Saturday, June 23, 2012

Practicing Patience

June 24, 2012

Dear Friends,

I’d like you to imagine something.  I’d like you to imagine yourself rowing a boat gently down a stream toward a particular destination that you have in mind. This stream is so wide, it is more like a river, and there are many, many twists and turns along the way.  As you encounter one bend in the stream after another, you begin to grow impatient—agitated even—because the destination you are trying to reach continually fails to materialize. You begin to wonder whether your destination even exists. And you begin to seriously consider giving up, and ending your journey before you ever reach its end.

Now I want you to imagine the same thing, but with a difference. Like before, I want you to imagine yourself rowing a boat down a stream toward a chosen destination.  And once again you encounter one bend in the stream after another.  But this time you row with infinite patience. And why are you so patient?  Because this time, before you set out on your journey, you climbed to the top of a nearby mountain. And from way up there, you were able to see your destination in the distance. You not only know that your destination exists, but you have a very good idea about how many bends in the stream you will encounter before you get there.  So—one stroke of your oars at a time—you slowly but surely make your way to your goal, knowing that it’s only a matter of time before you finally reach it.

Obviously, friends, as you pursue your goals and dreams in life, there is not going to be a mountain that you can climb, so you can look down from above and get a feel for the lay of the land.  There is not going to be a way for you to confirm that your chosen destination does, indeed, exist.  Nor will you be able to know exactly how many bends in the stream you will have to encounter before you reach your journey’s end.  So the question that arises is this one: In the face of so many unknowns, how can you possibly remain patient for any length of time . . . especially if you have been rowing and rowing for what already feels like an eternity?

One answer to that question is to make sure that you are focusing most of your attention on what is happening in the here and now moment.  It is much easier to be patient when you are fully engaged in being where you are, rather than constantly thinking about where you want to be.  A daily practice of meditation is a great way to enhance your ability to be consistently awake and aware in the present moment. 

That said, however, the patience that comes from present-moment awareness is not what I want to focus on in this particular message.  Instead, I want to talk about the patience that comes from trusting—trusting that the destination you are pursuing does, indeed, exist; and that with every bend in the stream you are one step closer to reaching your dream.

I wish there was a magic wand I could wave that would instill that kind of trust in you.  Obviously, I don’t have that kind of wand.  What I do have is more than 25 years of experience in consciously practicing the principles for living life in the divine flow.  And, as I mentioned in last week’s message, that experience has led me to conclude the following: This Universe of ours is—without a doubt—both intelligent and beneficent.  It is aware of what we want.  It is aware of what we need.  And we can trust it to continually guide us to the fulfillment our dreams, goals, and desires.

That doesn’t mean that the Universe will always lead us to exactly where we want to go.  But it does mean that we can trust the Universe to direct us to a place that will be—at a minimum—the equivalent of what we want, or to something that is even better . . . to something that is greater, grander, more fulfilling, and always in the best interests of all.

Friends, no matter how many unexpected twists and turns you encounter as you row your boat down the stream toward your dream, please don’t lose your patience and give up!  Continue to patiently “row with the flow” by following the guidance of your intuition, by heeding the intuitive wisdom of others, and by paying attention to the divine signs and synchronicities that are all around you.  Do those things, and you can trust that one day you will, most assuredly, arrive at the destination you had in mind . . . or even better, you will arrive at a place that was the true, underlying desire of your heart all along.

Here’s to a joyful and fulfilling journey.  Bon voyage!

Steven


© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor
www.rowrowrow.com
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

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