“I’m always changing jobs and I feel stuck in ever finding the right one” said my client, with a sigh.
It’s painful to feel unfulfilled. Most of us know, deep down, that life is an invitation to experience joy and satisfaction. How is it then, that in our everyday life we can feel moments, or prolonged periods, of dissatisfaction, dis-ease and frustration?What we discover as we wake up is this; the thing that is painful is the hand of our higher self, reaching down to nudge us towards our higher potential.
It’s never your job, relationship, bank account, or even your sick body that is the problem. Let’s go gently here…
I’m not saying that if you are ill, or if your partner is disrespectful, or your boss is over demanding, that you should put up with the situation. Nor am I saying that if you think positive thoughts that your situation will morph into your dream.
Awakening happens when we see, feel and know, that underneath all the external situations of our life there is a vast movement of energy and intelligence that only wants the best for us. You can call this energy, chi, life force or divine intelligence.
Although this energy is invisible to our physical eyes, we don’t have to believe it exists to harness and engage it’s power. To draw on it’s infinite potential for peace, joy, healing and well-being, what’s required is to be willing to open to it.
My client became confused, “If life wants what is best for me, why am I having such a hard time in finding the right job?”
Many of us are conditioned to struggle. As children we are fed subtle or loud messages that we unconsciously take to be facts, such as:
- You need to work hard to get to the top.
- There’s no gain without pain.
- You have to push to get what you want.
- You’re not good enough as you are, you’ve always got to be improving yourself.
Messages like this take the form of an inner critic which drives us to do better, to please others, to follow the rules, or turns outwards to criticize others. If left unchecked, an inner critic can lead to depression and a falling out of love with life. Our conditioning can even influence our spiritual life – sending us an endless pursuit of seeking for the next thing to enlighten us.
An unmistakable shift happens when we rest in the presence of peace and love at our core. Over the next few months my client learned to flow compassion in the moments of self judgment. This movement began to free her from her self imposed prison. A new level of self love and acceptance arose naturally – not as a result of hours of digging, or meditating, but by allowing her true nature to reveal itself.
Something else also began to happen. She began to notice that she was enjoying her job more and had new respect for her colleagues. The interesting thing was, nothing about her job had changed. These shifts happened all by themselves.
Life around you changes you when your heart is uncovered. When self-judgement dissolves, your perception yourself and others undergoes a revision. The qualities of your heart begin to replace your inner critic and you begin radiate patience, appreciation and kindness. You develop a deeper understanding about what is true for you – which is usually different from the messages you took on as a child. Judgments about others also dissolve. You begin to see your friends, colleagues and family with a clarity that carries kindness.
