Are You Making Life Tougher Than It Needs To Be?

While Life is supposed to be challenging, most of us manage to make it way more difficult than it needs to be. The following quote says it about as good as it can be said:

Deep down, you already know intuitively that you are here to grow spiritually- even if you don't know exactly what that means. You probably already sense intuitively that you could be growing faster or with less effort and struggle and stress than you currently are. Here are some signs that we're not growing as well as we are meant to: 

- a feeling of spinning our wheels, lots of effort, little growth.

- a feeling of doing meaningless work, or not living up to the potential we know we have

- a feeling of living in regular conflict with bosses, co-workers, spouses, children, friends, family members, political philosophies, religious philosophies, and even just the general public we interact with on a daily basis.

- a feeling of being constantly stressed- or of stress being the norm and having to do something out of the norm to relieve our stress.

- a feeling of being stuck in behavioral ruts like addictions, over-eating, over-sleeping, over-stimulating the senses in general.

- a feeling of being bored with life and a compulsive seeking of stimulation of the senses and mind to avoid the empty feeling.

These feelings come from our spirit inside us, trying to sound the alarm- through it's primary means of communicating to our brain- our feelings/emotions. These feelings are letting us know that we're off track, out of alignment, focused on the wrong goals, and squandering precious time.

Life Will Not Force Us To Grow Against Our Will

Yes- life is designed to help us grow- but it is also designed to not force us to grow. If we learn to live in harmony with the natural laws and principles of life, we can grow rapidly and contribute greatly to others. But we can also spend our whole lives either ignorant of the natural laws of growth or fighting them. We may grow some- just by shear "hard knocks" consequences of ignorant or immature mindsets and habit sets, but we can choose to grow so much more by cooperating with life rather than fighting it.

Now most likely there are  parts of your life that you feel pretty good about and other parts that you're frustrated about.  We all have different things we're naturally strong and weak at.  But we all are here to grow spiritually which puts us all in the same boat- but allows us to help each other along the way.

So if you at times (or most times) feel stressed, depressed, out of control, in constant struggle/conflict mode, or just stuck spinning your wheels, you've found a site that is designed just for you. 

However, no book, seminar, retreat or web site (including this one) can "make" you change or grow.  If it could- it would be contrary to life's unalterable law of growth- that it must ultimately be an individual choice to grow.  There are many teachers that can point the way- but none can walk the path for you.  Your journey is yours to make and there is no elevator or escalator up the mountain path of your life's journey.  

So- is spiritual growth easy?  No, and Yes.  By its very nature it is challenging, but it is much easier than you've probably made it in the past, and it is way easier than continuing to fight against Life.  But the best thing about the past is that it's over.  So if you're ready to take 100% responsibility for your life and to start growing by choice, you've come to the right place and it is my intention to contribute all I have learned and continue to learn from Life and from many wonderful teachers both ancient and modern, and to do it in a way that is focused on helping you in concrete, practical ways- by sharing insights and practices that have made a marked difference in my own spiritual growth. 

As archers aim arrows,

As carpenters carve wood,

The wise shape their lives”

- The Dhammapada v.145

That, my good friend and fellow Life student, is what this site is about- helping you and me to deliberately shape our lives by better understanding and applying true principles of spiritual growth.