February 28, 2010
Aloha, Friends!
As you might have gathered from my greeting, Carol and I just returned from Hawaii, where I spoke at the Unity Church on Maui.
Similar to the time we visited the island of Oahu in 2005, I was once again immensely impressed by the easygoing nature of the native Hawaiians. Living life in the divine flow seems to come quite naturally for most of them.
This is in direct contrast to a man I met who moved to Hawaii a number of years ago. He told me about his first five years on the island—a time in which he tried to accomplish his goals by using the same technique he employed on the mainland . . . by bulldozing over everyone and everything standing in his way! Suffice it to say that the native Hawaiians weren't very impressed with this man's forceful, controlling, and manipulative ways.
Finally, one young native Hawaiian came up this man and said, "Hey bro' . . . mo' bettah go easy."
At that moment, this man learned what I, too, have been learning over the years: Even though it is sometimes possible to force things to go the way you want them to, it is much better to take it easy.
You will find that when you attune yourself to the flow, and become willing to constantly adjust to the course of the current, things have a way of working out that is not only better for you, but better for all involved . . . and effortlessly, at that!
As the song my book is based on suggests, you should always “row, row, row your boat gently down the stream.” The reason why is simple: "Mo' bettah go easy!"
Aloha!
Steven
© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Olympic Dreams
February 21, 2010
Dear Friends,
With the Winter Olympics in full swing, you have undoubtedly heard newscasters attribute the success of many Olympic athletes to their perseverance, determination, and endurance. You have probably learned how many of these athletes overcame tremendous obstacles to be at the pinnacle of their sport.
I admire these athletes. As they continually expand the boundaries of human accomplishment, underneath it all I see the creative power of their Divine Spirit at work.
Similarly, as you pursue your own goals in life, it pays to remember your unlimited potential as a child of the Divine. But keep in mind that the accomplishment of your goals is not up to you alone. You have the whole Universe working on your behalf. And your main job is to cooperate with the divine flow that is continually guiding you toward the fulfillment of your desires in the most beneficial way possible.
What I am getting to is this: There is a fine line between determination and being driven, and between perseverance and being obsessed. I can’t tell you where that line is for you. All I can do is remind you to continually ask yourself this question: “Am I taking the next right step that I am being divinely guided to take, or am I trying to control, manipulate, and force things to go the way I think they should go?”
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, to live life in the divine flow is to have the patience and the persistence to hold onto your dream, but to allow that dream to unfold in a divinely guided way. Otherwise, your achievement will only be the result of your ego’s activity. And that kind of achievement is only briefly satisfying, and never in the best interests of all involved.
Here’s to having dreams of Olympic proportions, my friends! But more than that, here’s to their Divine realization!
Steven
© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Dear Friends,
With the Winter Olympics in full swing, you have undoubtedly heard newscasters attribute the success of many Olympic athletes to their perseverance, determination, and endurance. You have probably learned how many of these athletes overcame tremendous obstacles to be at the pinnacle of their sport.
I admire these athletes. As they continually expand the boundaries of human accomplishment, underneath it all I see the creative power of their Divine Spirit at work.
Similarly, as you pursue your own goals in life, it pays to remember your unlimited potential as a child of the Divine. But keep in mind that the accomplishment of your goals is not up to you alone. You have the whole Universe working on your behalf. And your main job is to cooperate with the divine flow that is continually guiding you toward the fulfillment of your desires in the most beneficial way possible.
What I am getting to is this: There is a fine line between determination and being driven, and between perseverance and being obsessed. I can’t tell you where that line is for you. All I can do is remind you to continually ask yourself this question: “Am I taking the next right step that I am being divinely guided to take, or am I trying to control, manipulate, and force things to go the way I think they should go?”
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, to live life in the divine flow is to have the patience and the persistence to hold onto your dream, but to allow that dream to unfold in a divinely guided way. Otherwise, your achievement will only be the result of your ego’s activity. And that kind of achievement is only briefly satisfying, and never in the best interests of all involved.
Here’s to having dreams of Olympic proportions, my friends! But more than that, here’s to their Divine realization!
Steven
© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Friday, February 12, 2010
Blind Love & The Divine Flow
February 14, 2010
Dear Friends,
Sunday, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, the day when we make a conscious effort to express our love and appreciation to the people in our lives whom we dearly cherish.
