Momentum

Dealing with a connection between where we are and where we want to be in some timeless version of reality may sound all fine in theory, but we still live in a world of things. Or so we think. In the realities of quantum physics and the theory of relativity we find that these ‘things’ are actually tightly packed bundles of energy. So we are really living in a world of energy.

Now we all have heard the saying ‘the bigger they are the harder they fall’. Applying our new understanding a truer statement might be; the larger the amount of energy present the greater the push needed. Simple enough right? Energy in, energy out. Big deal.

Apply this to the desire we have to grow and the universal consciousness we need to tap in to and you may get to see how much of a daunting task it can be to build momentum towards our dreams and goals. If we take off the seat belts to our desire we can create some of the biggest and most worthwhile goals anyone has ever thought before. The problem then becomes the amount of energy needed to accomplish those goals. Tapping into and influencing a universal consciousness could also take a near unlimited amount of energy as well. So where do we begin?

To think of thought having momentum is probably something that we are all very much used to, we just like to call it other things. A learning curve, for example, is a good showcase of how we organize this thought momentum. Start small we tell our kids when they are learning arithmetic or algebra. Make it easy bite sized steps toward a worthy goal and before you know it your kid is getting his doctorate after writing a 3000 page dissertation. It is that process that we sometimes forget about.

Movement in regards to momentum really has two things that we need to apply to thought momentum. First there is a threshold, a minimum level of energy required to move or displace the object in question. The bigger the object is, the harder we need to push. The second application is that there needs to be a constant force applied in order to maintain momentum, unless you live in a completely devoid vacuum with no exposure to gravity whatsoever.

As it applies to our study of the mind we need to exhort a sufficient amount of energy in the form of desire and expectation to bring our dreams closer to us. The bigger the dream, the bigger the desire needs to be. This is where visualization and finding out exactly what we want can help. By giving a clear picture of what we do want to our subconscious it won’t waste any energy attracting what we don’t want. You won’t leave teaching algebra up to ‘something like this’ kind of thinking, so don’t do so with your dreams either.

The second application is don’t ever give up or give in. Too many times people have stopped just short of their dream. The image I describe it as is using a water well pump and stopping when the water column is just inches below the ground. You can’t see any results but the momentum is moving your goal closer to you with ever small effort you put forward. Once the dream is moving forward it gets easier. Even if you feel like you are just going through the motions just stay consistent. All that energy will have been for nothing if you stop for even a brief moment. After a certain amount of energy is put into it, the dream will start to take place almost as if it happened by itself.

Some cautions would be if your desire is not strong enough, just stop now. Don’t waste your energy pushing against a rock that won’t budge. If you are not going to give it all you got that spent energy could be used better somewhere else. Another concern of mine would be becoming complacent with only setting easy to accomplish goals. Start small to begin with, raise the level of belief, tap into the universal consciousness but don’t stop there. You will spend more energy organizing and moving ten 10 pound boxes each up a flight of stairs than one 100 pound box in one shot. If you can handle the 100 pounds, why not?

Stay strong, dig deep and leave it all on the field. You will never know what mountains you can move until you try. Even then, you can always come back with some one else who shares your dream. Put this law of momentum into your favor rather than be overcome by the sheer magnitude of this life.

Ever Expanding Good

So we have defined desire, we have declared our intentions, we let go of limiting beliefs, we began to fallow our heart and to find our purpose. That is a good track to be on. Now we are going to examine some of the processes to make this all work, to get what we really want.

First we need to define what it really means to want something.

In the New Testament the ‘kingdom of heaven’ was likened to sowing mustard seeds in a field. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900) said that the kingdom of heaven is “a condition of the heart -not something that comes upon the earth or after death.” When you sow good seed in good soil and take care to remove the weeds you get a good harvest. Likewise when you sow good ideas in the garden of your mind and protect yourself from corrupting influences they will yield good results. The kingdom of heaven is not a corner office in the sky, but rather a condition of ever expanding good on a deeper soul level.

This idea of ever expanding good when applied to our lives causes us to be the caretakers of our mind. Take care as to what weeding needs to be done for your situation.

Really what this means on a universal consciousness level is that everything has a desire to grow. Nobility is not being superior to those around you; true nobility is being superior to your previous self. Knowing this truth we can begin to see how these desires we have are actually a calling to grow and become a better person.

