This practice is so easy that sometimes I forget how effective it is! Studies even prove it – people that write down their goals are one to one and one-half times more likely to achieve them. So, let’s do it!
While this practice is useful for any kind of goal or dream, I’d like to encourage its use with Divinely inspired goals, goals that are good for both you and others, goals or dreams that make your soul sing!
The whole process will probably take you less than 5 minutes, depending on how detailed you are with it. Once you have your goal or dream in mind, you want to do four things: say it, write it, read it and see it. Every Day.
1. Say it. Recite it from memory and repeat it, changing the words around if necessary until it sounds just right.
2. Write it. Once you’re happy with the wording, write it out 10 times. You might want to keep a journal so you can look back on previous dreams and how they’ve changed or materialized.
3. Read it. Read what you just wrote, out loud. Every sentence.
4. See it. Close your eyes and see what that dream looks like once achieved. Feel into it as well: what does it feel like once it’s real?
It’s okay and even encouraged to write the same goal every day for weeks, or really for as long as it takes. You may find the goal evolves a little bit every day and that’s a good thing; focusing on it daily helps us to be clear in what we really desire.
It really is that easy! Might as well start right now: what is your dream?
If you are determined to move forward into a greater life for yourself, but you are harboring grudges or resentments towards another, forgiving is essential. I know it’s not easy. I know you may not want to do it; I didn’t. I had heard people promoting the value of forgiveness for many years before I decided to take a serious stab at it.
After all, “He did it to me; why should I forgive him?” He needed to suffer, and I wasn’t going to let him off the hook, no way; he needed to pay! The problem is, he wasn’t paying for it. I was. In reality, he probably had no idea the series of events still played over and over in my head and he’d long forgotten them, so it certainly didn’t torture him at all.
I was the one paying for it, wrapping up good energy on past events that truly had no significance in my current or future life. And that’s why we need to forgive; we need that valuable, awesome energy to help us move forward, not hold us back. It doesn’t make the person’s actions okay or acceptable; it’s a matter of taking back our energy and our Power. Take your Power back and get rid of that icky energy.
There are many ways to start a forgiveness practice. What I’ll share here are three possibilities using prayer beads or malas. There is no magic number of times you need to do it; you just do it until you feel you’re done. It might take one day, two weeks or two months, but eventually the charged energy goes away when you recall the person. None of these three practices is any better than the other. Do the one that feels best for the situation.
First Option: This is particularly useful when you really wanted someone to change. Imagine the person in front of you, as if you are speaking directly to them. Speak sincerely. “Joe, I forgive you for not being the person I wanted you to be.” It allows for a space of letting them be them, and not someone they’re not. Repeat it over and over until you feel a shift.
It is also sometimes useful to combine it with the second option.
Second option: Again, imagine the person in front of you, as if you are speaking to them. Speak sincerely. “Joe. I love you, I bless you, I forgive you, I release you.” That’s it, over and over.
Combined it is even more powerful: “Joe, I forgive you for not being the person I wanted you to be. I love you, I bless you, I release you.”
The third option is my personal favorite as it helps me recognize that the faults I see in others are also my own, which helps me come around quickly to compassion or understanding for that person. Again, imagine talking directly to them. “Joe, I forgive you and myself for being ignorant (Choose appropriate quality). I love you as I love myself, for God is the love I am.” This also turns the situation over to the Divine Source that allows love to flow to and from all without judgement.
I’d challenge you to just try one for a week if there is someone that really triggers you. You don’t have to fully forgive them, but just see if it frees anything up in you to be open to starting the process.
Are you willing to be open to moving toward your greater life?
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t know how to get an answer on a pressing issue, or you are looking for some clarity, you might want to try automatic writing. I find it especially useful when I need a little direction, and some people use automatic writing as a regular practice. Whether frequent or occasional, automatic writing helps the flow of insights come to us in a way that our subconscious can’t filter out.
And it’s easy! It’s as simple as a pen and paper or a computer keyboard. My experience is that my flow from the Divine is interrupted less with a pen and paper, but if a computer is best for you, then you do whichever way is most comfortable.
The key with automatic writing is to never stop writing. The pen is always on the paper, or the fingers are constantly moving on the keys, no breaks.
If you’re new to this practice, start with 10 minutes. If you have a smartphone or home assistant, take a few deep breaths, then tell it to “set alarm for 10 minutes,” and go!