For the most part, the kind of love being celebrated on this special day is “romantic” love. And one of the characteristics of “romantic” love—at least in the beginning—is that this kind of love is “blind.” We literally don’t see the physical flaws and personality quirks in the beloved. He or she looks perfect to us.
But is that really being blind? Or is that seeing as we are truly meant to see—as God sees? As we grow in spiritual understanding, aren’t we called to see beyond appearances? Aren’t we called to see beneath the physical, and look past the behavior? Aren’t we called to see the true beauty and the radiant innocence of the spirit that lies within each person? Aren’t we called to see his or her inner perfection?
If that’s being blind, fine! Give me some dark glasses and a cane! Because there is nothing that feels as good as truly loving. There is nothing that feels as good as recognizing the inherent goodness of another’s soul, and allowing yourself to bask in that glorious light.
So what does this have to do with living life in the divine flow? Simply this: When you love as God loves, and see as God sees, it won’t make any difference where you are along the course of “the stream.” It won’t make any difference whether you are just about to reach your dream, or whether you are still miles away from it.
When you love without limits you are happy right where you are, wherever you are. And, in the end—all goals and dreams aside—isn’t happiness all you really want out of life? Isn’t happiness all you’ve been trying to get out of life . . . all along?
Well then, here’s to “blind” love! And here’s to having a lovingly happy day, every day!
Steven
© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Dear Friends,
Sunday, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, the day when we make a conscious effort to express our love and appreciation to the people in our lives whom we dearly cherish.
For the most part, the kind of love being celebrated on this special day is “romantic” love. And one of the characteristics of “romantic” love—at least in the beginning—is that this kind of love is “blind.” We literally don’t see the physical flaws and personality quirks in the beloved. He or she looks perfect to us.
But is that really being blind? Or is that seeing as we are truly meant to see—as God sees? As we grow in spiritual understanding, aren’t we called to see beyond appearances? Aren’t we called to see beneath the physical, and look past the behavior? Aren’t we called to see the true beauty and the radiant innocence of the spirit that lies within each person? Aren’t we called to see his or her inner perfection?
If that’s being blind, fine! Give me some dark glasses and a cane! Because there is nothing that feels as good as truly loving. There is nothing that feels as good as recognizing the inherent goodness of another’s soul, and allowing yourself to bask in that glorious light.
So what does this have to do with living life in the divine flow? Simply this: When you love as God loves, and see as God sees, it won’t make any difference where you are along the course of “the stream.” It won’t make any difference whether you are just about to reach your dream, or whether you are still miles away from it.
When you love without limits you are happy right where you are, wherever you are. And, in the end—all goals and dreams aside—isn’t happiness all you really want out of life? Isn’t happiness all you’ve been trying to get out of life . . . all along?
Well then, here’s to “blind” love! And here’s to having a lovingly happy day, every day!
Steven
© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Obstacles & The Flow, Part 2
February 7, 2010
Dear Friends,
Last week I wrote about dealing with the kind of obstacles that seem to come out of the blue—the kind that occasionally pop up when you feel like you have been totally “in the flow” for quite some time.
But what if the obstacles you run into are not occasional? What if you continue to encounter multiple obstacles, one after another after another? What if you are continually inhibited in reaching a particular goal in life because you are constantly running into uncooperative and resistant people—people whose assistance you need?
What then? Does that mean that you are supposed to give up on your dream, because—obviously—it just isn’t being divinely supported?
Like last week, there is no single, definitive answer to that question. But here are a few things I do recommend that you “give up on.”
Give up on any pre-conceived notions you might have about how your dream is going to be fulfilled. Remember that the Mind of the Divine can see a lot more ways for you to accomplish your goal than you can. If you stay too narrowly focused on how it is you think you are going to fulfill your desire, you may be limiting yourself, and restricting the manifestation of your good.
Give up on when you think your goal will be accomplished. The obstacles that are delaying you from reaching your chosen destination may even be serving a very good purpose. Perhaps you are not yet the person you need to be to successfully handle the fulfillment of your desire. Or, perhaps circumstances in your life, the lives of others, or the world in general, have changed to such an extent, it would not be beneficial for you to fulfill your dream at this particular point in time.
