One of the key spiritual concepts of the Ancient Egyptians was “know thyself”. But how many of us actually know ourselves?
Too much mental noise can cause you to not hear your calling. And, in doing so, miss it. The pressures of everyday life keeps us on our toes – getting the kids to school on time, dealing with rush hour traffic, getting to work on time, keeping the bills paid, and all the other dynamics of just living life. This constant spinning wheel of life essentially has us doing everything for everyone else – family, friends, bill collectors, etc. Meanwhile, we are neglecting ourselves, our needs. When was the last time you quieted your mind to focus on your needs and the areas of in which you require personal growth? I think we all need “me-time”, even if it’s just for 15 minutes during the day or night.
Hello Me! Nice to meet you. I look forward to getting to know you.
Be selfish instead of taking a Selfie. Take the time and the courage to self-reflect daily.
Materialistic possessions can never fill an empty soul.
The condition of living in a society where celebrities and brands are worshipped can cause you to chase after…well…objects – cars, jewelry, designer clothes – that, at the end of the day, add no real value to your life. These same things – after acquiring them – leave you feeling empty once again.
The tragedy is that you were not conditioned to know yourself. You were conditioned to believe you can fill the emptiness by acquiring more things. So, you chase after those things. The chase becomes a life-long pursuit. We chase the paper, we chase dreams, we chase hope.
Meanwhile, we lean like we need a V8. To set your life back in balance, you don’t need to run in the opposite direction – chasing after an illusion. You need only slow down enough to allow your calling – your purpose – to catch up to you. Your calling is so strong that you need not chase it. If you slow down enough to let it catch you, its pull is so strong that it fills every part of your being.
Once your calling has a hold of you, you won’t have to chase it – you begin to live it. Each response to it nourishes the spirit. No amount of money or accumulation of things can ever nourish the spirit. That is why people feel empty again after the rush (of acquiring a new materialistic possession) fades.
Your value comes from within.
A new pair of shoes will look good on you, but they can never give advice to your children. A diamond ring can make you the envy of many, but it can never compensate for loneliness. An abundance of money can buy many things, but can never compare to the impact of your physical and emotional presence in your child’s life. And money can buy you a mate’s affection, but not their loyalty.
Be mindful to not take that as a message of anti-wealth, because it is not. Money is an essential part of quality of life in this society. But it does not define you, it simply buys you things. Who you are is bigger than what you do to make a living. Who you are is greater than the sum of your possessions.
There is joy in answering the call.
Answering the call is responding to and pairing with who you are at your core. That is why, when you answer the call, you live your truth. This allows you to gain balance, peace, enlightenment, and fulfillment.
Matthew 4:4 states that, “man shall not live by bread alone.”
You don’t have to be a Christian, or religious at all for that matter, to grasp the jewel in this statement. The essence of the Biblical verse is that the human experience is not made whole solely by physical needs. There is a spiritual element that must be met. Without it, there can be no true life.
Part of my life’s spiritual journey has been to learn that I have been unable to successfully run away from my calling. Because each time I ran, no matter how fast, it came for me. So when I slowed down enough to allow it to penetrate my soul, it filled me and expanded me.
I challenge you now to take this journey – your journey. Don’t run away from your calling! Even if you don’t know what it is yet, allow yourself to quiet your mind and drown out the mental noise. It is in that quiet place where your calling shall be revealed.
Ronaldo Gilley 