As you start to walk on the way, the way appears. Rumi
Whenever I give a my Inner Camino workshop, I nearly always start by talking about Alignment. A number of years ago after years of working hard to achieve my goals, often with little tangible results to show at the end, I decided to try a different approach. This time I decided to let go a little more and to allow things to come to me, as opposed to my traditional “go getter approach” – which often felt a lot like rowing a boat upstream.
Traditional goal setting uses this approach, it’s a kind of no pain no gain strategy, one where heroic efforts will somehow be rewarded with great happiness fulfilling results. In some cases it works, but in a lot of cases these efforts often fail us in another attempt to reach the holy grail of success and happiness.
I learned that one of the main reasons why this approach often fails, is that sometimes these goals and pursuits are not really meant for us. Just because the media driven world dictates that this or that is what you should be achieving in your life, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily in our own personal best interest to do so.
This is where Alignment leads us to. One of the best pieces of advice I give my clients is that when something is meant for you, it generally happens quickly and easily. If you find yourself continually walking in to closed doors and seemingly never ending obstacles, then do you know what…it might be time to call it a day and see if there’s something else you are meant to do in the world.
There are lots of tools and techniques available to help you ascertain just what is the direction that you should pursue. On my Inner Camino Programme we look at those practices that strengthen your intuitive abilities, plus give participants lots of tips and methods to put you in the driving seat as you venture out onto your new path.
Finally, happiness is not an external job, it’s internal. You have all the necessary attributes and creative wherewithal built into your instinctive self, to manifest whatever it is in the world you are truly meant to do.
And remember, “when happiness gets into your system, it’s bound to break out on your face”.
What’s it like to truly live from a higher sense of purpose?
The term I like most when describing this kind of a guided life is “getting in touch with the flow of the Universe”. Life definitely has more of an effortless flow about it, it can feel like the complete opposite to planning striving and staying on top of things. The good news here is that to get aligned with this kind of higher purpose living, there is nothing to seek out or achieve, it’s more of a letting go of old habits that don’t serve you anymore.
What will people think I hear you ask? This is something you need not have any concerns about. Why? Most people are so consumed by their own struggle to get ahead that they simply don’t have any time or energy to be thinking about you. You can quietly go about realigning yourself with a more meaningful life, safe in the knowledge that you won’t upset anybody.
I would encourage you to become more of an observer of your life than one whereby you are working very hard to keep in control (whatever that may mean). In this new situation you will step back and allow your life to unfold as it is meant to unfold. This of course requires a level of trust, and trust is something that a lot of my course students seem to be reluctant to do.
It takes practice and you can start right here right now. Once you do so, you are inviting a much higher and more benevolent power to take the reins, well for a little while anyway. Try it, you may be very pleasantly surprised as to what may yet unfold for you.
Here’s one of my favourite passages from A Course in Miracles.
A healed mind does not plan.
It carries out the plans it receives through listening to wisdom that is not it’s own.
It waits until it is taught what should be done, and then proceeds to do it.
It does not depend upon itself for anything except it’s adequacy to fulfil the plans assigned to it.
It is secure in certainty that obstacles can not impede it’s progress to accomplishment of any goal that serves the greater plan established for the good of everyone”.
Now imagine living your life from this perspective. No more chasing your tail and endless scheming. How easy your life would be safe in the knowledge that if something needs to be done, you will be guided clearly to take the necessary steps. And if these actions are aligned with your true purpose, no obstacles will impede their progress.