Numerous years ago I listened to spiritual instructor, Ram Dass, speak about when he purposely selected to let go of a lot of his product belongings. He stated the liberty he felt was extraordinary. He reached a point where he didn't need to define himself by outward proof. I found it an interesting idea, however remained in no way happy to do this myself. At that point in my Click for more life, I had actually gone through numerous periods where my product possessions where gotten rid of from my life, more by my unconscious actions instead of a conscious chose. These were really uncomfortable periods for me which left me puzzled, seeming like a victim of situations and questioning if I would ever turn my life around.
By the time I was thirty, I had acquired enough to seem like I had it going on. Remarkably, after getting quite a bit, at that point I did make a conscious choice to let go of my worldly items and begin a spiritual sabbatical. I had actually been "searching for" for numerous years, but this time, I felt a calling to dig deeper. The journey I was about to begin was among significant self discovery that took me from Berkeley, California to the West Bank of Israel where I lived for the next six months. When I first left California, it took 3 months to get to Israel from.
After feeling I was all set to reenter the culture I was most familiar with and confident I would not be connected to the external features life typically provides, I made a choice to go back to the Bay Area of California. It definitely didn't take wish for me to get right back into a life where I specified my success or failure by what I owned and what awards and recognitions I got. It appeared the more I was recognized for "accomplishment" the more I craved it. Little did I recognize that nothing outward would fill this craving.
I have actually ever since discovered it is absolutely an inside job. My spiritual mission continued as I studied many of the greats. I so desired the answer to when I would understand I had arrived. Gradually I was getting peeks of the response, but something was still missing. I wasn't sure what. A number of years ago I was listening to Wayne Dyer where he was sharing how he decided to let go of those things that he had used in the past to define who he was such as plaques that he got for some specific award. As he spoke I thought, "Hmmm. Easy for you to say, however I'm definitely not prepared to let go of all those business awards I worked so hard to get." By this point getting recognitions and awards had actually become as familiar to me as daily breathing. It was simply a part of where my profession had gone. I was getting here. Or so I believed.
Fast forward to today. As is the practice for many individuals at the beginning of a new year, I do a significant clearing of things I have actually gathered over the in 2015 approximately. This year had a totally various feel to it than years past. Perhaps it involves my age. Maybe it has to do with the death of my father a few months back. Or possibly I have actually shown up, however not in the place I thought I required to in order to feed the craving. As I began the process of clearing out the closet that is the "it enters here since I may need it one day" I found several boxes with awards I received over the last few decades. As I searched in each of packages, I recognized I had no accessory to any of them.
Not that I do not value what it took to make these, however I realized it is time to let them go. After over thirty years of trying to "get it" and discover the response, the answer had actually been revealing itself, sometimes quickly, often slowly. Paradoxically, I was listening to Wayne Dyer during much of this process today of cleaning up the closet and my office. I could not assist but smile when he got to the part about letting go of the things that define us. I understood I had the answer and had had it for rather some time. The response is merely who I am (and who any of us are for that matter) is not specified by the outside evidence. And yet, paradoxically, our outward proof is a reflection of our beliefs.
What I also understand to be real is when we are not connected to who we think we are based upon our ego, yet we recognize our ego is a part of who we are, life becomes much simpler and simpler. I also know, when all is stated and done and the next leg of my journey starts, I can't take any of it with me. This fact became extremely apparent as my daddy transitioned to the next leg of his journey. The only thing that mattered at that point was stating my last goodbyes and understanding in my heart of hearts our life is specified most clearly by our capacity to share, love and bring happiness to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Awards others.