This enables you to see yourself as you really are and become aware of your strengths and limitations, objectively and calmly, without self-recrimination. This in turn enables you to take care of and understand yourself more than you used to.

Being spiritually empowered creates awareness of what makes you happy and makes you more sensitive to what would make other people happy. It creates in the spiritual entrepreneur the desire to take care of others, too. A key concept is service, to staff, clients, potential clients and suppliers.

Why the Spiritual Entrepreneur is Important

Society has created and reinforces stereotypes and perfect models as to people should think and behave. This makes many of us disgruntled and embarrassed about ourselves if we don’t meet those stereotypes; depression and conditions such as anorexia are examples of how people respond if they consider themselves to be “failures” in meeting society’s norms

However, when you become spiritually empowered, you see yourself for who you are and are not. You become aware of your capabilities and know what needs to be done. Empowered people know their roles in society and they know what they can do to bring about change in themselves, in others, and in the environment. Because the spiritual entrepreneur is spiritually awakened, (s)he can act as a role model for others.

Inspiration For The Spiritual Entrepreneur.

So what does it mean in real terms? I apologise to those who have a different spiritual tradition to mine. My frame of reference is the spiritual role model provided for us by Jesus Christ, the man, not the many branches of Christian religions that have so often forgotten the example he set.

However, in speaking with friends who are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and even many atheists and agnostics, all agree that what I am about to write fits in comfortably with their traditions, too.

 The Spiritual Entrepreneur and St Francis of Assissi

The first set of guidelines come from the famous prayer by St Thomas of Assissi:

“Lord, make me a channel of thy peace

— where there is hatred, may I bring love;

— where there is wrong, may I bring the spirit of forgiveness;

— where there is discord, may I bring harmony;

— where there is error, may I bring truth;

— where there is doubt, may I bring faith;

— where there is despair, may I bring hope;

— where there are shadows, may I bring light;

— where there is sadness, may I bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather

— to comfort than to be comforted;

— to understand, than to be understood;

— to love, than to be loved. “

Even for those who do not believe in a God, the above serves as a recipe being a successful entrepreneur. After all, an entrepreneur is someone who solves problems for people at a profit – in other words, the spiritual entrepreneur is committed to serving others and as a result, makes money.

The Spiritual Entrepreneur and Unconditional Love

The other set of guidelines come from the qualities of unconditional love, described in the bible:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

This is the key to it all. The spiritual entrepreneur understands that everything (s)he says and does has to be rooted in unconditional love.

The business world today can be a very intimidating place for a spiritual entrepreneur. You see, business today become very competitive. Money makes this world go round. All over the world some people would do anything for money yet ironically, the world needs the spiritual entrepreneur more than ever!

Money And the Spiritual Entrepreneur

This makes it easy for the spiritual entrepreneur to be afraid. Most think that money will somehow corrupt their morals and interfere with their spiritual lives. For example, a verse most Christian entrepreneurs keep repeating to themselves is “Money is the root of all evil.” (I Tim. 6:10). However, many Christians fail to realize that there is much more to this verse that changes its meaning.

When you read the whole verse, you can actually see that it says “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” That’s right: money per se cannot be the source of all evil because it is an inanimate object. A lot of good has been produced by money, and if you don’t have the money, how can you do good?

The Spiritual Entrepreneur Rejects Greed

The love for money is the root of all evil. This talks about greed. The spiritual entrepreneur should never let greed rule their lives. Money is important. However, you should not learn to “love” it. You should not let it dictate your life. You should not make decisions that favour money instead of your spiritual values.

The banking collapse has taught us that greed is dangerous not just for the spiritual entrepreneur, but for other types of businessmen as well. Most people fall down because of their greed by compromising their principles. Principles keep a company in line. In fact, the spiritual entrepreneur builds her/his company based on spiritual principles.

The Principles of the Spiritual Entrepreneur

The core principles adopted by the spiritual entrepreneur are simple:

Unconditional love of God (whatever God means to you), others and self.

A sense of awe about the planet and gratitude for our life on it.

Being on service to clients and society.

These principles underpin most of the major religions, although they have often become deeply buried under man-made doctrines and organisations.

