So... Having written myself a blazing future into the meta-physical philosophy of Freedom - I ran smack into a wall. Survival can be a bitch when its made out of brick. It slowed me down, challenged me, and in general halted my adventurous musings on the nature of life and Freedom - cause I was too worried about where my next PB&J was going to come from! I had endeavored to speak about Sovereignty - but what I found instead was Rainbows. And it took me a while to feel my way into a solution to the problem at hand. As usual... : (
It struck me that experiencing Freedom through Sovereignty is simply impossible if my mind is focused upon the business of survival. If I don't feel confident in the source of my next meal, the roof over my head, my form of transportation etc. how could I possibly feel anything remotely near the experience of Sovereignty? Plus, in a state of uncertainty, where survival seems even slightly threatened, every obstacle that occurs seems larger than the last one with hardly any chance presenting itself for a leg up.
I laugh now at a previous blog post, in which I referred to my previously held job title as an Art Auctioneer on a Cruise Ship, thinking that the era of glamour was now receding into my past. Because now, what I do for a living is sell Rainbows.
What? You're joking right? (this is the standard response after I have answered the 'what do you do?' question)
No. I sell Rainbows. Sold three last week actually.
Turns out I'm not actually crazy, and it is simply the name of a product that helps people enjoy a healthy and clean indoor environment - but none of that is the point. The point is SURVIVAL vs. SOVEREIGNTY. If you have ever met a door to door salesman, or that guy at the used car dealership who obviously was concerned about his next meal, then you've seen the look of desperation - the air of self preservation that disregards everything else - particularly your preferences as a customer. And the direct selling business is all feast or famine as many in the business will tell you. Because so many fail to succeed in this line of work and end up in some other more secure type of job, the few that succeed often go on to become self improvement gurus and motivational speakers...
And anyone who has ever pitched a Business Opportunity is selling none other than, yep, SOVEREIGNTY. That sought after quality of life where you make your own hours, determine your own paycheck and define your own freedom!
So what's wrong with SURVIVAL?
Well nothing really. In fact, I don't think anybody ever actually contemplates surviving. Its the NOT surviving that truly captivates our attention. Even when that is a very remote possibility.
As an exercise in SURVIVAL I would suggest not going to the grocery store. Just eat the rest of your food. And if you are someone who has actually eaten the last item in your fridge than you know what I am talking about. Even when the fridge appears totally empty, I have discovered that there is still probably 5 or 6 days worth of food in there! (for one person anyhow) I discovered upon this experiment (somewhat not of my choosing) that the initial anxiety of "I'm running out of food! What if I don't SURVIVE?" soon was replaced by more confident and calm thoughts. Thoughts like, "I have plenty of food to eat today" and "Not only do I have plenty of food to eat today, but I have plenty of food for tomorrow and probably the rest of the week" - I had discovered that my threshold of scarcity was actually somewhat abundant. And then, all I could focus on was the abundance.
I think if I were to sum up the most important thing I have learned in the last six months, it is this:
I make decisions based on the success I envision rather than the challenges I have.
There is so much talk about overcoming obstacles and fighting against this problem and that problem, fighting illness, poverty, overcoming disability and bad circumstances, etc. etc. etc.
Well - I'm starting to realize that none of those stories tell you anything about how someone attained SOVEREIGNTY from their problems of survival.
When making choices in line with the success, the thriving, the joy you envision, suddenly the obstacles in the way just melt down and become bumps, hurdles easily cleared, minor setbacks on a larger road to success. I feel like I'm writing the Success Guru Garbage chatter that gets people pumped up only to fail.
But I believe I am coming to know that the only failure is believing that survival is something we have to fight for on the journey to realizing our dreams. SOVEREIGNTY is achieved through perspective. A mindset that actually has a healthy disregard for reality. When challenges come up, you ignore the "challenge" and continue to make choices as if you have already succeeded and as if by magic, reality molds itself to the will of your mind!
Do I suggest you try the favorite childhood test of "I can fly, I can fly, I can fly!" while jumping out the second story window?
Well, the "I can" statement brings immediately into the mix the prospect of survival. Because if you are trying to reinforce 'I can' in your mind, you are simply fighting against the belief "I CAN'T fly" - which is probably a wise belief unless you own an airplane.
In SOVEREIGNTY the statement becomes "I fly with the birds, beyond the horizon, up in the clouds." One does not attempt this from the second story window, because with this powerful belief, a hot air balloon, or prop jet pilot will magically appear with an invitation to soar into the atmosphere.
For most of my life, I tried to figure out how to survive on the road to achieve my desires - and what I often did was run into walls. Sometimes I bounced back, sometimes I fell down - and trust me, getting back up and trying again was NOT the solution. Though that's often what I did.
No. Now there aren't walls. Just hops and skips, and little jumps toward the other side of a Rainbow. As if the challenges from my past have suddenly shrunk smaller than a Leprechaun - and don't get me wrong, I'm not so naive to think that I have all the answers, and nothing will ever go wrong again. Its just that when it does, I will no longer be dependent on my problems. I will no longer focus on them, giving all my power away to them and their ability to slow me down, hinder my path, or destroy my confidence. SOVEREIGNTY is something found in the heart. And once its found, there is no longer a need to be courageous because the solution comes from within.
Glad to be over that hurdle. The cool part is, to get over it, I didn't even notice jumping. I just kept my eyes on the finish line and suddenly I was on the other side. Cool how that works.
Abbadham.
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