About This Blog

Anyone who has lived for a long time knows that navigating through life can be quite some work. Indeed, most know that many of the so called downs of life really occur out of wrong decision making or "making the wrong choices" as it were.

I started this blog, more as a personal journey to find out the best way to navigate the strange waters of life. This definitely came after the realisation that life really emanates from beyond the physical - as a matter of fact, I did find that the me that I always thought represented me, wasn't me at all. I have plenty of work to do in order to really mine the real me and effectively bring me out. I must confess that am an avid student of this subject but I must also point that I still have a long way to go.

In putting down my personal thoughts and some of the truths that I have come to discover, I do hope to share valuable lessons with anybody who passes by this blog and would actually appreciate any comments or insights since that is an integral part of learning.

Everybody has become my teacher and the world my school.

From where does the authentic self draw its life?

Truth be told. We can all be able to live real, prosperous and peaceful lives. It all depends on where we try to draw such a life from. I have discussed a bit of this here.

The real me does exist.
Enough must have been said by now regarding the age old question of "why am I here?", most of humanity knows for sure that there really is a reason to life. Many also know how difficult it is to attempt and tailor one out ourselves. The majority by now know that self discovery is probably the single most rewarding thing ever. And when we talk about self discovery we are talking about finding the authentic self - not some imitation of what we would like to see on ourselves.

The external me.
The most common way that the human being spends his energy trying to discover self is by filling himself with external things in an attempt to create an impression. An outward impression that is knit together in order to deceive the world that "all is OK with me". No need to talk about bodily pleasures - this is something to do with the whole misconception that the purpose of life is sensual pleasures. Even while we think that the world stands deceived, deep inside us we continue to suffer turmoil and dissatisfaction because the true self still lies undiscovered.

The internal me.
Few people can claim to have discovered the authentic self - least of all me! Statistics show us that probably only 2 to 3% of the human beings have discovered the true self. Statistics also tell us that the entire group is made up of millionaires - evidence that durable wealth resides with the authentic self. Surely then, if the rest of the universe - and more so the inanimate rest - can continue to exist relatively free of turmoil (except that which is brought upon it by man!), I must have in me that natural harmony that is necessary for my own life. If the rotation of the earth on its axis does not require regular servicing and repair, if the sun does not have to be constantly regulated to maintain its heat, then really I as a human being must be better knit.

The joy of self discovery.
The majority of us love challenges and this is quite normal. Personally, I have come to appreciate that it is not so much getting there (I don't think you ever do), the joy is really in the discovery journey. Like every journey in life, getting to start off with a given and definite destination is the big thing, once this bit is take care of, then one can sit back and enjoy the rest of the trip (and appreciate the scenery as you go along). As they say "when you don't know your destination any road leads there!". Or even something about climbing a ladder and discovering it was lying on the wrong wall when one gets to the proverbial top. It is in taking the correct road that we derive our best pleasures. But a word of warning is appropriate here - it is not all smooth sailing. For some strange reason, when one starts hitting home runs the opposition tends to grow in strength. All that we encounter once our destination becomes definite, is the joyful bit.

My initial joy began when I determined to find out what my purpose is. And that should be everyone's joy (and pain, I might add).

The easy way out

Someone is noted to have said that "if you can worry, then you can meditate". As we explore the ways of life and the best way to wake up to it on a daily basis, one question seems to pop up a great many times - this is the question of "the how" to get where one choses to go. Many times, people who are searching complain that the whole matter is made too simple till it seems like some gimmick that a few people are trying to sell. But wait a minute, everyone who has had any trials in life has heard these words at some time or the other;

• Only visualize yourself in the future state that you desires and you will convince your subconscious mind to bring it to pass.
• Affirm the positive to yourself and in this way build up the necessary passion and the rest will be easy.
• Have a positive mental attitude.
• Pray and give thanks for the state that you want to see yourself in. Act like you already have what you prayed for and it will come to pass.

The holy book, the bible is quoted as saying that "faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God". While elsewhere it admonishes us to "keep our hearts with all diligence for it's the wellspring of our lives". One best seller claimed the authority of suggesting that the only known way of passing a message to your subconscious mind is by 'auto-suggestion' - repeatedly affirming to yourself. Yet another encourages us to get into the habit of speaking positives things to ourselves at all times.

