Seeking All Seekers

I’m a seeker. How do I know that?…because every time I stumble, or let a little self-pity roll in, or feel some anger mounting, or my back starts to scream out for my attention (signifying something deeper), or I feel stuck or off track, or perhaps even a tad bit jealous – when I’m just not on the path to my “best self,” I reach to re-route. I find my way back. While my emotional sojourn is not a place that I want to take up permanent residency, I submit it has a purpose to serve, a message to deliver.As I recently told a group of young people I was speaking to – some of my favorite words begin with “RE”…reroute, regroup, recycle, reimagine, redesign, repurpose, realign, redefine…(feel free to join in on the “re” wagon). There is however at least one “RE” word that disrupts my theory – resistance. Acknowledging its purpose, I flip it on its side and somewhat reluctantly embrace its offering. Yes, even resistance has a place in our lives – an internal red flag system. What’s a seeker supposed to do with that one?• Ask, why.• Why doesn’t this feel good?• What’s really going on underneath this?Within the seeking emerges the seeker.You know why I’m also a seeker?...because I get excited about new things. I’m continuously being inspired to find new ways to figure it all out, not in a placating-excuse making way, but rather in a – Yes, I believe in my best self way (no matter how much I transgress from the path). Sometimes I get frustrated with myself for landing here yet again, but the truth is I recognize that if in fact I am here again – there is more work to be done, something that still needs a little clean up. It’s time to get creative and seek new ways to stretch.They say we bump into that which we need to be in the presence of, be it life lessons, inspiration, even a proverbial smack in the head. I recently “bumped” into the unparalleled work of Danielle LaPorte, her “Truth Bombs,” and her transformative book, The Desire Map. She had me at, “Hey, let’s chase a feeling rather than an outcome.” Snap! Are you with me? Would you know where to start? How about merely starting with, “How do you want to feel?” And yes, I know that begins to sound like an oversimplification, perhaps a bit of spiritual mumbo jumbo, but in many ways we need to keep is simple. We constantly lose ourselves our own pool of complexity.

Knowing how you actually want to feel is the most potent form of clarity that you can have. Generating those feelings is the most powerfully creative thing you can do with your life.

~ Danielle LaPorte

Sometimes we overcomplicate things. We over-think and over-process. And sometimes when we find ourselves at a roadblock, feeling frustrated or defeated – in need of a regrouping – we choose to punish ourselves instead. This is where the litany of self-defeating thoughts parade down the Main Street of your mind. Are you going to sit idly on the side in your yard chair watching the parade, or are you going to take charge of the path and create your own parade float?Identifying that something has got to give is the first step, even if you don’t know what to do with it.Come face-to-face with yourself in the metaphorical mirror: pause long enough to take a pulse on your life:• Am I walking in my power?• Am I tapping into my greatest potential?• Am I operating from a spiritual platform, or is it a place I merely visit on occasion?• Does my life feel electrified and impassioned?If you answered NO to any of the above, let go of fear and put your seeking workout clothes on. A muscle that remains dormant may need a little extra loving, but can always be strengthened.The real secret is that it doesn’t matter if you wake up feeling as enlightened as a Buddhist monk, or as deflated as a straggler who fell off the spiritual wagon, the dawn of each day presents a clean slate, blank canvas, new start and rebirth.Even if you simply don’t know what to do to shift a feeling in your life, or you don’t know how to reroute the current trajectory, you can start with declaring simple statements like:• I don’t know what to do with this.• I don’t want to feel this way anymore.The Desire Map then guides you to simply declare what the opposite of any feeling is. Flip that sad puppy on its side and choose the opposite – you will launch a “rocket of desire” into the Universe simply by declaring the alternative feeling. Watch what unfolds.Life is too short to get stuck in the mud. I’ll concede that all experiences happen for my greater good if I seek to dig for their underlying meaning and look for what they are trying to propel me towards. I try to take daily stock of all that already “is” – it’s not all about what is ahead, what we desire, what we hope for. Recognize the gifts already in place that surround you. Empowered by your cloak of gratitude, you can reach forward and expand upon it. Each time I leap ahead, I am met with something divine – sometimes it is small and could almost have gone unnoticed, but divine none-the-less. Other times the shifts are monumental, but they are always impactful, a part of my sacred personal journey.Life is about actionable faith. It is about showing up and doing your part – you can’t just lay back and wait for your prayers to be answered. You have to show up and be a part of the equation. There is divinity in the present moment, but there is wonder in the seeking of your highest self.So do you want to play along and give the tenets of The Desire Map a whirl with me? Start your morning by asking what are my core-desired feelings today? Instead of praying or meditating on a particular accomplishment or deed, put the intention forward regarding the feeling. I want to feel…(fill in your own blank).Are you ready to play? Ok, I’ll start. I want to feel – IMPASSIONED – CREATIVE – ABUNDANT – BLISSFUL.Your turn – go!