Count Your Blessings

Every once in a while it is a good idea to take stock of where we stand in life. Where we want to go, and perhaps most importantly, what we are focussing on. The situation we are living in on a global scale makes this an excellent time to do so.

I think I can safely say that for pretty much all of us this year is unfolding differently than we had envisioned at its start. We may have had ambitious New Year’s resolutions, only to find that we are held back from reaching them because of what is happening in the world — or at least we need to go about it in a totally different way…

Arguably, the most important question we are faced with as a result is where — or what — we are focusing on.

Are we continuing to focus on the things that are not possible, the things we cannot do, or the goals that we cannot accomplish?

Or do we shift our focus to all the things that we have in our lives that are good? Making the most of each day as it happens, and using the “extra” time for reflection? Taking better care of ourselves, and becoming more aware of what we truly need in life?

As long as we are putting our focus on what we cannot do / accomplish / make happen, chances are we will find ourselves in a situation where our world gets smaller and smaller, where we are getting more and more unhappy — even depressed.

On the other hand, if we purposely look for the good in this difficult situation that awe are finding ourselves in, we may find that new and innovative ways to cope with it are opening up for us. And perhaps we even find that our path takes a slightly different direction, which, when we truly look at it with an open mind, becomes so much more fulfilling than we ever thought it could be.

When we count our blessings and are open to the new ways the Universe provides for us, little — and sometimes not so little — miracles tend to happen. When you decide to start traveling in mind, making journeys in your imagination, suddenly that trip abroad may be possible after all. Or when you decide to at home, you may find the weather opens up providing for you the perfect environment for a wonderful vacation.

In other words, at the very least our perception of our lives gets better when we start counting our blessings. Yet with an open mind, we may find that our lives actually do get better when we — purposefully — start counting our blessings…

We are not the storm

There are many things happening in the world right now that are challenging our existing world view. From the things we cannot do, and could do, to things we shouldn’t do and may need to change in our lives. And whichever way we look at it, every single one of those pushes us to change. From changing our behavior, to changing our perspectives. And even changing our belief systems.

It seems like we have come at a point where we can either change while kicking and screaming  about how all of this should never have happened, or we can take stock and see which direction this changing flow is bringing us…

As the age old saying goes “As above, so below — as within, so without”  says it all.

Whenever we find ourselves in a situation where we experience changes to such extend that we feel pushed around by something that is totally outside of our own control — let alone influence — chances are that there are things in our own personal lives that are no longer beneficial to us. Things we may not have looked at for a while, because “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, yet now we can suddenly see that there may be another way to go about it that is more productive on our personal path.

With the storm raging around us, it is a good thing to remember that we are not the storm… 

So, arguably the best thing to do is to find the calm in the storm and observe. See what the wind is taking away, and notice how the waters are washing and cleaning the path right in front of your feet.

With clear sight, we may suddenly see that what we were doing was not as productive as we thought it would be. Perhaps not even beneficial to us.

And from that point of calm clarity, we may find that the things we do, the situations we are involved in, the actions we take — all those things we set out to make happen in our lives and environments are not who we are. They are not our identity.

We are not the storm, we are that point of calm essence of self in the center. We are the eye of the storm. We can experience the storm, and learn from that experience. We can reach out when we are asked to help.

From that point of calm, we can express ourselves in a way that is beneficial and productive, not only to ourselves but to all those around us — even humanity in general.

The expression of who we are meant to be — innately peaceful, wise, and compassionate — is what is needed in the world today…