Hearing higher ideas does nothing to change your life. Something else is required. I must take action.
“The only source of knowledge is experience.” -Albert Einstein
“People don’t fail in the cosmic quest because they lack intelligence. The reason for failure can be illustrated by a case: A man living in an uncomfortable hut is told he has inherited a mansion, but if he refuses to leave his hut, he cannot occupy his new home. He may insist on a guarantee that the mansion actually exists, but his only guarantee is to see and occupy the mansion for himself.” -Vernon Howard
Right to the point. Cosmic growth requires that I first leave the old. Self-abandonment is my ticket to a new life. I must see something new. I must be something new. Vernon’s quote, above, is vital to understand if you want to get closer to God, Higher Intelligence, and True Wisdom. Otherwise, you become just another thinker. Be different. Realize there are new ways of reacting to life. Such a realization is power.
So what is the good news? “A carefree day can be yours.” -Vernon Howard. I can react to life in a way I have not yet experienced up to this point. There are billions of lessons to learn, and with self-awareness, they keep you content, inspired, and happy. Not learning keeps you miserable and plants more misery seeds. Break these bad habits today.
Therefore, my past successes, failures, or both, should not be carried into today. We would all agree, and yet, unbelievably, I revisit them daily. I have to discover that I welcome unpleasant thoughts and bad feelings. I invite them in, so I have something to do with myself. The shock of observing this changes you. Experience these truths, and a new understanding appears.
Emerson says the same in his own way “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
In summary, all these men are pointing to the enlightening fact, you must go through your day with new interest and curiosity. I must learn to react differently, and then things are different. I was made to succeed in waking up! Another world is waiting for my personal discovery. Shake yourself out of your stupor. It can be done.
I can be wowed by Higher Truths, and I can comment to others how wonderful that stated truth is, but this does nothing to change my life if I don’t go on to live that truth. My bad habit of returning to my ideas, that have not worked, is me returning my my “uncomfortable hut.” This is for those who have ears to hear.
I have to hold my hands up and state the fact – a big part of what I call ‘me’ loves to dwell full time in an uncomfortable hut. It is convinced there is a way to find comfort in what is, by definition, uncomfortable!
How about my insistence on lazing in bed in the morning, instead of following and experiencing the exercise ‘Start Your Day Right’ and deliberately forcing myself out of bed? Unknowingly I am leaving the door wide open to negative impressions! And, note to myself, remember that catching myself failing is success! Every observation of the negativity that keeps me under the false comfort of the duvet is a valuable gain! The most beautiful thing is God gives me a chance to do this every day!
Yes Leo, Great insights which can be used to escape ones madness. Here’s another thought; If we knew that Dracula himself was in that bed with us, wouldn’t is be easier to throw off the duvet and then launch ourselves into reality, instead of giving our neck over to Dracula? Of course there is going to be loud inner protests against this action, would you let your slave escape easily? The protesters are not the real you, so let them rage. Our business is to watch and observe and learn all about them.
Having new ways to react to life is terrifying and inspiring at the same time. Terrifying because it’s completely opposite to my normal reactions, and inspiring because of the inner feeling that comes after the experience.
Prior to these teachings, life was just drifting along with no real purpose. Now, life truly is amazing. There is no such thing as a bad day, because everything that happens (what I would have called good or bad at one time) is used for awakening to the truth of who I really am. Mistakes are used; pain is used; worldly experiences are used; interactions with others are used. Nothing goes to waste any more.
The whole world needs these teachings and they have no idea of what they are missing out on. It’s a joy to be on this sacred journey and so I’m grateful for these teachings and all who are on this journey with me.
Yes Nadine, Leaving our comfortable live is a challenge and surely is met with screams that you will go mad if you continue your walk. Anything that screams is mad. What is this mad voice screaming at me? It’s not me. Calm normal existence has no need to scream for there is nothing to scream over. It might yell, Get off the train tracks, a train is coming, but this voice is friendly. What a amazing path this is…the path of going sane. No long lines.