Do You Know What You Really Want?

Have you ever noticed that most people don’t know what they want? They jump from one thing to another, thinking the grass is greener elsewhere, or they stick to a certain career, relationship, set of habits, or belief system because these somehow landed on their lap and they’re too afraid to question what’s become familiar. They could end up in a void of sorts that would require them to clarify, well, what they truly want!

But if you don’t know what you want, how can you find a sense of purpose in what you do? If you do things just because you’re supposed to, to please others or maintain certain self-images, a sense of dissatisfaction will follow you, like a big, invisible question mark above your head. In truth, the question underlying “What do I truly want?” is: “Who am I?” It requires a deeper exploration than the mere gratification of desires.

You may be doing things for different reasons, such as instant gratification or validation, addiction to work (or busyness), or the unconscious sense that if you’re not productive and busy in some way, you’re worthless. The real issue, however, is whether the things you do connect or disconnect you from yourself. Whether you use your experiences to know who you really are or to avoid uncovering the false self-images resulting from a wounded need to be good, useful, successful, responsible, and so on.

Now, you can also be doing things you want and yet experience a resistance, because the ego-mind will invariably make you feel you should be someone other than who you are, doing something other than what you’re doing. But if you embrace the process, no matter what it may be, and anchor in the present moment to discover new aspects of yourself, you will in time realize what you truly want—to fully express yourself and embrace your place in the Universe.

Clarity & Discrimination Bring Peace & Happiness

This distinction can be tricky. Your soul is nudging you in one direction, toward greater integration and a higher perception of yourself and your purpose in the world, while the ego-mind is coloring this perception with past energy and impressions to keep you spinning in the same emotional place—of fear, guilt, and fuzziness. Of course, this happens at the same time, so it’s not always easy to discern the truth and take action. That is, until you comprehend that you’re really looking for yourself in absolutely everything you do, and learn to listen to your inner voice while disbelieving the ego-mind that gets in the way of your fulfillment.

I hope these guidelines will provide a good place to start:

• Stop believing you’ll find your truth through logic, for it transcends the mind.
• Surrender to the spiritual forces within with daily spiritual practices.
• Accept where you are now (no regrets, no expectations), but be open to new possibilities of experience.
• Carve regular time and space to be alone, immersed in a creative endeavor, to express yourself.
• Take walks or breaks to connect to your breathing and for the sheer joy of doing nothing and simply being.
• Be introspective, self-aware, and attentive to your inner voice, no matter how faint.
• Be humble and reach out for guidance or support, to shift your perspective and stretch beyond your “comfort zone.”

Insight comes when you open up to something new, letting go of your fears and attachments; it often appears unexpectedly, when the ego-mind is out of the way even for just a moment, since it usually blocks a deeper sense of being connecting you to Divine Consciousness, where everything is already known and manifest. Manifesting means “perceiving,” so the clarity of who you are and what you want demands the emptiness of mind (or no-mind) that results from letting go of what you are not: your fears, attachments, and illusions that distort your self-perception.

But when you’re busy in the world, trying to navigate life and work as you figure things out, while dealing with relationships and all the challenges that the changing nature of life entails, it’s very easy to slide back into familiar patterns of thought and perception. They’re often disguised as something new by the ego-mind that wants to remain in control of your life-movie.

We all need discipline, guidance, and support to unravel these patterns and start seeing our emotional blinders, to effect any real transformation. So contact me today to delve deeply within and fulfill the yearning of your soul by understanding your true purpose in life!

© 2018 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.