When my friend Laura began walking a spiritual path years ago, she was overjoyed at the results. She not only was happier and more peaceful, she became aware of a continual flow of synchronicities that made her life decidedly sweeter and, at times, seemingly effortless. Then she abruptly abandoned her efforts. Why? She was afraid that her personal growth would create so much distance between her and her husband that her marriage might not survive.
A funny thing happens when you ignore a calling: it eventually surfaces as a need. Years later, Laura resumed her spiritual practice because she felt she had no choice in the matter. It was either that or succumb to stagnation, perpetual boredom and a living death. When she brought up her concern to her husband, she was relieved to hear him say that, while he wasn’t interested in participating in her spiritual activities, he certainly supported her and was happy that she was doing what made her feel happy and fulfilled.
Ah, but what if Laura’s husband hadn’t been supportive? She would have pursued her passion nonetheless and trusted that whatever happened would turn out best for everyone involved. The operative word is “trust.” The more consciously you live and the more self-aware you become, the more willing you are to leave the outcomes to a wisdom greater than yourself. If something you once valued goes away, you trust that it no longer served you and that its absence will create room in your life for something of even greater value and meaning.
What if you turn a deaf ear to your calling? Quite simply, you will never know true peace. You may experience occasional bouts of happiness but lasting joy will remain just beyond your reach. Ultimately, the best parts of you will lay dormant, their yearning for expression gradually eroding into fitful dreams of what might have been.
Don’t wait another day to embrace and express who you authentically are. On your deathbed, are you going to regret that you led a dull, uneventful, predictable life? Or will you be at peace, grateful that you summoned the courage to follow your heart, chase your dreams, and live a life without limits? Choose meaning. Choose purpose. Choose life.
To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.
Robert Louis Stevenson
ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA
Phil is the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent people he interviewed, including Joan Borysenko, Deepak Chopra, geneticist Dr. Francis Collins, acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford, Dr. Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Dr. Bernie Siegel, James Van Praagh, singer Billy Vera, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, and bassist Victor Wooten.
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Sixty Seconds was one of three finalists in the General Interest/How-To category at the 12th annual Visionary Awards presented by COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources) in Denver on June 27, 2009.
October 17, 2011 at 6:28 AM
This post really resonates with me. I faced the same dilimma as I began to walk my spiritual path. Thank heavens I kept walking and my husband grew into acceptance. Had I been forced to choose, I would have chosen my spiritual path.
October 17, 2011 at 7:32 AM
Yes, following your heart does not necessarily mean you must bid farewell to the life you have lived; but it does mean that you are genuinely willing to do so if that is what it takes to truly know God. I’m glad it worked out so well, Kim!