To illustrate what I mean here let us take the example of winning the lottery. When someone wins $50,000 in one day did anything grow inside of them? Maybe their ego grew if anything, but did they sow and harvest any good seeds in their mind? These people may go off and buy a fancy new car or some nice two week vacation, but for the most part they ultimately end back up where they started. Sometimes it ends even worse. Now you compare that to the person who earned $50,000 in one day and the differences in attitude is drastically different. They are more likely to use the money investing to make more than to spend it on a frilly gimmick for a one time benefit. Let us imagine that each person finds themselves $50,000 in debt, who is more likely to work through this situation? Chances are the person who won $50,000 won’t win it again in time to pay off the debt. The person who earned $50,000 knows they can do it again and most likely will to pay off the debt. Which person is a better caretaker of their mind?

I challenge you to ask yourself this one question that you may have not thought about before; “Why do I desire this?” Knowing that when we desire something it is actually a calling to grow, to become better than we previously were, why do we want to become better than our previous selves? This next part is really going to flip your lid.

Time is usually thought of in a linear mode in modern western society. This means that basically we are in the moment, the past is behind us and the future is ahead of us wherever that may be. However this may not be the case in my fallowing example. Time is also thought to be more of a cyclical nature meaning that everything that has happened, that is happening and is going to happen are all taking place at the same time. A ‘bubble of time’ is used to explain this idea. Albert Einstein is quoted as “We convinced physicists, the distinction between past, present and future is only an illusion, however persistent.”

In quantum physics there is a theory of ‘time-inversion’ known as Wheeler–Feynman absorber theory. What it means in layman terms is when a beam light is being directed toward a detector forward through time there is also a beam of light that goes backwards in time from the detector to the source. It is used to explain certain phenomena of elementary particles to instantaneously jump from space to space.

We can take the ideas of time-inversion and ever expanding good while combining it with our desire to get some very interesting ideas. Whenever we have a desire it is like a beam of light being projected from our minds. That beam hits our detector otherwise known as our future results. That means in some future time in some ‘parallel universe’ our results have manifested (been detected) and we are getting the signal that went back in time. Whenever we have a desire it is actually a greater version of ourselves calling back to us.

We cannot desire something without having the ability to obtain it.

It is our purpose in life to grow and become a bigger version of ourselves. When we desire something it is not the physical thing that is the true and underlying motivator. Each person with $50,000 has the ability to spend it the same way. The difference is one will continue to grow while the other will not. It is not having the $50,000 that is important, it is the person you become in order to have the $50,000 that is.

True wealth can be defined as what you have left after all your worldly possessions are taken away from you.

Use your worldly desires to become a better person and those seeds you have sown into your mind will become fruitful and plentiful.

From Ambition to Meaning

Clebe McClary defined success as “Finding God’s purpose for your life early in life and sticking with it all of your life.”

Ambition to Meaning is a movie I highly recommend to anyone who asks the question “What is my purpose?” We mentioned that idea briefly in the previous post that when you fallow your heart’s bliss it will lead you to find your purpose. Raymond Holliwell’s book “Working with the Law” illustrates a point which could clarify the meaning of this desire for purpose.

In the book he describes a ‘Law of Non-Resistance’. This law would appear to be self explanatory but it goes deeper than doing what is easy or what comes naturally. When one aligns oneself with their higher purpose the difficulties that seem too great to overcome dissipate and are brushed aside almost effortlessly. If there is something that we are doing which requires a great deal of effort to overcome we are off purpose.

If you are a musician have you ever got caught up in practicing your latest song that hours few by and it felt like mere minutes? Or if you are a writer have you needed to set an alarm to remind yourself to take a break and go eat something? Didn’t it seem the best pieces of your work happened during those times? These ‘go with the flow’ states are more than just good times flying by, they are the events that contribute to the over arching purpose that one has for their life.

Now it does not mean that everything will come with ease, there are parts of this human existence that do require us to do something that we do not enjoy. But we can make the doing of it enjoyable knowing that it is leading us toward experiencing our bliss. In fact knowing that can make the act blissful. Doing the dishes is something that I don’t think anyone was put on this planet to do, but we can do it knowing that it provides a useful service that is needed for the enjoyment and function of life.

I have heard it in many different ways from many different people that they do not know what it is they are meant to do. Even to go so far as they ‘know’ there is nothing they are meant to do and that no one else has a purpose in their life. To them everything is a random series of events ultimately leading to chaos and catastrophe, dealing with it as a net loss of energy. I would stress to this individual to take their eyes off of themselves just long enough to figure out there is a greater meaning to life than what we can possibly describe. Start to focus on others and the value that they bring to this existence and see how their value may lead you towards finding meaning. In fact if this individual has such a hard time releasing the Ego and looking outward I would suggest DOING something that is focused outward. Do something in the act of selfless service. Do it without any hope of reward or return on your investment. Do this act and the purpose for your life will emerge. In the act of service is where one can find joy, honesty and humility in their life.

