Someone's got to say it, but no one will, so I will say it... we CAN create heaven on earth.... we CAN create a loving, peaceful world where people live fulfilling lives in harmony, joy, and havingness. And where does the shift start? Right here, right now, with you and me, by us choosing to live our lives from love, not fear.
"Pollyanna? Unrealistic? In this it's-all-about-me, dog-eat-dog world we live in?," you argue. "Yes," I lovingly and excitedly reply. Initially there will have to be forerunners, those brave enough to trail blaze this new way of living, living from this new paradigm based on this major shift in values, feeling at times like we are swimming against the current of fear, but once the majority of us tip the scales - those who have turned the reins over to love instead of fear - then the remainder will see the light and embrace the greater fulfillment that a life based on love offers.
And by creating heaven on earth from living a life driven by love instead of fear I mean much more than simply being kind and "doing unto others as you would have them do unto you." I mean completely removing fear from the driver's seat in each and every moment of the day, replacing it with love; no longer living a life based on fear. As a result, discovering your deepest heart's desires, bringing them into fruition, and from that, living with passion as you create your ideal life, heaven on earth. And from this awakening, naturally, effortlessly replacing that part of ourselves that thinks "it's all about me" with that part of ourselves that knows "it's all about us." No longer living from the mind and fear, but from the heart and love. It's about recapturing our humanity, our hearts, and our souls, while living in unity, not separation, in cooperation, not competition. It's ALL about love.
Remember when the environmentalists tried to get us to care about the environment? Back then, did you ever think businesses would become "green" by implementing recycling, solar energy, solar heating, and electricity-saving measures such as the use of low-wattage bulbs? Yet, it happened and continues to happen. And not just because it saves them money, but because the consumers, their clients and customers, stopped supporting businesses that no longer demonstrated a concern for the environment. This is how it will be with the shift in values from fear to love, from "it's all about me" and from "it's all about the bottom line (money)" to "it's all about us" fully acknowledging that the entire planet is now completely interconnected, with one country's actions affecting many others, whether those actions be environmental, ethical, economical, or political. The public, those businesses' clients and customers, will shift their voting dollars from selfish companies to selfless companies. Similarly, voters will shift their votes from self-serving politicians to district-supporting politicians whose intentions stem from those they serve rather than themselves. We, the public, can lead this transformation and we can lead it right here, right now with the courageous, bold declaration to live life from love, rather than fear.
So what would a life based on love look like and feel like? How would our lives as individuals change and how would our world around us change as a result? Now this is where the fun begins because let me tell you, the sky's the limit; there is no limit to what you can experience or create in your life. With fortitude and perseverance, where you constantly redirect your will and intention from fear-based motives to love-based motives, all is possible, including heaven on earth.
The next five exercises, to be done whenever you feel like playing or feel inspired, will be fun and life-changing, if you let them.
Exercise 1:
On your next day-off or at work if you can, over a three hour time period, for every action you take, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is this action motivated by love or fear?
- Is this action motivated by a positive (feels good) feeling or a negative (feels-bad) feeling?
- Do I feel energized, alive, vibrant when I take this action or drained, down, and "blah?"
I understand that people often do things that they don't want to do such as work and that they do them for the rewards they bring (i.e. - money) or to avoid negative consequences (i.e. - foreclosure). Nevertheless, whatever the motivation, simply observe what motivates your actions, regardless of the activity, its purpose and its reward.
Exercise 2:
After doing exercise one above and, once again, on that same day off or at work, if you can, for the next three hour period, before you take action, only take action if the impetus stems from love, inspiration, and feels enlivening, energizing, exciting, or fulfilling in some positive way. If you find yourself taking action based on fear, simply stop, relax, and wait until a positive impetus moves you towards action.
I understand that people have "responsibilities" such as children and that those people feel these responsibilities often require "sacrifice" yet even with "responsibilities" you can live from love-based impetuses instead of fear-based impetuses. For example, it's Saturday morning. No work. It's your day off. While you're enjoying your breakfast and newspaper, your wife asks you to mow the lawn. Next, your seven year old son asks you to play ball with him outside. And finally, what really gives you the feeling of having lost a day of "r & r," your boss calls and asks for your help with a problem that's occurring at work, even though he knows it's Saturday and it's your day off. But what if, instead of moving from fear... f ear of your wife yelling at you for not mowing the lawn, or your son moping from neglect, or getting fired by your boss, what if you acquiesced by allowing the impetus of love to move you toward action rather than fear. So instead of immediately responding to those demands, waiting until a positive force governed your actions. Envision this alternate scenario. When your boss calls, ask him/her if you can return his/her call in an hour because you're in the middle of something. Then, you enjoy your peaceful breakfast while continuing to read the paper. At the same time, as your wonder what the problem is at work that your boss so urgently needs phone support with, you notice that your concern shifts from one motivated by the fear of getting fired to love, in the form of friendship and seamanship. You then call your boss assisting him/her over the phone from a place of love. After hanging up the phone, you then feel inspired to play ball with your son. While playing with your son, seeing your wife gardening close by, you tell her you'll mow the lawn after lunch, after you've played with little Ricky and had some "r & r." In that context of love and support you add, "And can we eat lunch as a family today?"
