Just Do It

How things ought to be in the world idealistically holds little interest now... Working pragmatically with what is, the immediately real and the actual, is all that I have time for in this life and on this Earth. When Gandhi said " be the change you wanna see in the world " he was referring to the change that is possible here and now, from deep within ourselves.

I am primarily interested in what is most efficient, effective and proactive, where acting and manifesting in this world is concerned. Regarding all that is really worthwhile, substantial and valuable in life, there is no substitute for actually doing the work. Nothing is meant to come to us easily and nobody is entitled to anything that isn't worked for.

New age philosophies ultimately are for folks who don't bother to read the classics, the real stuff that was written before any of us were even born. The source is where one needs to turn for right answers. People today just wanna cut corners and do it the easy way. There are a few exceptions to this... Dr. Wayne Dyer, for example, and some of the Abraham Hicks teachings.. particularly those about going with the downstream flow.

There is much wisdom here but once they make it sound too easy, like there is something else more central than simply living the moment and doing the work, here is where I grow suspicious.Don't tell me that I can just as easily create a mansion as a button... if you really want it to be that easy for me than provide the tools and the labor and all the work and money that goes into building a mansion!

There is nothing at all empowering in ridiculous broad statements like these... except maybe for those who really have confidence issues. It's not an issue about whether I can or cannot build a mansion or whatever I wish... the obstacle here is that it is a monstrous effort and a huge chunk of time that I don't have to spare.

Work and service are to be used as personal mantras... the reason nobody ever wants to hear the word 'work' when off duty is because society has drilled a very negative experience of it into us all. Rather than do as the new agers and other escape artists do, reacting against the status quo by choosing the opposite approach, I prefer to look at labor and effort in a whole new light, one that brings joy, meaning and personal fulfillment as well as contributing to the common good.

There are ways to align oneself from within so that the work at hand comes easier, more effortless and joyful. Undoubtedly it is most useful and efficient to work from a positive place... even more important to understand however is that without doing the work, the nitty gritty parts especially, there is nothing else.

Anytime I've actually done the work at hand I have been successful... anytime I've looked for an easy way out I have failed. It is as simple and straightforward as that... laziness is never an option for a man or woman of purpose, even if understandably it is a personal reality to struggle with and overcome.

I work today and everyday with the most positive perspective on how function and focus on a task at hand brings clarity to the whole field of responsibilities which make up my daily life. Rather than think about how hard it is, I mentally work on skillful ideas and plans for managing all other areas as well.

JDZ