Dear Reader,
As we watch catastrophic events unfold in Japan, Libya, the Middle East, and in Arizona earlier in the year with the shooting of United States Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a question begs to be asked: “Is it possible, or even appropriate, to focus on creating a year of excellence amidst events that cause so much human suffering?”
Sometimes, it is difficult to know how to respond to such disasters, let alone to find a way to focus on our own dreams and goals.
One possibility is to go numb, so it feels like everything is happening in a dream, made real only if perhaps we know someone directly involved. Another is to be so affected by events, so moved by what we see, that we get distracted altogether from our path and our joy in living. In fact, it can be easy for the effects of ongoing turmoil such as two long-term wars, to become internalized to the point where emotions become invisible, the new normal, below the radar screen of our conscious daily experience.
How can we continue on our path of excellence this way?
We can. In fact, I would say there has never been a more important time for you to have the absolute best year you can have. Why? Because you – including the quality of live you lead, the choices you make, and the way you connect with the people in your life – make a difference. Your commitment to being your best, most inspired self, contributes to the world in a powerful way.
How can you possibly make a difference, you ask?
On a direct, tangible level, you might choose to contribute to relief efforts, or raise your voice through the spoken or written word, or send healing energy through prayer. You might choose to actively volunteer closer to home, holding the intent that the effect of your actions will ripple outward.
On an intangible level, you might choose to focus on being the light that others seek. Without denying any feelings of sorrow or even helplessness at the suffering of others, you might resolve to move forward on your path with all the passion and commitment you can muster, holding faith that others will do the same. It does little good to deny the presence of suffering in the world; as much as we might wish it weren’t so, on the human level suffering exists. Nor does it help to deny your feelings; they are real. At the same time, it does little good to become overwhelmed by them, or allow them to transform into a lived state of helplessness.
You are a being of choice, with power in your own life. Your spirit is a source of wisdom, depth of feeling and great love. When you truly tap into this source, you change your own life, you inspire the people in your life, and you change the world. Victor Frankl, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, demonstrated powerfully in his classic “Man’s Search For Meaning,” that human beings are capable of finding meaning and hope even amidst the most horrific of circumstances.
At the level of intuition and soul consciousness, you connect with a field of awareness shared by all beings. You both respond to and contribute to that field. A growing body of research supports the idea that distant connection via some form of universal field – through prayer, distant healing, pre-cognition and other modalities – is not science fiction, but reality. We are only beginning to understand this reality, but we are already working with it, whether we understand it or not.
Makes sense to be conscious about how we use that awareness, don’t you think?
I have said it before, and I will say it again, dear reader, the world – right now, at this moment, no matter how circumstances appear – very much needs you to be conscious, and create a true Year of Excellence.
I honor your loving heart,
John
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