SGM April 2017 Weekly Message One: “Here on Purpose? Would You Like to Feel That Way?”
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Welcome to this week’s edition of Spiritual Growth Monthly. I’m Kevin Schoeninger. It’s great to have you with us here at SGM!
Maybe, you feel a spiritual void. You long to feel connected to a deeper sense of life purpose? Or, maybe, like many people these days, you feel so busy and stressed out, that taking the time to ponder your purpose is hard to fathom?
This month on SGM, we explore how you can grow your sense of meaning and purpose, and manifest the life of health, love, and abundance your soul desires by using a simple tool—Daily Practice.
“Daily Practice is the consistent repetition of an intentional action to have and grow an experience you desire.”
O.K. so what’s so powerful about that?
Well, here’s the thing. Ask yourself why you are not living the life of deeper meaning purpose, health, love, and abundance that your soul desires? Why are you not doing that thing you’ve always talked about that would make you happy?
Sure, you can come up with a lot of reasons and excuses, but it all boils down to one thing:
Are you taking consistent action every day to live in and grow that experience?
For example, if you want more peace of mind, are you taking a few minutes every day to meditate? If you want to write that book or create that work of art are you giving it some time and attention every day? If you want/need to find that new/better job, are you researching, talking to people, and putting yourself out there a little every day? If you want to have a better relationship with your partner, what are you doing every day to encourage that?
Sometimes we get daunted by what we think we might have to do to have what we desire and the whole process feels like too much to consider. It feels overwhelming, scary, or way beyond our comfort zone. We wonder if we are good enough, worthy enough, or capable of having what we want. Sometimes we worry what others might think if we do that.
The wisdom and effectiveness in seeing these experiences as “daily practices” is that it gets you involved in what you want to grow in your life, very simply, easily, consistently, and briefly—even for just a few minutes every day. If you’ve done this at all, you can attest to the power in it.
First, you have the experience of engaging in what you want to experience, you live in it, you taste it and enjoy it, a little every day. This can do wonders for breaking you out of the stress and drudgery of all those things on your TO DO List that are weighing you down. It brings a little light and joy into your day.
Second, you come back to that experience more easily the next day because it is still fresh in your mind and body.
Third, even a few minutes of engaging in anything grows your skill and effectiveness—and this grows your confidence in the fact that you can do this. The very nature of practice is that it is a mindset of “growth over time.” You don’t have to be perfect at the start. You don’t have to be at your final destination right now. You don’t even have to be good at what you’re doing at all. You simply need to engage in it. And, the joy is in the journey!
And, finally, daily practice creates an ongoing momentum that pulls you forward into more fully living whatever experience you desire. Anything you do every day takes on a life of its own that pulls you forward—even when you don’t feel like doing it. You know that, if you just get started, if you just commit to a small action and do that, you are more likely to get engaged and get in the flow—and that will feel really good!
For example, if I just commit to do a short workout warm-up, by the end of that warm-up I usually feel like doing more. If I just commit to writing one paragraph on my new book, no matter how good or bad the writing is, I will often find myself doing more. Or I will say, that’s good for today, I’ll come back to it tomorrow. Either way, I am doing what I want to do, and I am moving forward.
The possibilities for what you can practice are as endless and unique as you are. You can use it to grow any experience you desire. I make daily practices out of all kinds of things, from stretching and meditating, to eating and other self-care practices, to time with family, to all sorts of longer-term projects.
So, this month, we’re going to explore how to use Daily Practice effortlessly, skillfully, and effectively to experience something that is important to you in your life—whether that’s being more peaceful, having deeper, more loving relationships, being more financially abundant, or feeling more spiritually centered and connected.
Our resource for this exploration will be my program called, “The Power of Practice: A Practical Guide to Health, Happiness, and The Life You Are Meant To Live.”
We’ll start with the easiest, though sometimes most challenging, of the three. What does it mean to be healthy? On the surface, this seems rather obvious. We all know what it means to be healthy. To be healthy is to be free from disease, injury, or discomfort. Stated more positively, it is to be fully functional--physically, emotionally, and mentally. All the parts are working right. When we are healthy, we live in our bodies with little thought about their function. Our bodies do what they are meant to do and we often take that for granted.
It is only when you lose your health, when you get sick, injured, or something goes wrong with your body, that you may look a little deeper at just what it is that creates health. And, no, contrary to what it seems in our current Western Medical model, health is not a deficiency of drugs or surgery.
According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), health is created when there is a smooth flow of life force through the body. TCM views reality as an energetic matrix of interacting energy fields. Your body is one such field. When your body’s energy field is functioning smoothly and relating in an integrated manner within its environment, you are healthy. When there is disruption in the flow of energy within your body and its relationship with the environment, there is disease.
Without going into great detail, let’s take that concept of smooth, integrated energy flow and apply it more widely. Not only is the smooth flow of life force the key to health, it is the key to happiness as well.
You’ve heard of athletes or artists talk about “being in the flow” or “being in the zone.” What they are describing is an experience in which they are aware that their energy is flowing smoothly, in an integrated way. In those moments, everything seems to come together perfectly. They are doing what they love to do and it is as if the activity flows through them. In those moments, everything in the environment seems to cooperate with them as well. There is perfect harmony within themselves and between their self, the activity, and the environment.
This is what is meant in The Power of Practice by the experience of living your own-most possibilities. Your own-most possibilities are “what is yours to do here and now.” Each moment there is a right action for you based upon who you are and what you are here to do. This action is unique to each person and to each moment. It is the result of the many energies and forces that make up your personal meaning context.
Your own-most possibilities take into account all aspects of your being and all energies and forces in the environment. When you act on your own-most possibilities, your life unfolds in harmony. Your energy is integrated and flows smoothly. You live your life purpose. Your mind is clear and focused. You feel energized yet calm, and your body is relaxed yet vital. You relate easily with others and experience mutual reciprocal support.
As a result of living your own-most possibilities, you experience greater health, happiness, and meaning. This is because your own-most possibilities flow from a capacity within you that knows what is exactly right for you here and now.
In next week’s message, we’ll talk more about how you can activate this inner knowing. This inner knowing is your hidden sixth sense and Master Power. You’ll also learn more about the key tools presented in The Power of Practice Program that enable you to live your own-most possibilities.
Until then, consider this:
What is it that you would like to grow in your life? What would you like to experience more of? And, how could you make that a part of your day, every day—even for a few minutes?
Every experience, no matter how big or small is made up of small actions. What small action could you take today to move forward into the life you are meant to live? What feels definitely doable from where you are right now? It could be journaling about what you want to experience to get more clear on it, researching, getting some supplies, talking to someone who knows how to do that, or any way that you can engage in doing, having, or growing that experience today.
Take that action and notice what happens. No matter what happens, whether it’s satisfying or frustrating, I’ll guide you in how to use that action to move forward in the coming weeks.
Enjoy your practice!
Kevin
P.S. If you want to get more information on the complete Power of Practice Program visit: www.untoldmanifestingsecrets.com