“We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.”
— Anais Nin
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Is there a line between those activities and experiences that are deep in soul and awe, and those that are not?
It’s an important question –
More soul equals more aliveness and that equals more times of deep satisfaction and meaning … and that is the purpose of life, is it not? To live, fully alive, to squeeze every last drop from every moment.
So where do you draw the line so you can work out where to put your energies?
Is a soulful practice solely an inner thing, a spiritual practice that brings deep connection and ease such as gratitude or meditation or prayer?
Can making a cup of tea be soulful? How about cooking? Walking? Playing music? Making love?
But what about raising children? Does that fit the bill? Eating a fine curry? Drinking a whisky? Sitting in the sun?
What about doing the laundry? Shopping? Paying a bill? Commuting to work? Politics?
Now, you may say, “It depends”… but on what does it depend?
What makes the difference between something that has “soul” and something that is devoid of it?
We often separate the soulful from the mundane: “This is ‘special’, this is ‘just ordinary’, this is ‘bad’.”
But does this judgement speak more about us than the thing we are categorising?
Here’s the thing that all my practice and studies have brought me to –
Soul and aliveness and deep satisfaction have way more to do with the quality of my attention and awareness than the thing I am doing.
To be sure, there are activities and people and experiences that I prefer, but the key piece – and the piece that I alone control, I can choose for – is the amount of presence and awareness that I can infuse into any given moment.
Does that make sense?
This is a wonderful thing –
If you want more soul and awe and moments of satisfaction and contentment and connection … it’s all about you.
When you fully show up with a foundation of quality of awareness, you will find your life and the world transforms.
You will see that the quality of your life becomes not so much about the outside, but your approach to it.
You find the world is not a thing; it is as you are. Which means you are free to choose to experience the world as you wish.
Want more soul? Look through more soulful glasses.
Change you, change the world.
Go well, alright?
Arjuna
PS.
At some stage I’d strongly recommend you embark on some sort of regular practice that brings more soul into your life.
Don’t let it happen by chance.
More soul and awe is so precious to experience and life is too short to wait for anything.
Involve yourself regularly in something that helps you connect and remember that deeper part of you.
From that foundation, everything works better – your mind, your emotions, your body.
Let me know if you need some help/guidance with that, alright?