"Without going out of doors, one may know the whole world; without looking out of the window, one may see the way of heaven. The further one travels, the less one may know. Thus it is that without moving you may know; without looking you shall see; without doing you shall succeed." Lao-tse
Everything essential to our living a creative, abundant, purposeful, and expressive life resides within.
Everything.
We often think, erroneously, that the more action we take, the "faster" we grow; the sooner we "send out ships", the sooner they will return to our shore. And while it is true that there is some action required on our part - sometimes the action required is simply one of being and knowing rather than acting and doing.
Because if you've noticed, it is often not the actions we take but the person we are behind the action that nets us our results.
T. Harv Eker has a great saying. He says, "It's not just being in the right place, at the right time. It is being the RIGHT PERSON, in the right place at the right time."
Pounding the pavement from a place of fear or lack only nets you more of the same (along with frustration or feelings of powerlessness). You can be a person coming from a place of insecurity taking action. Or you can be a person coming from a place of confidence taking action. Same action, different return.
It's the state of being that creates the results.
Sometimes what is required to be that right person is simply to know the truth about yourself. That right where you are exists the power of the universe.
If only we could get out of the way of what we think it's supposed to look like.
Nature is a good example. The life of the daffodil is imbedded in the bulb before ever being planted in soil.
When the bulb lies dormant in the soil, it may appear that nothing is happening with it, but inside all sorts of growth is occurring to enable it to bust loose from its barriers and grow itself into full expression. No amount of extra water or sunlight will hurry the process. The work is being done internally. It is part of the divine plan.
In other words, despite appearances, there is a divine unfolding that is happening in your life, right now. There is something inside of you that is far greater than you can intellectually fathom. Like the life inside the seed, there is something that knows EXACTLY what is necessary for your forward momentum, and it is being prepared for you along your path.
Sometimes the action to take during these times is simply to trust the process, to allow it to have its way, and to be patient with what is trying to break free.
It is in the surrender that the way yields; in the inaction that new thought is born (or new action inspired); in the letting go that allows for that moment of truth.
And then one morning, after some time, you wake up and notice that something has shifted. Something has paved the way for you and you know that it is time. You are ready to make that call. You are ready to sign that contract. You are ready to make that move.
This is the time, when you take the action.
The point is we are always co-creating. We are never alone in this. But the Universe, God, the Divine - whatever you want to call it - can only do WITH us and FOR us, what it can do THROUGH us, which sometimes calls for a greater expansion than we are ready for.
We have to release our "small selves" to grow into full bloom.
So, the next time anything halts your life and it "appears" like there is no action forward or that things have gone not as planned, know that these are the times where the work happening on the inside is greatest, where you are being prepared for something more, and where it is time to get rested up for what is to follow.
There is a great saying in the Book of Runes: "When fisherman can't go to sea, they repair nets".
In other words, there is something else happening that you may not be privy to from this vantage point. Trust the perfection of your process, and know that what is to come will be greater than what you are leaving behind. Because you can never be less, only more.
So take rest and prepare yourself for the next act. The universe does an amazing job of working out all the details.
In time.
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