Living from love over fear doesn't result in neglect of responsibilities. It means simply waiting for the motivating force to shift from fear to love, which often occurs either by meeting your own personal needs first or by changing one's state of being.
Fulfillment comes in never ending levels. Exercises one and two above are level one. If you would like to take it to the next level try the next few exercises.... if you feel inspired.
Exercise 3:
A short, 15 minute fun exercise.
1) Fill in the blanks.
- My ideal life consists of ____________
- In my ideal life I am/have/do/feel/experience __________________
2) Rate your current level of fulfillment. On a scale of zero to ten, where 5 is neutral, less than five is
unsatisfied, and over five is satisfied. Zero is hell, then is heaven. How fulfilled are you right now, generally speaking, on a day-to-day basis?
3) How can I create an even more fulfilling life now/today/from-this-day-forward?
4) Which, of those answers listed above, will increase your level of fulfillment the most, with the least amount of time,*effort, and disruption in your new life?
5) And which of those actions listed above would you most like to implement now?
This one exercise, that takes just fifteen minutes, can shift the course of your life radically, no matter how small the change. The slightest, most seemingly insignificant change often sets a new course that, years later in retrospect, launched numerous subsequent life changes resulting in an entirely different life style. In other words, you never know where an even small change will lead. Have you ever made on small change in your life and, years later, realized it resulted in an entirely new life style? For example, stepping into a coffee shop one day where you met this person who later introduced you to ideas or experiences that changed your life.
Often, while entertaining the possibility of attending to one's personal needs, or living new dreams and desires, people feel guilty or judgmental, thinking "That's so selfish! I should be attending to the needs of others instead." It is equally as important to meet your own needs as it is to meet others'. Neglect of one's own aspirations kills the soul. The more alive and passionate you feel about your life, the more you will inspire others. The more care, love, and nurturing you give yourself, the more you'll be cable to care, love, and nurture others. Fee yourself so you can feed others. Give yourself the oxygen mask first so that you can give others their oxygen masks.
The next level, the third level, is even more fulfilling, considerably so. And it naturally occurs as one lives a life based on love versus fear and as one creates their ideal life. The more love-centered and the more fulfilled one is, the more inspired they are to give love. Giving love is the beginning of heaven on earth, because then we find ourselves living in a loving, nurturing, supportive environment instead of a predatorial, combative, hostile environment. As a result, our love exponentially grows. Imagine receiving love from yourself and, at the same time, from others at work and home. In addition, also imagine creating a space of love wherever you are such that the environment is loving, supportive, energizing, and comforting, as well as the people you encounter. Your love will compound rapidly. And the more love you feel, the more you'll give.
This next level's exercise, exercise four, is simple, and very satisfying.
Exercise 4:
How can I give love today?
Everyday can be Christmas, with the heart-warming feeling of love, family, connection, closeness, giving, and receiving.
So many people live a life based on "shoulds" and "have tos." These are indications of living from fear. The more you live from your heart, the more you will experience heaven on earth. And, as you raise from living a life based on fear to a life based on love, you will then sift naturally from a life governed by the mind to a life governed by the soul. The mind usually functions from fear, living in an "it's-all-about-me" reality whereas soul functions from love, living in a "we-are-all-one" reality. The mind is never satisfied, but instead, like a junky, always looking for its next fix. The soul is satisfied from simply "being." It's only when it is stifled, suppressed, or ignored that it complains.
Subconscious. Conscience. Higher self. Soul. We have other forms of consciousness and awareness beyond our normal daily consciousness. This we know. And we know when we're feeling out of sorts with ourselves it is often because we are neglecting one of these other forms of consciousness. And while, through the previous exercises, we bring those perhaps neglected forms of consciousness to the surface, still another questions must be asked to create still further fulfillment, further heaven on earth.
In addition to the previously mentioned questions,
- Am I living from love or fear?
- How can I live from love even more?
- How can I create even more fulfillment in my life, even more of an ideal life, of heaven on earth?
- How can I give even more love now?
an additional question must be asked to create more fulfillment amongst ourselves, more harmony, love, joy, and centeredness:
- How can I be even more aligned with my soul (or higher self or conscience) now?
This additional question will take you, as an individual, and us, as a planet, towards much greater harmony, much greater peace, and much greater heaven on earth. Try it now.
Exercise 5:
Do this exercise on your day off or, if possible, at work. For the entire day, every hour on the hour, ask these questions:
- Am I living from love; how can I live even more now from love?
- How can I create even more fulfillment and joy now?
- How can I love myself and others even more now?
- How can I be even more aligned with my soul, my spirit, my higher-self, my conscience now?
Write these questions down on a piece of paper exactly as written above and take these questions with you throughout the day. Then every hour, on the hour, answers these questions throughout the entire day.
Your level of satisfaction will sky rocket as you open up new doorways of opportunity towards ever increasing levels of fulfillment. Towards heaven on earth.
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