It’s best to know the leading question or phrase that you’ll start with, particularly if you do have a pressing question you want an answer to. When the timer starts, write out your question first, for example, “What is the next best action for me to take in my business?” and then never lift the pen up until the timer goes off. Don’t worry about punctuation, don’t dot your i’s or cross your T’s, no judgement of what you are writing, and don’t worry about how neat it is.
During the process, there should be no critical thought going on. Once you start with the opening sentence, just let it flow, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. Removing all thought about it really allows your Divine Wisdom to show up, so let it.
When you’re finished, take some more deep breaths, and if you need to, step away from your writing for a few minutes. Don’t step away too long, as you’ll want to reread and make notes on some of it before you lose the train of thought in the parts that are too illegible to read. Reading back over it, you’ll likely get some additional insights you didn’t even realize you wrote down!
This is really a good way to hear your deep Truth, so I recommend doing this frequently, especially when you’re in need of guidance.
You’ve undoubtedly heard of the value of journaling before now, and I’m going to confirm that there are a lot of great things that can be accomplished by journaling. However, the kind of journaling I’m going to propose here is a little different than most in that it will focus on our connection with a piece of nature that we feel deeply connected to, and that want to learn why and how to take that out into the rest of our lives.
This is one of the practices we’ll be doing on my safari in Kenya; in fact, we may even be doing it as you read this! My safaris are not standard – see animal, take picture, move on – no, my safaris are about connecting with the land, the people and the animals for a meaningful experience.
To start this practice, think of something you love and feel connected to. It doesn’t have to be living; in Kenya any of the group might be focused on an elephant, lion, the vast Masai Mara or Mt. Kilimanjaro – just look for something that moves you. Art or Music can be good focus objects, too.
Write in your journal, “What do I like about you?” and give yourself plenty of time for the answer to flow. Don’t move on until you feel complete.
Then write, “Why do I love you so much?” Again, take plenty of time to answer.
You might be surprised at how different the two answers are as you allow yourself to contemplate deeply.
Next write, “Where else in my life do I find this love?”, then “Where do I want to find this love?”
The last question – “What do I have to do to allow this love there?”
That question is critical to allowing in the love that you want. You might have to release something, you might have to shift a behavior, you might need to forgive someone, so really allow it to sink in and fully engage in each question.
Imagine, if you can feel that deep of a connection with something already, shouldn’t you also be able to feel it in other areas of your life? What’s in the way? Maybe it’s time to allow more love in.
If a spiritual practice is something that helps open us up to knowing ourselves better, or opens us up to receiving Divine Wisdom and Love and Truth, moving us forward to help create a better life, then Yes, of course! The best part is you don’t have to sit down and read a whole big book at once, and in fact it’s probably better to be on a slow, contemplative journey.
There is no rule about the exact book either, as long as it is uplifting, mind opening or inspiring. If it can create just a small crack or opening in your brain that allows you to receive a new idea about life, to think a little differently, then that’s all that is necessary. Creating a big opening is even better, but not required.
There are many effective ways to study books of wisdom, here are just a few ideas to get you started.
Morning study:
Before your days sets into full swing, take 10 or so minutes to read a few pages of inspiration or uplift. Then sit for a few minutes and contemplate the reading and how you might incorporate the lessons of it into your day. Set a daily intention for the day of ease and wonder you will have.
Evening study:
Similar to the morning study, read just a few pages from an inspiring book and then contemplate the meaning and application of it to your life. Connect events from your day to the previous night’s reading and intention. Having good thoughts of an intentional life before bed will allow for more restful sleep.
Journaling:
You can add this any time. After reading, write your contemplations, intentions or successes in a journal. Writing helps to firm, and discern, our ideas and thoughts, and allows for easier callback if you had deep insights
Discussion:
I like the idea of adding discussion to any other practice but it also stands very well on its own. I like it so much that I lead book discussion groups, so if you haven’t found any have a look on my events page. The power of discussion is not to have a teacher tell you what a book means, but to allow you to put words to your thoughts and also be open to insights from other members. We learn a great deal from others, and we also find community in shared experience, so a discussion group can help you go deeper quicker.
Some possible books might be poetry by Rumi or Hafiz; Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Bible, Science of Mind meditations, a piece by Meister Eckhart, but the options are unlimited and I would really love to hear what works for you! Please share your journey on my facebook page.
