Hello all, I see how I operate, mostly living in this world of status, striving for achievement or lofty titles to display self importance. Wayne Dyer says in his new book "Change your thoughts, change your life"... "these thoughts are examples of living from a mind that depends on external signals rather than the natural inner voice."
In the Tao Te Ching, the 2,500 year old work of Lao Tzu, he says "whatever approval is supposed to come your way will do so in perfect alignment. Whatever disfavor shows up is also a part of this perfect alignment." Lao Tzu wryly points out that "pursuing favor is alarming, regardless of the outcome." If you gain approval, you'll become a slave to outside messages of praise - someone else's opinion will be directing your life. If you gain disfavor, you'll push even harder to change their minds and you'll still be directed by forces outside of yourself.
Both outcomes result in the dependent mind dominating. This is where most of society lives. Separating themselves from their Divine, eternal nature.
I am not my body. I am not my thoughts. I am not any of the external titles or ratings or opinions of others. I know this. I have had two experiences in my life that easily prove this and yet my ego wants me to think that my life is based on the external.
It is my job to live from my eternal nature. That which I came from. That unknowable, eternal place. It is my job to trust my own inner nature.
The Tao's 13th verse implores us to remain independent of BOTH the positive and negative opinions of other people. Regardless of whether they love or despise us, say "thank you very much either way," as my teacher Toni Stone says.
I must resist making their assessments more important than my own.
There is no assessment more important than my own if I remain true to my eternal nature. I can easily let the Divine, the eternal, the infinite, unfold before me and through me.
This is my pledge to myself this day, this moment, each moment, to make my own assessment the most important and to honor my own eternal nature regardless of how others assess me or my actions.
This will be a good study to take up for each moment, one moment at a time. I have lived too long letting the opinion of others direct my life. I will neither pursue favor nor react to disfavor. I will just allow both to be without judgment, checking first, before I take any action, it is in alignment with my soul, my eternal true nature.
If I upset you... so be it... if I please you... so be it, as I trust my eternal nature everything unfolds perfectly.
What others think of me is none of my business anyway.
Thank you very much.
Gratefully yours,
Steve
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