To Buy the Book: http://amzn.com/1571896333
World peace will ultimately begin with peace within. Here is an excerpt from Yehuda Berg's new book, The Power to Change Everything... it makes me want to "rise to my greatness!"
It’s Your Decision…Many spiritual teachings extol the benefits of just being. But we did not come here to be, we came here to become: to overcome the destructive beliefs that limit us and to become our perfected selves. The challenge is that we get in our own way. More specifically, our fears get in our way. Our fears are the underlying drivers of those limiting and destructive beliefs.
For example, it is fear of being hurt that prevents us from ever experiencing a real relationship. It is fear of being poor that prevents us from finding our dream job. It is fear of being insignificant that keeps us from offering our gift so that we can share with the world. Ironically, it turns out that by giving into our fears, we create the very reality we’re so desperate to avoid. Did you ever wonder why people who get attacked by dogs are often the ones who are afraid of dogs?
Although this dynamic sounds straightforward, in everyday life these fears are not always easy to see in ourselves. They are a reactive malfunction built into our DNA, and part of our journey through this lifetime is to become aware of this aspect of ourselves. In fact, discovering our underlying fears is the key to determining what we came here to change; to uncovering our purpose. As if that weren’t enough incentive, the longer we remain unaware of this truth about ourselves, the more chaos we will bring into our lives and the further we will get from what we truly desire.
My DNA as a Gemini means that I lose focus and am easily distracted. The underlying fear that drives me is a nagging sense that I will miss an opportunity. Those of you who have read my books or daily tune-ups or have heard me speak know that I discuss this theme often. This is why I answer every email, every text, and every Twitter message. I get thousands of messages every week, and I make a point to check them all; there was no way this book was getting published without a discussion of missed opportunities.
You see, our soul has a built-in navigation system that is designed to put us at the right place at the right time to meet the right people on our journey. It will strategically direct us to the street corner where we will meet our soul mate. Or it will make us miss our flight so that we can catch the next one and sit next to our future business partner. The challenge is that we are not always paying attention to this soul navigation system, so we miss its directions.
This possibility keeps me up at night.
We are often just one person, one phone call, or one step away from the solution to all of our problems. If our soul is always putting us in the right place for redemption and we just don’t see it, how painful is that! This completely nullifies the idea that if it didn’t happen, it was not meant to be, which is simply a way we make ourselves feel better if we missed the opportunity.
There are many ways that we miss opportunities. The least obvious is that we don’t even notice them. Maybe we are too preoccupied with a career, too focused on ourselves, or too busy with an addictive behavior. The point is, for whatever reason, we fail to see what is right before our eyes. Another possibility is that we recognize an opportunity but we choose to run away from it, we choose to take the “easy” way out instead of taking the road that seems more challenging. Sometimes we simply quit instead of rising to the occasion, facing our fears, and tapping into something greater within ourselves.
At the end of the day, the key is for each of us to take ultimate responsibility for all of our reactions to all of our experiences—the good and the chaotic. The Baal Shem Tov explains that everything that shows up in our life is our responsibility. Whatever enters into our lives is something we have to fully own. This may be difficult to accept in certain situations. How is it our responsibility that terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center? How can we be responsible if we were born with a deformity, or suffered from a childhood trauma?
Even if an event in our lives doesn’t make sense in the context of this life experience, we have to accept that it’s a lesson we need to learn from. It may even be a lesson held over from a previous incarnation. Fully understanding and accepting responsibility is the only way to begin to find happiness, fulfillment, and our purpose on this journey.
What is Responsibility, Really?
Eyes wide open. That’s responsibility. When we take something upon ourselves, we have to make sure we accept the complete package, good and bad. For example, you might get into a relationship with someone who you think is absolutely amazing. Months later, you start to notice some flaws. You woke up from your infatuation and saw the entire picture. In truth, all of those things were there when you started the relationship—you just chose not to see them.
If you choose not to see, then whatever pain or disappointment you experience as a result is your responsibility. We cannot just look through the lens of our desires. We have to step back early on so that we fully understand what we are getting involved in. We have to keep our eyes wide open to see the full picture. We have to communicate and ask questions to get all of the facts. We have to accept what is really there, not just see what we want to see. Furthermore, once we understand, we must commit to seeing it through completely. We need to ask ourselves, ‘Now that I see the whole picture, am I really prepared to take it on?” And, if we cannot say that we are fully prepared to go in, then we should decide to not go in at all. This is a lot of work, but this is what it means to take responsibility.
For many people this work implies a feeling of burden, or duty. “Responsibility” is usually the word that is tossed around in a negative context—when one has “screwed up.” But responsibility isn’t about pointing fingers or feeling burdened. It is about the freedom and peace that comes when you and I are fully engaged. It’s about making a decision based on the whole picture, knowing that you are willing to face a situation and that it is taking you in the right direction, even if you will not be able to control all of the factors.
When we look at things with eyes wide open, we no longer desire the lives of others. Instead we appreciate the unique opportunities our challenges give us to achieve our destiny and overcome our limiting beliefs. So rather than look at someone else’s relationship, look at the reason you may not be in one. You may be afraid of getting hurt; if so, the emptiness you feel from being alone can lead you to realize that real relationships are not perfect, they are a sticky mess. Sure, if you love you will get hurt, but the gift you will receive in return is an experience of unconditional sharing love, instead of insecure needy love. And the next thing you know, your soul mate will be at your door. Everything that comes to us is an opportunity for us to rise to our greatness.
