10 Things You Can Do in the Next 10 Days to Become More Enlightened
How’s your relationship with the universe?
Do you understand why you are here and feel good
about the progress you’ve made?
Maybe you have a guru who helps you with the imponderables. But your
spiritual master can’t change the way you feel. Only you can do
that.
Perhaps you’ve read books or heard speeches that inspired you for a
while. But that inspiration fades in time, leaving you where you
started.
The truth is, spiritual enlightenment might not be about philosophy
or wisdom. It might be that your attitude toward your own
enlightenment is holding you back. Because in order to really ascend
to a higher spiritual plane, first you will have to believe that you
CAN.
In Attaining Spiritual Enlightenment from Ultimate Destiny
University, you’ll find a self-assessment quiz that reveals your
underlying attitudes about spirituality, as well as material to help
you understand the results, and references to the books that really
make a difference – books that teach you not what you should believe
about the universe, but what you will need to believe about
yourself.
Can’t wait to start? Here are 10 things you can do in the next 10
days to take the first steps on the path toward enlightenment. Read
one item from this list each day and work on incorporating it into
your life. As you add new skills, don’t forget to keep up the
lessons from the earlier days.
These are subtle but important changes in perspective and behavior
that will help you become the most prosperous person you can be.
1. Stop negative talk. Decide that today, and from here on,
that you will never describe the universe in negative terms. Never
again say, “It’s a cruel world” or “Nothing really matters.” Unless
you actually want to attract bad fortune and emptiness, stop sending
energy to those negative concepts.
2. Visualize. Take some time to form a mental picture of
yourself as someone who is on a spiritual path. How will that change
your mood and outlook? Most importantly, what does that person
believe? What virtues would be part of his personal spiritual code?
Develop the most complete picture you can of yourself as someone
with strong faith, and return to that image often throughout the
day.
3. Affirm. It’s not enough to just stop saying life is hard;
you must say that you are blessed. No matter what condition you are
in at this moment, you have the power to claim a better condition.
When you wake up in the morning, say aloud, “I have everything I
need as I begin my day.” As you drive, repeat, “I understand what I
need to do and have all the resources to do it.” Before you retire
at night, say aloud, “I’m comfortable with the way things are and
confident about changes to come.” Draw energy to that perfect vision
of yourself by describing your vision in words – out loud – and
often.
4. Pray. If you’re confused about what or whom you should
worship, you can still pray to a unnamed force greater than yourself
and beyond your understanding. Ask for help from “whatever gods may
be” in developing a strong faith. Choose your own name for your
object of faith: Jesus, Spirit, your higher self, the universe. Then
ask for help, claim that help has arrived and give thanks. “Spirit,
I want to believe. I now feel confident that I understand what to do
with my life. Thank you for your guidance.”
5. Write a mission statement. Begin with that perfect picture
of yourself from Day #2 and write out the rules you live by, even if
you don’t live by them quite yet. You can include prohibitions (“I
will never intentionally hurt a child.”) and ideal goals (“I will
choose to be honest whenever I have that choice.”) Write down what
you believe is right, and what you know to be true. Couples and
families may find this an important practice to undertake together.
(“We, the Smiths, try to defend the helpless.”)
6. Write a plan. To get from where you are to where you want
to be will require action. Figure out some of the steps on that
path. Do you need to find a church or religion where you will feel
comfortable? Do you need read about world religions and see which
elements resonate with you? Do you need to establish a set of
spiritual practices, such as daily meditation of tithing, to
reinforce your path? Choose one action plan and write down the first
step. If you decide to give ten percent of your earnings to God, the
first step might be researching to find an organization in need
whose values match those in your mission statement.
7. Feel grateful. It might sound counter-intuitive to be
“thankful” for your strong faith when you still feel great doubt.
But that attitude of gratitude will help draw enlightenment to you.
Thank the higher power you have chosen for entering your life, even
if you don’t feel that presence yet. Thank the force that created
you, and this life and the world you live in. Hold that feeling in
your heart.
8. Forgive. This is a difficult step for many people, but
it’s vital. Remember: everyone experiences changes of fortune
throughout their life. If you now believe God has cursed you with
bad luck, find a way to believe that this is part of a learning
process for you, bringing you slowly in touch with your own
strength. If you’ve done things you are ashamed of, forgive
yourself, too. You did what you knew how to do then, and now you’re
learning a better way.
9. Release the past. Tied to forgiving is the idea of letting
go of what was. You don’t have to be the way you’ve always been. If
you used to describe the world as pointless and unfair, you’ve
stopped that negative talk already. You’re already taking steps to
learn a new way to see life. Be willing to let go of the hallmarks
of a non-spiritual life: sin, doubt, fear, anger and shame. Break
the pattern and let go of the way things were before. You are born
anew.
10. Let joy in. Sometimes we become so accustomed to feeling
lost, we forget to appreciate times when life makes sense. When we
feel good about our lives and ourselves, we doubt it will last. But
to have joy in your life, you’re going to have to let yourself trust
in joy, and believe you deserve it, and celebrate its arrival. Joy
is always fleeting; recognize it when it comes and savor it fully.
It will return more often.
After you’ve spent 10 days unlearning bad habits, learning good
ones, and adding activities to your day, see if you can keep them up
for another 10 days, and then perfect them in the 10 days after
that. Pray, visualize and affirm every day. Watch what you say and
think, and keep yourself positive. Forgive those who wrong you and
feel grateful for the things that go right. Keep writing down your
goals and action plans. When you catch yourself clinging to old
ways, let them go. And let yourself feel good about it!
One month from today, you’ll be headed in a whole new direction –
toward enlightenment.
There is also a membership blog site at http://attainingspiritualenlightenment.wordpress.com/
Ultimate Destiny University also offers training
to help you determine and understand your attitudes
about financial success, physical health, and other
areas. For more information, go to
www.UltimateDestinyUniversity.com. Permission to reprint granted provided you keep the article intact with our contact information.
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