Examples for The Spiritual Entrepreneur – Colgate and Ford

Want some inspiration? Well, think of Colgate. The toothpaste that most of the world is using right now was introduced to the world by a spiritual entrepreneur. Another very good example of a successful spiritual entrepreneur is Henry Ford. Ford ran his company under spiritual principles and was rewarded by having work efficiency reach a very high level.

Even in the present day, the Ford motor company still maintains its spiritual company and still succeeds at being one of the biggest companies in the world.

The Path of the Spiritual Entrepreneur

There are a number of opportunities out there for the spiritual entrepreneur to grasp. In fact, the fact that there are a lot of spiritual people out there shows you that you have a very big potential market!

So what do you need to do to get started on your path as a spiritual entrepreneur? Well, you might want to look into yourself and see what you might need as a spiritual person. What products would spiritually minded people be willing to buy? What services can you render to spiritual people? Most important of all, what business can you offer that would not compromise your spiritual principles and get in the way of your spiritual life?

Opportunities for the Spiritual Entrepreneur

Well, you can always open a spiritual bookstore. You know how much literature appeals to spiritual people. There are many religious bookstores, but few that focus on non-religion based spiritual values and lifestyle. By opening a spiritual bookstore, you can provide spiritual people with the perfect place to catch up on their reading. You can sell inspirational books and different types of gift items that would certainly have spiritual people flocking to your bookstore.

Another business opportunity for the spiritual entrepreneur today comes in the form of music. People all over the world have noticed how much spiritual music has evolved and the market is slowly expanding for it. By going into the spiritual music business, you are given two opportunities. You will be able to sell music for the soul and you will be able to introduce people to the basic spiritual values and beliefs.

Starting Your Business

In order to get your business started, you are going to need some help. Thankfully, there are a lot of groups out there with the purpose of helping out spiritual entrepreneurs. By going to these groups, you gain a lot of advantages.

First of all, these groups can help you with the basics of putting up your own business. They can help spiritual entrepreneurs with the legal complexities and give them different ideas as to what kind of business to go into.

By going to spiritual entrepreneur support groups for help, you also have the privilege to get in contact with the spiritual community and scout out your potential market. We all know how valuable information can be, and the best way to get it is straight from the source.

As the world recovers from the consequences of excessive greed, if that recovery is to be sustained, the spiritual entrepreneur will be needed more and more.

“A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Woolies. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence.

It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.. We all stood there, under the awning, just inside the door of the Woolies.  (Woolies in South Africa equates to Marks and Spencer in the UK).

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.  Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, ‘Mom let’s run through the rain,’  She said.
‘What?’ Mom asked.

‘Let’s run through the rain!’ She repeated.

‘No, honey. We’ll wait until it slows down a bit,’ Mom replied.

This young child waited a minute and repeated: ‘Mom, let’s run through the rain..’

‘We’ll get soaked if we do,’ Mom said.

‘No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,’ the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom’s arm.

‘This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?’

‘Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘ If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything! ‘ ‘

The entire crowd stopped dead silent.. I swear you couldn’t hear anything but the rain.. We all stood silently. No one left. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

‘Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If GOD let’s us get wet, well maybe we just need washing,’ Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They got soaked.

They were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran.  I got wet.  I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories…So, don’t forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time to live!!!

Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you’ll need each other — And don’t forget to run in the rain! ”

I don’t usually forward this kind of thing but the message is so powerful, I couldn’t resist publishing it!

In his hierarchy of needs, Maslow described level 5 – self-actualization, as the final level of psychological development, achieved when all basic and mental needs are fulfilled and the person can develop their full potential. Whilst many organisations and leaders quote Maslow when talking about motivation, they typically express the view that level 5 issues are not the concern of organisations.

I believe otherwise. I believe that the key players in organisations who want to take the lead into the next decade have to identify what really matters to them, where their passion lies and how they can best serve their organisation and humanity as a whole, all Level 5 transpersonal issues.

Organisations, their leaders and managers will have to become comfortable not just talking about these issues, but providing their employees with the opportunities to develop at this level, if the employee wants to.

The transpersonal perspective emphasises the importance of personal development in both physical and metaphysical areas, working as individuals on our own and when interacting with others. To quote Roberto Assagioli:

“At this time, it is the right course and our plain duty towards ourselves, towards others and towards God, not only freely to accept Spiritual Joy but intentionally to awaken it within ourselves and to preserve and increase that which we have obtained.”