Lately, it seems that the mettle is tested in persisting with personal vision and focus –

In addition to being constantly bombarded with information about national struggles of epic proportions that invite fear and panic -the latest being the potential swine flu ‘pandemic’,  our national shadow emerges as we learn the heinous details of how we tortured prisoners (we really did torture? America? the beacon of freedom and compassion in the world? We torture? ).  And closer to home, illness and incipient illness of loved ones who embody vitality, strength and eternal mentorship surface and remind me that this reality is illusory and time-bound.  The view from this burdened perspective also includes a sense being eclipsed by the capabilities of others and thus the perception of struggling to measure up to some obscure standard that has suddenly caused vulnerability.  Lately,  I find myself aware of the constant call to vigilance in charting a responsible, authentic personal and professional path – one that is free of  current dogmatic precepts. And I am painfully aware of the seeming absence of that ubiquitous need for instant gratification (the nurture upon which we were suckled)

….the load feels impossibly complex, unruly,  mysterious and self-defeating.

As is always the practice, the inquiry begins – how did this come to unfold as it has? why this? why now? what is the message  not being heard? Holding that in my consciousness, a curious image kept insisting itself into awareness. It persisted until I had to look.  It was a view of a hand holding a huge collection of multi-colored balloons whose backdrop was a blue sky of a summer day.  Perhaps the image is  suggesting  that even though we are diverse,  we are held together and entangled by the hand of our common human existence. And that hand holding us is connected to the source of its energy – the heart and body of which it is a part. It’s all god…Its all good… It’s all real… I could easily make the case that  this image was a simple metaphor showing the multidimensional truth that we are one. Yet, as true as this might be, that seemed way too simplistic and incomplete. It didn’t really even connect to the issue at hand.  Still seeking the message, it finally appeared…..What was important about this image was not the image or its meaning. What mattered was that when something like this shows up, we look at it…and we continue to inquire until it is clear why this image and why now. It demonstrated  a persistence of inquiry that is the hallmark of our business and our being and I was reminded of the value of such perseverance. The answer always shows up.

Then came the supportive awareness and the message I needed to hear:   It would be easy to give up and simply accept that realistically nothing will ever really change, that life will always be about our inability to break through into fully what we are capable of.  But each time that invitation  rears its head, something shows up to suggest a different course of action. This time, it was the image of the balloons. Another time it was  one of President Obama’s news conferences in which he declared that  persistence was a value he has lived by. It was clearly one of those truth shiver moments that made me realize that it is persistence that pushes us to keep on ‘keepin’ on’ even when it feels like life has entered the chamber of suspended animation….when everything grinds to a resounding halt and it seems that the only response to any effort is a deafening silence….

What emerges is the realization that the deafening silence is our own shrinking away and giving up. It is our own lack of trust traded for struggle. It is our futile attempt to petulantly control the outcomes and the timing of our existence. It is our fear of letting go and trusting. Persistence in its purest form is not about doing, producing more or living up to someone else’s standard. It is about dedication to infinite exploration and eternal inquiry to unlock the mystery of what stops us from living our lives free from the manipulations of our fears. So we continue to find new approaches to personal growth – to find what speaks to us that might support our efforts. If we look, really look – we are rewarded with an abundance of resources and limitless potential.

When we persist in our own personal self-inquiry and always ask the Who? Why? and Why now? and What is the message?, we grow and we break down the blocks that impede our natural aptitude for joyful creation.  That persistence is the essence of the work Emergent Coach  does – our business is nothing short of perpetual inner exploration that does not stop until the deepest awareness is surfaced……. there is always more! there is always opportunity to grow and expand! there is always the requirement to persist and dig and excavate in order to reach the intimate truth that is the guiding message.  By knowing our own internal resonance, we know when we have connected with the purpose for the experience. It is only through committed persistence of inquiry (different than the persistence of doing) that we map the path to that resonance and free ourselves to live in the wholeness and joy that is our birthright..it is nothing short of illuminating the path to excellence and quality that nurtures the deepest of soul satisfaction.

Filed under: Multidimensional Reality, personal growth, This Physical Reality | Tagged: focus, goal accomplishment, inquiry, persistence, personal vision, President Obama, swine flu, torture, trust |