Finally, give up on what you think the realization of your dream has to specifically look like. It is perfectly fine to be very clear about what it is you “think” you want. Just refrain from becoming overly attached to those specifics. Again, being too fixated on particular details can limit what the Universe is trying to do for you, which might even be something greater and grander than you ever imagined possible.
Which brings me back to the original question that was asked. In the face of ongoing obstacles, should you give up on the dream itself?
My answer is no. As long as you still feel enthusiastic about your dream, by all means hold onto it! But here is what I am getting to with all of this: Hold on only to the “essence” of your dream—that is, to the “experience” of life that your dream elicits.
Remember that no matter what it is you “think” you want in your head, there is generally a desire of your heart that underlies that idea. Your heart is your spirit. And your spirit is in this life to have an experience of life—an experience of love, freedom, creative self-expression, and so on.
Whether your dream is a particular kind of career, or a certain kind of relationship, the divine flow knows exactly what type of experience each of those dreams represents to your spirit. And the flow is continually guiding you to the fulfillment of that experience—an experience that may manifest in a form that is quite different from your original desire.
Your role is to be willing to cooperate with the unfolding of that higher good—one step at a time—and trust that you are always being divinely directed to either what you want, to its equivalent, or to something even better . . . something that will always be in the best interests of all . . . and something that will always fulfill you in a deep, lasting, and meaningful way.
Here’s to having dreams, pursuing dreams, holding onto dreams . . . but also allowing the Universe to help those dreams come true in the most beneficial way possible.
Steven
© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat;
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Dear Friends,
Last week I wrote about dealing with the kind of obstacles that seem to come out of the blue—the kind that occasionally pop up when you feel like you have been totally “in the flow” for quite some time.
But what if the obstacles you run into are not occasional? What if you continue to encounter multiple obstacles, one after another after another? What if you are continually inhibited in reaching a particular goal in life because you are constantly running into uncooperative and resistant people—people whose assistance you need?
What then? Does that mean that you are supposed to give up on your dream, because—obviously—it just isn’t being divinely supported?
Like last week, there is no single, definitive answer to that question. But here are a few things I do recommend that you “give up on.”
Give up on any pre-conceived notions you might have about how your dream is going to be fulfilled. Remember that the Mind of the Divine can see a lot more ways for you to accomplish your goal than you can. If you stay too narrowly focused on how it is you think you are going to fulfill your desire, you may be limiting yourself, and restricting the manifestation of your good.
Give up on when you think your goal will be accomplished. The obstacles that are delaying you from reaching your chosen destination may even be serving a very good purpose. Perhaps you are not yet the person you need to be to successfully handle the fulfillment of your desire. Or, perhaps circumstances in your life, the lives of others, or the world in general, have changed to such an extent, it would not be beneficial for you to fulfill your dream at this particular point in time.
Finally, give up on what you think the realization of your dream has to specifically look like. It is perfectly fine to be very clear about what it is you “think” you want. Just refrain from becoming overly attached to those specifics. Again, being too fixated on particular details can limit what the Universe is trying to do for you, which might even be something greater and grander than you ever imagined possible.
Which brings me back to the original question that was asked. In the face of ongoing obstacles, should you give up on the dream itself?
My answer is no. As long as you still feel enthusiastic about your dream, by all means hold onto it! But here is what I am getting to with all of this: Hold on only to the “essence” of your dream—that is, to the “experience” of life that your dream elicits.
Remember that no matter what it is you “think” you want in your head, there is generally a desire of your heart that underlies that idea. Your heart is your spirit. And your spirit is in this life to have an experience of life—an experience of love, freedom, creative self-expression, and so on.
Whether your dream is a particular kind of career, or a certain kind of relationship, the divine flow knows exactly what type of experience each of those dreams represents to your spirit. And the flow is continually guiding you to the fulfillment of that experience—an experience that may manifest in a form that is quite different from your original desire.
Your role is to be willing to cooperate with the unfolding of that higher good—one step at a time—and trust that you are always being divinely directed to either what you want, to its equivalent, or to something even better . . . something that will always be in the best interests of all . . . and something that will always fulfill you in a deep, lasting, and meaningful way.
Here’s to having dreams, pursuing dreams, holding onto dreams . . . but also allowing the Universe to help those dreams come true in the most beneficial way possible.
Steven
© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat;
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
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