Stay on Track

Accept and honour the nature of all  of the things you run into on your way to your chosen goal.

Michael A. Singer ( paraphrased) 

The Question

Do you ever ask yourself this question: "What do you want to do/be with the remainder of your life here? What is your highest goal?"  If so, are you are staying on track to getting there?  

The Long Term Goal

I think I know what I want to do/be when I ask myself that question.  I believe I want to walk towards awakening.  I want to grow at the deepest level. I want to be the best person I can possibly be. I want to leave this place at least a tiny, itsy bit better because I was here.  I want to help in someway, without any real attachment to the fruits of my actions. And I think I am  focusing my precious energy in the right direction and that I am taking the " right" steps (following the eight fold path in my sadhana) to get there. I do. Yet, I still get pulled away into the drama all the time and find myself redirecting that energy onto new short term goals that come up, like , "How do I get out of this mess that I am in right now? How do I make this better so we can survive here?"  I, as a result, often find myself blocked, fighting with or overwhelmed by the obstacles in front of me that come up the form of "real life. "Hmm!

Don't Struggle With the Short Term Goals or the Obstacles

Singer reminds us that it takes much more energy to fight with what shows up in front of us, to see it as an obstacle or an interference than it does to simply allow it and move around it. I see that now.  

We have to remember when we set our life goal, our long term goal to stay on track.  Each long term goal is broken down into a series of short term goals...the steps that take us there. I think it is in the deciding what our short term goals should be where we may take our eyes off the prize and get a bit lost. We may make  getting the money, the job, education, or the relationship our short term focus and forget our long term goal in doing so.  We may be so caught up in our short term focus, our short term comfort, our short term discomfort that we may  fail to ask, "Is this helping me get to where I really want to be in the long run, or is it hindering me?"  

Obstacles in all shapes and sizes are sure to show up in front of us on our way to the life end we are seeking. We sometimes get so caught up in these obstacles, we  make getting rid of them our short term goal. We begin to direct our energies...our beams of light...onto them ...fighting them, struggling against them, attempting to move them, telling ourselves and others that the road blocks  are bad, wrong, shouldn't be. We not only lose focus on our ultimate goal when we do this but we waste valuable energy.  We exhaust ourselves. 

Let It Be and Keep Moving Forward

When these obstacles show up in front of us...say in the form of a financial deficit or a relationship issue or another adverse circumstance for example...we do not need to fight them.  We do not need to push them out of the way.  We do not need to fix them or change them, make them something other than what they are so our path is smoother.  We do not need to get all caught up in their drama. We just need to recognize them, accept them, honor them for having the  nature they do, and simply walk around them. If we constantly remind ourselves where we are going, we won't get tangled up in the real life obstacles that show up.  They won't even be considered hindrances or obstacles...just things that showed up on our journey home. 

Stay on Track

Being in this world but not of it, is a challenging frame of mind to maintain. It is my long term goal, if not always my short term goal, to keep that as my focus. I slip off the path often, center myself, remember where I am going and what I am looking for before I begin again.  But I always begin again...a bit more exhausted each time, maybe, but I begin again. When I reflect deeply, I see I am getting better at allowing these obstacles to be what they are, of respecting and honoring their nature.  I am getting better at  nodding politely and walking around them when they show up in front of me. I am learning. You are likely learning too. But... can we do better?   

I want to do better. Everytime I walk through a door, I will remind myself, like Michael Singer does, that my life time goal is to be free and to help others to be free. I will keep my eyes on that prize and make every short term goal I take on one that helps me get there, not one that hinders my effort. I will do my best to not get tangled up in the short term focus. I will work with each person or obstacle that I meet along the way. I will continue moving towards my destination, no matter what. 

Hmm! What about you? 

All is well

Michael a. Singer/ Temple of the Universe ( October 16, 2023) Staying Committed to Your Higher Goals. https://tou.org/talks/