So, what are we saying? The simple truth is this - you cannot become or achieve anything that you cannot see on yourself. A further truth is - the clearer the picture the better the chances and the results. The suggested easy way out is to therefore dream. Dream it, see it, touch it, smell it over and over again until it becomes difficult to be convinced that it cannot become as you desire.

But we must always operate with a word of caution. The bigger the dream, the more the dreaming. More dreaming becomes more effective when we engage workable plans to achieve our dreams. The more meat we can put in the dream, the more definite we manage to make it.

Now you know how you can become the president of your country - much of the planning part will be consumed by fundraising!

Can I handle change?

Change is something that happens to us on a daily basis. We do not feel much about the changes that affect our lives in this way because most of the time they happen in subtle, almost unnoticeable ways. But they are changes anyway. Think about it, how many times do we find that the waiter or waitress at our favourite restaurant is different, and yet we had struck a good rapport with the one that has just left? Does this do anything at all to our lives and the custom of eating at this particular place or is it something that we can dismiss as of no consequence? Though we ignore such a change, it has a bearing on something in our lives no matter how insignificant it may be.

It is the bigger more effective changes that we all abhor. Changes that disrupt routine and the comforts that we are already used to. It is from these bigger changes that we get the words "nobody likes changes" . Is it the changes that we hate, or is it the discomfort that we can not stand?

If we were to deal with the issue of good changes, that is, changes that improve major areas of our live e.g. work, families, relationships etc, we realize that we will always attempt to resist the change even when it is for our good. Imagine a change that for example removes alcohol and drugs from our family settings, yet almost everyone attests to how difficult it can be to embrace such changes. And yet, if one were to mention a change for the better to anyone's financial situation, the receipient will always leap with joy and eagerness at this prospect. What then is it that causes any resistance or procrastination to change?

What would the results be?
The financial change is easily acceptable because we all know what we can do with a little more money than we have. We can already visualize and appreciate the future with more to spend - maybe because we dream of it daily. Any change that we have not visualized in the future tense remains unknown to us and is difficult to embrace. We are simply unprepared for it both psychologically and physically. It is true therefore to say that the human being can deal with any change - they need only be prepared.

Getting ready.
Each person is best prepared for change when they get to discover what is the most effective way of implementing change. Someone once told me that if he needed to change or pick a habit, he only stuck to the new habit that he desires for 10 straight days. Another suggests a month of religious observation of what we want to achieve and it's done. We can appreciate then that its all about different strokes for different folks. But certain ingredients seem to be necessary for any style of change to be meaningfully effective:

• First, we must consult our personal constitution. We must determine beyond any doubt, exactly what we want for ourselves. This is the spiritual part and that which governs our private universe.
  
• It is necessary to have a motivating factor in the endeavor. While our first step can be a sufficient motivation, the end product should be a good energizer. Remember the example of an improved financial situation?
• We must manage the particular change. Like all good managers we must have a workable plan that is easy or comfortable for us to follow.
• Try this one out! Reward yourself once the change is in place. Of course the idea is to come up with the reward at the beginning of the process and to actually award it to ourselves once we succeed.

If like me you are a change person (or one who only recently decided to make changes), it is always an additional boost to tackle the small changes and use them to graduate to bigger ones. I just don't know how anyone manages to leave civilization and re-locate to some remote village with no running water or electricity - that is major!

One last word, if we try one way of achieving change and it fails for us, we must go right back and try another. If we persist, we end up discovering that which best suits us.

What really is purpose

Today, a friend posed a fairly good question to me and I would like to post what my specific reply to him was. I understand that different people will have different answers to this same question but that is the healthy part. I consider different answers healthy because I am in the process of learning and am looking forward to the time that there will only be one answer for me - the time that I will not stop to consider anything else except that which has become the real answer for me.

I told my inquiring friend that for me purpose primarily means two important things:

• That we have within us (at any point in life) something of value that we need to release into the world.
• That the world (and mostly human beings) are in need of that which is within us. Indeed they are always in the process of waiting for it to be released to them.

