As part of my ongoing exploration and development, a couple weeks ago I was at a conference where the featured speaker was Esalen Co-founder Michael Murphy. Michael is a modern day pioneer in the exploration of human potential and this Universe we live in. A real inspiration! The conference was "Integral Transformative Practice and the Evolution of the Soul."
What is "evolution of the soul?" From the Webster's Dictionary, the definition of evolution is: an unfolding; a process of development or change; a movement that is part of a series. Yes, this makes sense. An unfolding, a process of development or change, a movement that is part of a series. One could say that evolution is the process of the unfolding of the soul into and through the world.
So how is the unfolding of your soul going? I think that's a pretty important question.
In my experience, lasting happiness (joy) and true fulfillment can only come from your soul. This is living from the inside-out. You START with what your soul wants - this is your personal inside guide to your ideal life - your compass for navigating the terrain of YOUR life and living the life that is most fulfilling for YOU. Trying to lose weight, get more money, or have better relationships - as great as those things are - is living from "the outside in." This means trying to fill an emptiness inside with something in the "outside" world. It will feel good for a moment, then you'll be on to the next thing, and the next thing, and the next... never experiencing the satisfaction you really desire.
I recently tweeted a quote by Robert Collier "Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out." The key is to focus your efforts toward the success that you REALLY wish to create and experience - your SOUL'S desires. Until you tap into THAT place of desire, you're like a hamster on a treadmill going from one thing to the next, never satisfied. Until you are tapped into your soul's desires, you'll be grasping at straws like losing weight, getting more money, or having better relationships.
So how do we know what our soul wants for us? How can we live that deeply satisfying Soul Filled Life? Well, there are many aspects to it, but in this short article I'll share one of the most important: follow your bliss. This is the guidance we have often heard from author and teacher Joseph Campbell. Unfortunately, it is rarely appreciated or truly lived.
One of the keys to knowing what your soul wants for you in this lifetime is to pay attention to and engage things that you enjoy! This may not be easy at first, as many of us have gotten very good at "working hard and suffering to survive and feel deserving." However, we can begin choosing activities that provide the greatest likelihood or probability that the experience it offers (the people, the places, the conversations and words you use, the ideas, the actions, the impact and results in the world, the overall environment you are in, and as well as both the present and possible monetary rewards, etc.) will have at least SOME enjoyable aspect(s). As you do this, if you practice this time and time again, the fullness of your bliss will unfold over your lifetime like a beautiful flower coming into its own.
I want to further emphasize and support this notion of "following your bliss" and engaging activities where you experience the most joy. Joy is life-force filled. And what people want most on this planet (including yourself) is life-force. The more you embody and become a channel for life-force energy, the more you become of SERVICE to others - you are giving them what they most want and need.
This is the key to success. Becoming a channel for, and access to, what people want most: life-force energy. The most powerful way to do that is to follow your very own bliss. Isn't that divine?! And here's another reason to follow your bliss - when you do, you become more and more unstoppable. Another word for Joy, and for Bliss, is Inspiration. When you are inspired you are connected to the divine flow and intelligence of the Universe. Your personal energy is optimized, solutions and ideas come to you "from beyond" and your overall experience is amazing. When you are inspired, you have "spirit inside" - and when you have spirit inside you bring spirit and life-force energy to others.
This is operating from your soul - this is Soul-Filled Living. The person who operates from the soul and allows their truth to flow through them is inspired in the deepest sense. Such a man or woman is a rare and treasured gift for all of us. When an artist is touched by Spirit and creates something from that authentic place, we are all touched. It's like looking at something here in the physical world that came from and represents the beauty, mystery, and magic of the metaphysical world.
Wherever there is success AND joy, there is inspiration. You can have success with no joy or inspiration, but you cannot have joy without success because joy in and of itself is success! So are you going for the success "hoping for the joy" or are you going for the joy hoping for the success? If success in a material sense is important to you, I suggest doing both. Follow your bliss with a plan for manifesting material success.
Manifesting your soul's desire is a long term partnership with Spirit that unfolds over time. You are the instrument that Universal Life Force Intelligence is playing. Mother Theresa said it this way: "We are all pencils in the hand of God writing love letters to the Universe." What is your love letter to the Universe? What does God want to write with you and your life? Only YOU know the answer.
Try this: Look back over all the experiences in your life and see if you can identify your "Theme of Joy" - the common thread through all those experiences that attracted you to them in the first place. What is the common "Thread of Joy" that you loved about each of those roles and experiences in your life? These are HUGE clues to your soul's purpose and desires for you in this lifetime.
Congratulations! You're one step closer to tapping into your soul's desires, following your bliss, and experiencing the true joy, satisfaction, and mojo you desire!