To put this idea into practical terms, ambition is not an intrinsically bad thing. Ambition without meaning is. Passion and the love you feel for what you do is not wrong, uncontrolled passions are. When we get ambitious about what we are doing not for the achievements associated with it but for the greater meaning that it represents we begin to live a life of purpose. Success is a by-product of a purposeful life.

If It Feels Good Do It

… And if it doesn’t, quit.

This is a quote taken slightly out of context from one of my favorite public speakers, Clebe McClary He saw it on a t-shirt from one of the high school students he spoke to and used it to describe an attitude that he disagreed with.

The Sloan song goes “If it feels good do it, even if you shouldn’t. Don’t let people mess you around.”

Good song and I really like Sloan but it seems that most people are missing the point with this one.

“And now it’s catching up to you as these things usually do. Saw it all and I can’t deny it’s a hard life living a lie.”

In other words, be true to yourself and it will feel good.

Do what feels right emotionally, not necessarily what physically feels good as many people think. Doing drugs, drinking alcohol, committing adultery; these things may feel good physically but it is not hard to see how they are destructive acts in the long run. So what is Sloan trying to tell us here? How does it match up with Clebe?

The other side of this idea can be summed up with “No pain, no gain.” We can easily see how that applies to physical life today. Working out does not feel great but it adds value to our lives physically. Studying into the late hours of is not the most pleasurable act but it adds value to our lives mentally. As a general rule it would seem that feeling good is actually bad and feeling bad is actually good. For the most part this is true; in the conscious realm that is.

When we are talking about the workings of the mind it is important to note that we have two separate entities we are working with; the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. When we are concerned with the subconscious mind I would argue that if it feels good we should do it.

In this sense the subconscious mind is where the feeling center resides. Our emotions are more directly linked with our subconscious. Once tuned into the subconscious mind it can be our greatest asset, the problem is becoming connected to that source.

Haven’t you ever noticed that you could feel something was wrong before you entered a room? You get this sinking feeling and then all of a sudden you notice an ex sitting there with their new partner and you look like you just walked out of the barn. Or you are delivering a business presentation and everything seems to go wrong. Maybe you noticed that in the positive sense. You just knew playing a certain sport would be the thing that brought you success. Or something held you back from crossing the street and you just miss getting hit by a drunk driver by inches. What caused you to act like that?

Sounds crazy I know, but something was there and you felt it. We all feel these moments from time to time, even if we don’t want to admit them to our friends in the likely event that they will get us fitted for a nice new straight jacket. But we can use this to our advantage if we just figured out what was going on and listened to it.

Intuition is a funny thing and considered by many to be some form of pseudoscience. In our highly intellectualized society today it is easy to push away something that we can not quantify; but we CAN qualify it. Next time you are faced with a difficult decision mentally ‘try it on’ and listen to your feelings. Remember, this is not going to be a yes or no answer. It will let you know intuitively how you would feel in that situation. That will help you decide if it is worth it or not to go in that direction.

Now before you all think I am some tree hugging psychic nut, let me explain where I am coming from here. Separation from the Ego is essential here. Being attached to any one outcome or desire to be right will prevent the intuition from being heard. Practice seeing yourself as the observer rather than what is being observed.

The subconscious mind in some scientific communities can be described as ‘group consciousness’. What that means is when two or more conscious beings get together they have the ability to think and act as one. A pack of wolves knows how to function as a group to survive and do things that one wolf alone could not do. A basketball team when performing at their best knows what one team mate will do even before he or she does it. Even though practice, instinct and understanding habits can partially explain group consciousness, these are good examples to illustrate what I am writing about. Take that a step further to society at large and you get social memes, belief traits that people unknowingly adopt from their environment. Take it to a universal perspective and we can develop the notion of a universal consciousness.

To put that all into perspective our subconscious mind is tied into the universal consciousness. It is one part of a congruent whole encasing all that exists in space and time. Intuition, that inner knowing, is just one example of how this universal consciousness influences our lives. So when we feel something, we know that on a subconscious and universal level. We know if it feels good and if it is a right fit for us. It is a powerful force that we should listen to. Even though the pain of exercise and study can at times be unbearable, if you truly listen to that inner knowing it could be saying something like “I know the effort is worth it. Just keep going and it will all work out.”

So get in touch with your inner feelings and silence that Ego for a period of time. Ask the question without forcing an answer. Do what feels right even if it hurts and you will ultimately be on the path to adding meaning to your life; to find your overarching purpose.

It is not Rocket Science

So how can we make this work?

We mentioned that having limiting beliefs are what usually hold people back. You could call it the missing piece to the secret of life. There are many self help gurus, many psychological techniques and other means to letting go of limiting beliefs. I am going to share with you one that has worked for me.

