As we enter into a new year it is a propitious time to reflect on our lives; with a summary of this past year and a projection into the next. Sometimes, day-to-day living makes life full of details, moving from one place to the next, one situation to another, and through all the busyness of life we lose touch with the bigger picture. A new year is a wonderful time to focus on the themes that truly matter.
We come into this life with missions to accomplish. We need only look at those recurring themes in our life for hints as to what we have come to do. For some it is education and learning, or having and raising a family, a profession and trade, a passion for a sport, hobby or craft, and having a loyal group of friends—all can be a big part of our lives. Some of these can seem rather pedestrian, others are vital. However, what is important to one may hold absolutely no meaning for another—the fact you hold it as valuable is what makes it important.
There are everyday actions that are the mechanics of life, things that we do that have value, but don’t rank as very memorable; such as household chores, maintaining the car and paying the bills. These are the things that take up so much of our time. They also produce major problems if they are not attended to, but are not the kinds of things that come to mind if we are asked, “What did you accomplish in your life?”
And yet, especially if we struggle with some of the mechanics of life, they can become a big part of what we have come to learn. A theme of learning for me has been organizing and simplifying things in my life. I find that being better organized helps me to accomplish the more important goals. There is a lady from Japan, Marie Kondo, who has made an entire profession of helping people organize their stuff, and wrote a bestselling book that I like very much, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I fully intend this coming year to once again make a total sweep of all the things in my care and use her method for keeping only those things that bring me joy.
In addition to the daily mechanics of life, there are those things that are really important; such as a safe and loving home for children and family, financial security, professional goals, being a loving and supportive presence for friends, and maintaining a healthy body and environment. These important goals are closer to home, the things that speak more deeply to our souls and have a lasting impact on our lives. Many of the repetitive activities that make up the mechanics of life only exist in order to support those important things. Sometimes we get a sudden reminder of how important these things are when we have a health challenge, or a financial trial.
These past couple of years, keeping this body healthy took on a new focus of importance after being diagnosed with tumors. Subsequently, I have been working with a naturopath and getting scans and tests done several times of year-including taking supplements prescribed by the naturopath and working on healthy habits. Of course, I had been eating healthy before, but as I say, this has made healthiness even a deeper focus. All continues well in this regard as I enjoy perfect health—for that I thank our ever-gracious God and Gurus, and your thoughts and prayers, dedicated health professionals and health insurance workers that have helped make this possible. This new year will definitely entail making perfect health an ongoing reality.
In addition to the mechanics of life and attending to those important aspects, there are those essential elements in life that are must do’s. Like a pyramid, the mechanics of life form the foundation for achieving what is above it—the things that qualify as important—and then moving up to the pinnacle of the pyramid is that which is essential, the crown of your life. For example, for my father it is clear he came into this life with a keen desire to run his own business, and he spent a great deal of his life doing so in a dharmic way, filled with honest right-action. If he had not done this, he would have definitely felt that his life was not complete—this was essential for him. What is essential for me is not the running a business, but my purpose took the turn from my father’s, to that of a spiritual quest for Self-realization.
In my adult years everything in my life—education, profession, family—have all been in support of this one overarching goal. But, there have been times in my life when my actions seemed to betray this essential goal. And this is what is vastly important here: when the pyramid of the foundational mechanics of my life do not support my important goals, which in turn do not enable me to realize the crowning essential summit of life, then I am out of synch with the very purpose of my coming—and this being out of synch, leads to great suffering. Confusion and suffering occurs when incarnating souls do not remember why they have come. Knowing God and serving Him in all souls in accordance to His inner direction has been, and continues to be my real purpose of my life.
Every life has a unique set of circumstances for what a soul has come to learn. It is incumbent upon you to be clear as to what is essential for you to learn and to become. You must be fully aware of what is important to you, and to align the mechanics of your life to support those important and essential goals. Through this alignment you may rightfully enjoy peace and an absolutely fulfilled life.
Starting a new year is a wonderful time to calibrate all three of these parts of your life—the mechanics of daily activities with achieving those goals that are important, and never losing sight of what is essential. Missing, or misaligning, any one of these three parts will lead to suffering, while having all three in synch makes you know that you are on-track with why you are here; it also makes you know that with your sincere efforts and God’s Grace, all success is open to you for the fulfillment of your purpose, just as God has designed it for you. In the thought of your perfect alignment with your true purpose, I wish you a very happy New Year and the flawless fulfillment of all that you have come to accomplish.