I just reviewed what I wrote in Non-Lying pt 1, and I’m just going to flow into this directly. If you have not read that post, this might make more sense if you read that first.

Goals that I place in the future take me out of the present and steal my joy.

The more I expect something to be one way or another, the more I am disappointed.
It’s not that working for what I believe in feels useless. It’s just that my focus on a specific outcome takes me out of the present. It instantly transports me into a fictional future experience that obscures the truth and sweetness of now. Specifics that I visualize into my future are like targets. They begin as inspiring goals, which provide a direction for my energy. But they also seem to become targets for “life” to take a stab at demolishing, while I helplessly watch from the distance. They are like a mirage that always vanishes right before I arrive.

By the way: I have always been a goal setter, and I have achieved much of what I set out to do. The thing is, it’s never been the way I thought it would be when I got there.

So how to stay in the “truth and sweetness” of now? My experience has been that when I focus on the quality of energy I put into my thought and activity, it keeps me more present. The outcome I desire now is simply the continued experience of joy. A nice side effect is that when I approach what I do with calmness, and trust, even without a thought of what will come of it in the future, things always seem to go pretty well.

I determine the quality of my energy by the inner-peace and love that I feel. No matter how difficult a situation may be I try to feel that God is in control and to be His willing instrument. This helps me maintain a feeling of gratitude and love in my heart. For me this is the answer and brings the greatest success in my life.

It’s not that I can prove this or even believe it all of the time, but in the great majority of situations, I can honestly say that how I feel in myself, determines the way I experience my surroundings. Not only that, but sometimes the way I feel, actually seems to create or alter circumstances. Haven’t you ever had a bad day that just seemed to keep getting worse? It’s almost like there is an inertia created. Or the opposite: have you ever had “a string of good luck?” Again we seem to know intuitively that there is a momentum to certain energies that we can choose to ride or avoid when we are aware of them. I believe our attitude has a major role to play in this dance.

In my opinion: The big lie is that we can attain inner-peace and joy by imposing our will on the world and living for ourselves. The truth is that we can have the joy and peace we crave, only if we learn to live in harmony with what we know is right in our hearts, without resisting, or needing to control, circumstances, or people.

If we stop wanting to change people, I think we will discover how much we love them.

I hope you have peace and joy in your heart right now. I love that we can interact this way through the web, and discuss spiritual topics like this. Daily meditation is a way to tap into the peace and joy at your own center. It gives us a firm footing from where we can move forward.

I would like to hear from you.  Questions and comments are welcome!