The Engine of Your Evolution

by  Dennis Merritt Jones -

Conscious Choice: 

"Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation." --James Allen

As a spiritual mentor, part of my job is to challenge the people I work with to consciously observe their BS (belief system) and challenge any current beliefs they hold that are keeping them stuck in a mental prison of their own making. 

The moment is quite interesting to witness when they discover that they, and they alone, hold the key that will set them free. 

The key, of course, is their ability to choose and then choose again if necessary. Awakening to the awareness that one can witness his or her own thinking, and then challenge the thoughts (and the beliefs that sponsor those thoughts) that are dis-empowering, nonproductive and self-deprecating, is the moment they step into a whole new way of being.

Recently, I upset a person I am mentoring when I challenged her to look at her belief system after she argued she “just couldn’t” do something I had suggested she might consider trying to fortify her spiritual growth. 

I encouraged her to begin to monitor her thinking and words, and each time she caught herself declaring, “I can’t,” to stop, challenge her belief, and then change the statement to “I won’t.” I explained to her that to say “I won’t” put her at choice, while to say, “I can’t” rendered her powerless.

This shift in thinking and words automatically moves us out of powerlessness and into a position of authentic power and choice. There are, no doubt many legitimate times when we may be unable to do something because we are not capable. 

As an example: I can’t fly a F18 fighter jet… I can’t give birth to a baby… I can’t lift 750 pounds over my head, and so on. However, too many of us rush to use the excuse “I can’t” because it is far easier than having to deal with the possible consequences of saying, “I won’t.” 

Notice how often we tend to sacrifice our authentic power and integrity just to gain or maintain the approval and acceptance of others. This is where we can choose to step into our truth. Consider in your own life how often you may use “I can’t” as a cop-out. 

Have you ever been asked by someone to do something or go somewhere you really did not want to do or go, and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” perhaps even fabricating some excuse rather than honestly saying, “No thanks, I choose not to.”

Regardless of what your motivation may be for using the “I can’t” escape clause, I encourage you to be conscious of the power in your spoken word. The universe takes what you affirm about yourself very seriously — it conspires to support you in your deepest beliefs. 

You may end up more powerless than you would care to be. Think before you say I can’t because every choice you make moves you closer to or further away from your authentic power. It is also how we spiritually evolve with conscious intention. 

In his seminal book, The Seat of The Soul, Gary Zukav states: 

“Choice is the engine of our evolution … if you choose unconsciously, you will evolve unconsciously. If you choose consciously, you will evolve consciously.” 

Suffice it to say, choosing to evolve consciously is much better than unconsciously and most often far less painful.

Trust me… been there — done that.

As you begin to make conscious choices, your life shall follow the trajectory of those choices even as your shadow faithfully follows you wherever you go.

The power of choice is the greatest gift you have been given, second only to the gift of life itself. Use both of these gifts consciously. In so doing, you will be stepping into your authentic power. 

If you could use a little help, as a mindfulness practice consider doing this: Place a rubber band (not too tightly) around your wrist. Listen to your words and self-talk for the next few days. 

When you catch yourself saying, “I can’t” when, in actuality, you know in your heart you can, snap the rubber band. Then step into your power, making a choice to use words that reflect the awareness of a conscious evolving being. 

To say, I choose not to, rather than I can’t, brings an amazing amount of authentic power and freedom with it… AND as a happy result the welts on your wrist will begin to subside.

About Author: Dennis Merritt Jones has been involved in the human potential movement and the field of spirituality for the majority of his life as a teacher, author and keynote speaker. His most recent award winning book is “The Art of Uncertainty ~ How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It.” Jones is also the award winning author of “The Art of Being ~ 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life” and “How to Speak Science of Mind.” Dennis writes a free weekly MindfulPurpose E-Message available through his website, DennisMerrittJones.com and is a regular columnist for the Huffington Post.

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The Mysticism and Mystery of Life

by Dennis Merritt Jones - 

The deepest mystery and perhaps the one for which there will never be an answer that will completely satisfy the itch of the intellect is the miracle of Life itself.

In his book The Living Universe, Duane Elgin writes,

“American Indian lore speaks of three miracles. The first miracle is that anything exists at all. The second miracle is that living things exist. The third miracle is that living things exist that know they exist. As human beings conscious of ourselves, we represent the third miracle.”

In the normal course of our daily life, these three miracles are all mysteries we seldom take time to contemplate, if ever.

We expend much of our time and energy navigating over, under, around, and through the uncertainties of everyday life, relating to the events, conditions and circumstances that come with the territory of living in a human skin.

People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars and they pass by themselves without wondering. --St. Augustine

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. --Buddha

Witness and Observe Yourself: You Are A Miracle!

The idea that we can be conscious of ourselves as human beings has profound implications. It means that we can become observers of the miracle of our own minds at work. It also means that we can consciously experience that mystical point in space and time when and where our doing merges with our Being.

Stop right now, take a deep intentional breath and then take a peek into your own mind. Simply witness yourself, observe yourself.

When was the last time you paused to do this? Watch your thinking mind process your thoughts and the ideas being presented here, as you read these words.

Observing The Mysticism and Mystery of Life

The fact that when we choose to be fully present in the mystery of the moment, we can be the observer of our own minds means that there is more to us than meets the eye, or the brain — who is it that is doing the observing?

This is the moment when the human self and the sacred Self commingle as one, and it is also the miracle of all miracles; that is, that in any given moment we can consciously witness the merging of the human with the Divine realizing, as Ernest Holmes wrote,

“What we are looking for, we are looking with.”

This is the mystical moment when we know we have fully entered the mystery of life at a level where uncertainty of anything ceases to exist. The idea of certainty and uncertainty is a human invention.

If humankind did not exist, certainty and uncertainty wouldn’t exist either because both are a human concern.

Deepest Mystery

The Universe, which is Infinite Intelligence, just Is and It has been operating in its Divine “Is-ness” flawlessly for fourteen billion years and it continues to evolve Itself, expanding at the speed of Light, with no apparent attachment to where it is going or what its future may or may not be.

As we deepen our awareness of our oneness with this expanding Life Force, uncertainty will cease holding us hostage to what lies ahead in the mystery of that which is yet to be.

Then, coming to the edge of the unknown becomes a natural part of our journey that will happen repeatedly, with grace and ease. This does not mean the mystery of that which is yet to be will cease — it simply means we have become one with it as it unfolds.

You Are A Miracle -- The Miracle and Mystery of Life

Life, itself, is the ultimate mystery. It is a miracle that we shall never fully understand, nor should we try: We appear on the planet one day, coming from the apparent ethers of absolute nothingness, entering Earth School with many questions and no answers.

As we grow and evolve, we spend the balance of our time on the journey as soul beings learning how to navigate through the human condition, gathering the necessary information to create a life worth living through curiosity, inquisitiveness, and experiences motivated by either desperation or inspiration.

As we awaken to our true nature, we aspire to create experiences that offer purpose and meaning for the journey.

Then one day, when it is our time, we depart once again, back into the apparent ethers of nothingness from which we came.

What is not miraculous and mysterious about that?

It is what we do with the miracle and the mystery between the coming and the going that matters.

Another way to say it might be:

The most precious gift we have ever been given by the Infinite One is the miracle of Life, itself; what we choose to do with this Life is our gift back to the Giver.

except  from The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

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