Permission to Subsist - Taking a Much-Needed Break from the Pursuit of Excellence

Strive for excellence. Always do your best. Be all you can be...
Who could argue with this advice? It is the foundation for success from the time we are so very young until the time of death. It is the backbone of personal and professional success and extends from our closest relationships to society in general and the effects are so far-reaching that the energy of the Universe shifts because of the choices we make throughout our incarnation.

Ok, how's that for pressure when you are not feeling well?

Although I am speaking of excellence in a seemingly cavalier manner, it is simply meant to draw our attention to the fact that we are after all human. It seems to me that while religion, psychology, new age philosophy, and the self-help movement, along with any other push for excellence,  have the best of intentions to inspire and motivate us to be our best, there comes a time that we have to face the fact that we are feeling depleted or already have run out of steam. In fact, there are times that we are just plain "done" or knocked down so far that we can't get right back up. Yep, even the best of us get ill.

As if the symptoms that are the particular manifestation of our body's chosen crisis are not enough, we add in a strong dose of guilt that we have failed in our super-human wellness efforts and succumbed to the lot of the masses of people who do not practice healthy self-care. The guilt is then another layer that needs to be exposed and takes energy to heal and move past before the illness passes. Add to the guilt, the feeling that it is not fair to be feeling this way and it certainly shouldn't have happened to me! What a waste of time and energy! (Trust me, I know...)

So, here's the deal...As a human, how about if you accept that there are times that you just need to shut down, take a break, get some rest, blow off some steam, do nothing, read a good book, go for a walk, and yes, you may even need to realize that in spite of your efforts, you are down for the count. Once that happens, it is time to give up, give in, and hopefully renew and refresh your energy as quickly as possible and move on. If you find that you are feeling less than your best, you need to accept that while it is not the experience you may want, it is the experience you are having. Time to shift into rest and recovery mode. Your excellent life will be there waiting for you when you bounce back into full force action.

Rather than wallowing in guilt and self-pity, use your downtime to affirm that you are investing your time and energy to once again connect with your wholeness. Respect whatever intuition comes to you about what your body, mind, and spirit need. It is important to love and deeply care for yourself at all times, but especially be mindful of the tendency not to when stressed or ill. That is the destructive downward cycle that can lead to debilitating disease when you refuse to allow yourself time to just exist or God forbid, to subsist.

Simply put: Drop the Perfection. Practice Self-Love.
As you allow your Spirit to soar in an atmosphere of support, you will be once again shift back into the Power of Creating from Cause and excellence will no longer be the goal, it will be the Effect.

As always, I trust that these words will find their way to the right people, at the perfect time, and have the intended impact on the lives and hearts of my readers for the best and Highest Good.

With Blessings, Love and Light,
Nurture U

Claim Your Life's Purpose

Claim your life's purpose? Now there's a tall order. Let's get right to the gist of what I am saying before you get bogged down by that heavy feeling that can seem to descend upon you in the blink of an eye and linger in your consciousness until you can literally feel like you are dragging the weight of this issue like the proverbial ball and chain as you drift aimlessly in a sea of possibilities...

Okay, so I was being a bit dramatic...but c'mon...just a bit. If you have ever been in that mode of searching for your life's purpose, you know the feeling of trying to navigate in a thick fog. That's why the key is to claim your life purpose not find it. Your life's purpose is NOT about what you do, it is about being WHO YOU ARE. And that's where you need to start; you need to stake your claim.

Your life's purpose is not about your career or your job or even your hobbies or avocation. It doesn't begin when you start working and end when you retire. You don't need to take a vacation from your purpose or rest up on the weekends to return to it. Your purpose is a part of your life every moment of every day. Your life's purpose is your Divine Assignment. Your purpose is to be an expression of the Divine - and so is mine. Essentially, we ALL have the same purpose whether we choose to embrace it or not. We are united in purpose, and only separate through the exercise of free will and choice.

So, how do we express our Divine Nature? By being as the Divine is. For me, the simplicity of the Bible description of God works best because it all comes down to this: God is Love. We are told that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, WE ARE LOVE and that is what we are here to express. Simple, but not easy...

That's where the idea of staking your claim comes in. We are conditioned throughout our lives, some to a greater extent than others, to question our Divine Connection and our worthiness to receive all of the blessings that are ours to receive as a beloved Child of God. This questioning comes from our experiences with our parents, other family members, teachers, preachers, peers, the media, and our society and culture at large. Virtually everywhere we turn, we are apt to encounter the beliefs and mores of those around us not just through experience, but through all that we see and hear and read. We are indoctrinated in this way, both directly and indirectly, by the pervading environment in which we live and this profoundly affects not only our thoughts and feelings, but also impacts our ability to function and experience the joy of healthy, balanced, conscious living. That is why the admonition of Jesus to remember that we are to be "in this world, but not of this world" holds such sway and why, through His powerful example, we can indeed be cheerful that He overcame this world. 

By following the example of the Spiritual Masters that have gone before us, tuning into the guidance, grace, and gifts we are freely given, and strengthening our connection with the Source of our Being, we will have the power to claim our ultimate identity and purpose to live a life of Love. Once committed to that, all the rest begins to fall into place as the journey continues and our personal transformation takes place and we continue to evolve. 

What is your life's purpose? To love. What does that look like? It looks like YOU - at work, at home, at rest, at play, alone, with friends, with family, in a crowd, in your car, in youth, in old age, in sickness, in health, and even on your death bed. In the end, as it has been said, all that ever matters and will endure forever is Love. 

Choose Love and you will ALWAYS be purposeful.

Namaste!

As always, I trust that these words will find their way to the right people, at the perfect time, and have the intended impact on the lives and hearts of my readers for the best and Highest Good.

With Blessings, Love and Light,

Nurture U