Further discussions gave us the enlightenment that most of the frustrations that we feel are really our inner beings begging for what is inside to be released as well as those around us demanding that we do the just thing and fill their lives with the good that lies in us. This reminded me of an observation that someone made saying that if we know that we are withholding what belongs to others, this should drive us into action, to fulfill our purpose on this earth - if only we can realise that we do others a great deal of injustice when we remain inactive in as far as our purpose is concerned.

After all, we are everyday enjoying the work of other people in music, books, lectures etc. Why then do we hoard?

With or without a life purpose

It all begins with some kind of personal constitution. That deeper inner self that knows where the lines are drawn and what the lines are about. We all need to put limits beyond which we cannot and will not venture. We must build a foundation upon which all else is built. The foundation must be solid and sound.

In human terms, this kind of foundation can only be found in spirituality. Deep spiritual beliefs are possibly the only solid and sound base that man can build a personal constitution upon - that part of us that remains unchanged regardless of circumstances and happenings. No matter what the situation, our thoughts and actions must remain steadfastly bound to these beliefs.

Harmony.
This foundation therefore acts as the center. It is this center that then helps to lock all of man's aspects of life into place. It therefore follows that our desires, purpose, needs and abilities must be directed and guided by this center. It is, in seeking harmony in these four areas of our lives, that we finally manage to eliminate conflict within us and arrive at the point where all energy is utilized in pushing towards the achievement of our life's goals.

But it would not be fitting at this stage, not to stress the fact that the rather difficult and energy sapping activity of setting goals and planning how to achieve them, must take deep root for us to realize any kind of progress. I will try to examine my own experiences on the issues of planning at a later stage.

In the absence of harmony.
Without a purpose, we only manage to achieve much of nothing, and especially so when we use goals and plans in that state of confusion in our lives. We achieve nothing because our everyday busyness does not necessarily lead us to any destination although it is quite possible to stumble into certain levels of successes that bring us into close contact with our true purpose. Even when we so stumble accross our true purpose, we fail to recognize it and therefore continue in our original state without a realization in the world. We must therefore take definite steps to seek our purpose diligently in order that we may take charge of our very lives.

The fight within

Truly, deep inside, we all know how our lives ought to be running. The human soul longs for harmony and peace for it knows quite well that it should be so. From the external, come numerous forces that are seemingly determined to ensure that the expected peace and calm is never achieved.

The role of guaranteeing some form of order lies squarely on the individual. Once man realises this, then man must depart on the adventure of self discovery and self improvement. Such improvement of self is the only known remedy for bringing the desired balance in the inside. The adventure is quite interesting - indeed, it can easily be made into a fulltime activity - and why not, the heart is known to be the wellspring of life. If we can spend more time sharpening the inside, then most of the other issues that otherwise keep us busy day in day out would become non-issues. We well know that certain beliefs confine their people into a lifetime of this kind of search and development - surely, it must be well worth it.

I must admit that in my own search and development, I have come to appreciate that the human being is capable of taking full control and care of every aspect of life. What then would the issues that are oftenly considered as being out of control be? I would not be talking about birth, time of birth or death but exactly that which lies in between.

The good thought encourages me to question the things that cause man frustrations and the sense of defeat. Do we bring such things upon ourselves? I dare say YES.

Building Blocks

Interesting. That really, is what life is.

I have found it strange that everything about life, whether turmoil or calm, comes right from within us. It is all there for us to mine and present to the world. Indeed, this is the very essence of the life of every human being.

Even stranger is the fact that as human beings we can never agree on this issue. Many are the times when we will put our foot down and argue about what is true and what is not. Yet who knows, maybe we all do not even exist - "its just an illusion!". Personally, I think that we actually do exist, and that, for a reason. I think it true therefore, to suggest that there are many versions of the observations that will be contained in this blog - or shall we say that my within is not your within? And yet, there exists universal laws that affect all of us in the same way, and so we might agree albeit reluctantly, that there exists some sameness in us all.

In this blog I will attempt as much as I can, to mine that which is within me (it is plenty) and post it here. Who knows, it might trigger something positive in the life of another. And maybe still, it might help me to leave that which is within me right here in this world, where it really belongs.