These 7 easy questions are all it takes, but it takes all you got. No rocket science here, but it will take a considerable amount of effort to get it working for you. Think of it like peeling away at an onion layer by layer. Usually when one limiting belief is removed, another is found in its place. Just keep at it, Rome wasn’t built in a day and your mind cannot be free in just one attempt.

1. What do I believe?
2. Do I really believe that?
3. Why do I believe that?
4. What do I fear about my belief not being true?
5. Why do I fear that?
6. Is it true?
7. How can I apply this to my life?

To give you an example of how I went through this process;

1. I believe that I will never fall in love.
2. Yes.
3. I built up a wall around my feelings, letting no one in after I got my heart broken.
4. I fear that if I fall in love it will open me up to being hurt again.
5. The pain the first time was unbearable; I do not want to let it happen again.
6. Yes it did hurt but to fall in love again does not mean I will get hurt again.
7. I can either go through the rest of my life alone, or I can start to embrace the relationships I have in my life around me.

I did have a few tangents that came from this train of thought. It led me to find a great affirmation that I now use on a daily basis.

“At any given time I can connect with someone on a deep and meaningful soul level.”

Now that sounds like an enabling belief. Go ahead, give it a try. You can laugh at yourself later, but trust me that this will work if you let it. If you have any other ways of releasing I would love to hear about it.

What is Holding Me Back?

We trust in it, most of us, whenever we seat ourselves and our loved ones in a car and head down the highway. We know it is there, that it has been tested and fitted to best suit our highest degree of safety. Even that all familiar ‘click’ lets us know everything is in place. But why do strap ourselves into a four thousand pound moving piece of steel or fiberglass?

Because we were told to do so?

For some, maybe, but for others…

Belief.

We believe it is going to save us.

Now this is not to bash seat belts, I do mine up every time, but it does help illustrate the point. Really it comes down to belief in the harness that it will work; belief in the manufacture, belief in the safety studies, belief in the design, belief that it won’t fail this one time, etc. These beliefs hold us back in times of strife and I am thankful that they do so. But when applied to the science of the mind, something that works better when it is free, it is just the opposite.

“The mind is like a parachute. It works best when it is open.”
-Sir Thomas Robert Dewar

The question to ask now is...

“What are my beliefs?”

And to take it one step further…

“What are my limiting beliefs?”

Another word for limiting beliefs is an excuse. Last post we discussed the idea that if you don’t have what you focus your intention on it may be due to a belief that you do not actually want it. Underlying this motive could be the belief that you are not able to get it. Instead of working those extra hours to save up for your dream car it is easier to say...

“Ah, I didn’t want it anyways. I am perfectly happy with my mini van.”

In fact I would stress to take it even further than that and say that almost all beliefs present in any given belief system are limiting. How many times have you heard that only smart or good looking people get what they want? It comes so easily to the naturally gifted maybe? Sure talent and ability are key factors in accomplishing any goal, but without belief it is just a fancy wrapping to an empty gift box.

If you have ever seen the movie Rudy played by Sean Astin you would have a perfect example of what I am saying here.

So take the time, find out what excuses are present in life and let them go. Undo the seat belt to your mind. Instead of describing why it can’t start figuring out how it can. These dreams we have are way too good to be passed by.

Why not?

What Do I Really Want?

The first step is always figuring out what you want. Before a cook steps into the kitchen he first must decide what he wants to make. Sounds silly I know, but this decision can be easily overlooked. If there is any anxiety in life right now it could be removed by asking the question…

“What do I really want?”
“What is my deepest desire?”

We all desire to have or be something more. What we need is the right intention to set the direction.

Just asking the question sometimes isn’t enough. This cannot be what you think you want; it has to be what you really want. It might take a bit of soul searching to figure out what it truly is. However, when the sights are set everything else starts to fall into place.

You may have heard that all you need to do is to think about what you want and you will attract it in your life. This first of many steps is true but it also is where many people get caught. They say “Well I wanted that new car…” or something to that effect and get frustrated when it doesn’t immediately show. More often than not it boils down to one simple fact, you really didn’t want that in the first place. It was not your deepest desire.

Get clear, let go of all your previous ideas. You do not need to think about it. If it is not the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing that you think about when you go to sleep you are on the wrong track. In other words, you do not need to remind yourself about what it is you are going after.

One trick is to listen to your emotions. If it doesn’t stir the inner child when you are thinking about it there will be no motivation to do what needs to be done.

Above all else thinking alone will accomplish nothing. Action is always needed to accomplish your dreams. The right thought combined with the right emotion will always yield the right action. Dare to dream big.