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WHAT'S THIS LIFE FOR: “Because The Answer Lies In You”
I believe one of the best songwriting bands out today is a group called Creed. In their song What's This Life For, the line that always makes me think, states “because the answer lies in you.”
Have you ever questioned what your life is really for? If we choose, we have the opportunity to reflect and look deeper at our purpose for being here when we are in despair. Maybe it was at the end of a love relationship. Maybe it was a thought that raced through your mind as you struggled one more time to get out of bed in the morning after another night of abusing alcohol. Or the thoughts of self doubt and frustration that arise when you look in the mirror and admit that your addiction to food is wreaking havoc in your life. If there is any time that we should seriously question, “What's this life for” . . . it is probably right now.
Complacency with our existence can also be a sign that we need to question all that we are and all that we can be. Many of us never explore the incredible full potential that we have waiting inside, desiring to be released. I ask you to take a moment today to question your beliefs, to question your existence.
It is through the asking of questions that we can break through our issues and problems and start to see that all of the answers we desire truly do reside within. The answers many times come as “feelings.” It just “feels” right to take a certain path of action. We may not know why, but it does. It feels right (if we quietly ask for help, and then listen for our own wisdom to come through) to move . . . to get help . . . to start looking for another job . . . to leave a relationship . . . to go back to Temple . . . or to start selling our numerous possessions or give them away. We must remember that the answers we desire so greatly are all within.
Slow down. Sit in silence. Ask for guidance, ask for love. Then follow your heart.
If you believe this article can help someone you know, please pass it on.
Search. Grow. Love.
Love, peace, david
www.davidessel.com
LOOKING FOR INNER PEACE? ME TOO.
Release the end result. Stay in the moment. Live each day mindfully. Be aware of your surroundings. Be open to small joys daily. Live in gratitude. Serve the world. In any instance, in any situation, do what Jesus would do. Or Buddha.
All of these statements, if pieced together, would lead us daily to a life full of inner peace. But, what is inner peace? To each of us, it might be slightly different. Have you ever paused and asked yourself what your concept of inner peace is? If we haven't, how will we know if and when we ever get there? Or even if we are close? As many wise sages, holy men and women have said from the beginning of time, the answers to our prayers may simply lie in the asking of the question, for if we do not regularly ask the question, we begin to live a life that is clouded, monotonous.
So, I ask you today, what does inner peace mean to you? What would your life look like, feel like, if each day was lived with a sense of peace? Focus on this question daily, for the answer may simply lie in bringing yourself back to this question every morning which will lead to awareness and inner peace.
To me, it seems that this search for inner peace is simply the search for our true, or our pure self. Did you ever stop to think that right now, what we are all searching for is already with us? The more we search and ask ourselves these questions daily, the closer we come to peace. For without slowing down our world, which unbeknownst to most of us we have total control over, we continue living on automatic, falsely believing that a life full of peace is something only the great religious chosen ones have access to. How sad and how untrue. We all have complete control of our reaction to any given situation, person or event. Peace, true inner peace, comes from knowing this truth and then acting on it.
Look at the way our wise elders in this country react to each day. The ones who have knowingly asked these questions are living peacefully in each moment in their gardens, woodworking shop, or just sitting. They have learned the futility of rushing, scrambling, fretting. They look at faces and pictures on the wall in the long line at the bank, while the rest of us nervously stare at our watches and worry about the time. Our wise elders have come to the realization that inner peace has been a choice all along, one we did not know we could grasp or snatch out of the air at any moment.
The wait in line will not speed up regardless of how agitated we become, so why do we go there? At any moment, we can choose a life filled with inner peace. Are you ready to question your outdated beliefs? Are you ready to let go of misconceptions? Follow the wise ones, the living sages today. Follow your own path starting in this moment to continual inner peace. Ask yourself the question daily, what would my life look like if it was filled with inner peace? Act on this today.
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If you believe this article can help someone you know, please pass it on.
Search. Grow. Love.
Love, peace, david
www.davidessel.com
ALWAYS LATE
Dear David: I have a problem with staying on a schedule and usually end up being late, or barely on time, for just about everything I do. My former boyfriend told me that this is the thing that drove him away, and that it's a sign of self-centerdness. What do you think?
(David responds) While many people try to rationalize the behavior pattern of "lateness" with comments such as " . . . this is just who I am . . . it's genetics . . . no one is perfect, accept me or move on . . .," there may be something much deeper than these surface remarks that we need to look at. Chronic lateness could be a sign of the desire for someone to control those around them, to let others know that they will set the schedule and arrive when they do, regardless of what it means to others. So, your former boyfriend may have a point that you need to look at more closely. If your being late holds everyone around you up, which inevitably it always does, then you are being selfish. Even if you apologize, it is still a sign that says, "the things I had to do that kept me from being on time are more important than you or your time." If you began to squirm as you read that last line, you may need to read it again. Oftentimes what we don't want to acknowledge, we try to push away.
Many people who are constantly late do so because they have to create "drama" in their life in order to constantly be the center of attention. Children who desire constant attention and who do not get it may purposefully disobey their parents in order to have people pay attention to them. Any attention is better than none, so even if it comes from being scolded, it's better to them than not being recognized. As adults, many of us bring our childish acts with us in order to continue being the center of attention. The adult who is always late to family functions, parties, etc.guarantees themselves attention. They know people will be talking about them and joking as they walk in the room, "Hey, so glad you could finally make it." Again, to these self-centered people, some attention is better than none at all.
Look inside and ask yourself what you need to do to change your patterns so that you can start arriving on time. The benefits to yourself and others will be well worth the efforts. Start today.
If you believe this article can help someone you know, please pass it on.
Search. Grow. Love.
Love, peace, david
www.davidessel.com
