Be still and listen to Him

Life is short. We hear this sentiment often, don’t we? What does it really mean, though? When people say this, I believe they are referring to living a fearless type of lifestyle. Not wreck-less, but fearless. Purely intentional – stretching yourself and testing yourself on limitations placed into your mind by a structured system or maybe past experiences.
This is what I believe is often lost in translation – Embrace the unknown.

When you stretch yourself, more specifically your mind – you put yourself in a state of feeling mentally uncomfortable or spiritually unsure. This feeling of discomfort is necessary. An analogy for this would be when working out or trying to build muscle. You hear about “muscle confusion” and how the only way to gain muscle mass is to stretch and work those muscles when they aren’t “expecting” it. To go against the grain. To push limits and explore territory.

The same goes for intellectual prowess or knowledge of one’s true calling. It’s essential to put yourself out there. To get out of your comfort zone and explore those areas of life you’re not familiar with – yet have a slight (or intense) gravitational pull toward them. Be fearless with your life adventures.
When I say fearless – I am referring to experience. I am not referring to living dangerously.

Please continue to drive safely and pay all your bills.

If you have a small voice in your mind screaming at you. It may even sound as if the voice is echoing from the depths of the deepest caves in your mind – take a step toward it. Go to the library and check out a related book. Go to Amazon and buy a book and maybe even check out some suggested titles. Do a goggle search on the topic.
If you enjoy writing, start a journal and write about it. Call up your Mother or Father and tell them what you’ve been thinking about and see if they have any suggestions. Keep in mind that when speaking with family or close friends about this – to keep a level head. Family and friends have a reputation of diminishing or devaluing a dream. I don’t believe they intentionally do this – but they do. Don’t allow the words of others to silence your inner voice. It’s your dream, not theirs. They won’t understand. You can’t expect them to understand it because they are not living your perceived reality. Just ask for ideas. If they offer up anything other than ideas, just smile and place the devaluing words in the recycle bin.

The most important part, especially in the beginning stages of this journey, is to remain extremely optimistic. Why not you? Life isn’t designed to be a struggle. Past experiences and the experiences of others may have caused you to think it is but, nothing could be further from the truth. You are here to flourish. You are here to blossom. You are here to reach for the infinite. Try new things. Experience, directly, as much as you possibly can. During those experiences, you will instinctively stumble across something that pulls at your heart. Something that instantly becomes a part of your being. This is your calling and it’s calling you – guiding you in the right direction. Regardless of what it is –

Go. Follow it. Your life depends on it. God wants you to succeed.

Some of these words may sound cliché to you and you may overlook their meaning for that reason – I urge you to not overlook the simple things. Regardless of repetition-based apathy.

I am guilty of not fully following my own advice from time-to-time. I’ve caught myself in the middle of damaging thoughts.
Being a person is challenging at times, there’s no denying that. Even the most fundamental properties of conscious human instincts can cause us to lose ground in life. This is why you should never aim for perfection – it’s not possible. We were not created to be perfect.

Only Jesus Christ is perfect.

We were created and designed to make mistakes. To fail. These experiences are just as essential as succeeding. They balance out our perception and allow us to develop – by forming more deliberate, conscious thought pattern techniques in problem-solving. Failure in any area of life – whether it’s on the job, rejection of any creative output, relationships, school, marriage, diets, or anything that’s personal to you – is part of the process. Your formation. Failure must be seen as “practice” or “preparation” for what is to come. You fail to learn. You fail to figure things out. After all, isn’t direct experience the ultimate purpose of life?

Here are a few ideas I’d like to share with you. These things have come to me from many different avenues throughout life. Seminars, webinars, personal relationships, books, dreams, meditation, and so-on. I’ve compiled a list to assist you, if you’re trying to get to a more clear picture of who you are in your mind. Like anything – it takes time and effort but I can tell you, they are effective.

Spend time alone everyday, in silence, and listen to your thoughts. Talk to your creator.

Paint pictures in your mind daily of where you want to go, what you want to accomplish, and how you wish to serve the world. Close your eyes and study them.

Begin each day by smiling and saying “Thank you.” You are thanking God for allowing you another day on this magical ride we call life.

If you have a goal you're reaching for – set an alarm on your phone to alert you every hour(or another block of time that better suits your schedule). When the alarm goes off, ask yourself this question, “Am I doing anything that is beneficial or progressive in achieving my goals?” If the answer is no, shift your focus immediately.
Focus on small. Do not focus on big. Focus on the now. The day. Do what you can with the current day – If you do this everyday – big things are built by the daily effort of small progress. One brick (day) at a time and eventually you will have a solid foundation.

Be extremely grateful for everything you have – this includes your heart, toes, blood flow, eyes, ear drums, skin, ribs, fingers, emotions, intelligence, children, parents, grandparents, friends, electricity, oxygen, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ice cream, broccoli, shoes, the ability to read these words, and almost anything that makes you feel alive. Anything that assists, in any way, to all of your direct experiences throughout life. I understand it’s inconceivable to be consciously and continually grateful for many of these – I am suggesting to take a few moments, everyday, to acknowledge them and feel that presence of gratitude toward things that are often overlooked. Doing this in silence is my suggestion.

These are just a few things that, if put into practice daily, can change many things in your life…most of all – your state-of-mind. Peacefulness, calmness, self-awareness, and your connection with nature. The fruit of the spirit is the goal here.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Generosity, Gentleness, and Self-Control.

I mentioned the Chinese Bamboo Tree in a previous post but allow me to expound on it a little bit here.

The message the Chinese Bamboo Tree offers is something that is difficult to grasp in our world today.
Everything is fast. Millions of instant-result products are marketed toward consumers all over the world – everyday.

Slowing down and allowing a natural progression to occur is a key ingredient to achieve calmness within you. Nothing is forced in nature yet nothing is left undone. Everything is completed and it’s completed on-time, every time.
Let’s revisit the lesson of this beautiful tree.

The Chinese Bamboo tree.

The Chinese Bamboo tree, once planted, must be watered and nurtured on a consistent basis during an entire growing season. After one growing season, the Chinese Bamboo tree will not grow at all, not even an inch. The second growing season (2nd year), the Chinese Bamboo tree must be watered and nurtured again consistently during the entire growing season. After the second growing season, the Chinese Bamboo tree will still be under the surface of the soil and still not even an inch tall. For four years, the Chinese Bamboo tree must be watered and nurtured on a consistent basis – In fact, if at any time, the Chinese Bamboo tree is not nurtured, it slows the progress of the tree’s growth and often will die in the ground before breaking the surface.

On the fifth year, if properly nurtured, the Chinese Bamboo tree breaks through the surface and grows to an amazing 80 feet in one season! Now, did it take the tree one year to grow 80 feet or did it take 5 years? The answer is clear – it took 5 years. The road to reaching our full potential is paved with years, sometimes decades, of silent progress. Hidden away in the soil of our minds as we develop our craft. Don’t lose hope due to lack of instant progress. Imagination is the accelerator in reaching the surface. I’ll see you in 80 feet. Tree-house, anyone?

As always, Much Love.

Thanks for reading, my friends.

-MFrederick