Soul Satisfaction

Everyone has a book inside them that’s crying to be let out. I know this only too well and there's more than a few blockbusters in me! This blog has been my greatest creative outlet and I feel blessed that there are a number of you that stop by for a quick read of my uncommon sense. 

In this post, I’d like to introduce a newly published author, Carolyn Field, who gave me some life coaching  a few years ago. Carolyn is a fellow traveller on the journey of self-discovery; she’s a lover of words and timeless wisdom. I’m thrilled that she has poured all of her unique insights into a little book: 

Soul Satisfaction; Live your Dream, Change the World (www.amazon.com). 

If you’ve ever been consumed by the darkness (of mind and spirit) then this book is a mini spiritual survival kit. Soul searching is what we do but,  too often, we’re looking in the wrong places.Carolyn’s book is a light on the path to fearlessness where ultimate power is the ability to not have to please anyone but your heart’s calling. Carolyn shows how we can step up to this responsibility through her personal experiences. If satisfaction comes from doing what you love then this book will help you access the joy that accompanies every dark night of the soul.

Wise wishes from Wisdomona

Soul Satisfaction

Live your Dream, Change the World

By Carolyn Field

The story of my minibook started four years ago with a startling one word message that has changed the course of my life. A word appeared on the radio in the car in which I was travelling. The music stopped. I glanced across the dashboard to see what had happened and there, where the radio station had been, was the word ‘learn’. 

I stared at it believing that tiredness had produced a trick of the eyes. I expected it to clear and blend back to the usual familiar words but this did not happen. The word remained until a dawning fear of something I could not understand prompted me to switch off the radio and continue my journey in tense silence. 

Soon after, my life began to change in stressful, unsettling ways. My job came to an end and I could not find another, this lead to unprecedented financial pressures. Try as I might I could not restore my former life.  The last few years have proved to be challenging, pushing me to the edge of my comfort zone and beyond. I know now that this has had to be. I have been a shadow of myself, forgetting who I am, forgetting to be who I am.  Then it found me. The answer that made me ask the question. The answer is satisfaction. The question is how can we get it? 

When I began writing, the writing appeared on the page before I had even thought it through.  The writing revealed something that made me gasp inwardly. My minibook reveals a truth, a simple secret that I have now learned and understood. That life is not supposed to be hard. You and I are not supposed to suffer or be frustrated or have to suppress our needs, desires, gifts and talents. You and I are supposed to live a life of profound satisfaction. 

Soul satisfaction. I have learned that all I need to be is ... ME. The best ME that I can be and the more of the best me I can be, that I am, the more true soul satisfaction I can feel. How you and I can help heal our world, end suffering and spread peace by living a life of satisfaction is the message of my little minibook.

Can you love your enemies?

Loving your enemies is not only impossible but improbable.  Love is not the first emotion that comes to mind when we hear of hurt, bullying and generally anti-social behavior. The animalistic nature in some of our fellow men make them more likely to torment, defile and destroy someone or something. Yes, notice when your enemy gets one over you he/she is enjoying it on some depraved level.

Notice the villain in any good action thriller, he’s laughing and taking real pleasure in gouging out the eyes of the good guy. Baddies, in all walks of life, from petty fraudsters to drugs barons are living it up. They’re driving the best cars, living in the best houses and throwing their money around.

We don’t love our enemies but we sometimes imagine what our lives would have been like if we’d had more devil-may-care moments. Enemies have side-stepped their conscience and are doing whatever comes naturally…even if it’s not legitimate. They’re bold as brass with cold hearts to match. They don’t care what other people think. They might be heros to the criminal fraternity if more of them didn’t get caught.

My lover turned enemy

Nowadays, it’s not easy to distinguish between an enemy and friend as they wear clever disguises. “Friends” come to you as a sympathetic ear, a colleague at work, an old school friend,  even members of your family – someone who listens and makes you feel “wanted” and “important”. This is a dangerous path as it gives rise to the idea that somehow you are inadequate. Of course, none of us are perfect but we should not seek friends to fill an empty space inside us nor to kill time.

Enemies are put into our lives to teach us valuable lessons or so we’re led to believe by personal development coaches. Resisting our enemies is the only way to overcome them but if we fail to use the correct approach we’ll have blood on our hands (and the carpet!).

I think enemy is a relative term as we’ve probably invited him in, engaged in small talk, had dinner and slept with him.  He’s come to harm us but we didn’t see it coming or did we see an inkling and dismiss it? Sometimes we stumble across enemies (without meaning to) as some of us have a pre-destined date with disaster, but the truth is, no one can predict how that first date will go!

Protection means declaring all out war on an enemy by reporting him/her to the correct authorities. Once this happens all hell is let loose and you’ll be pursued. Some people don’t have the strength to dob their enemies in and they continue living with them (but not loving them).

You may never be able to love your enemies but you could ignore them. Non-confrontation sometimes gets rid of the problem as you can’t pick a fight with someone who won’t. Sticks, stones and name calling does hurt. We’re sensitive beings and our self esteem is extremely fragile. 

Our enemies know it so they’ll do anything they can to break us. OF course we can get stronger but finding that strength doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of pain before we understand that there’s not enough darkness to extinguish our light.

Forgiving is possible but not forgetting. Once tiny seeds of fear have taken root, it won’t be long before it’s grown into triffid! You can show tough love to your enemies but you can bet they won’t take kindly to it. Anytime you reveal your self-worth it’ll be irksome to them. Their mission is to keep you small and it’s too bad that you’re not playing that game anymore.

Think big, act big and keep on being yourself. You can avoid your enemies but love them….well …that depends!

Sacred Trust

Trust is one of the fundamentals that underpins our daily lives. We trust people and things to help us advance in any small or large way. We assume trust is something inherent in the human psyche and that there’s an abundance of it. That belief is largely false and, a reality check, soon shows us that the very opposite is true.

When we arrive into this world we trust our parents. Of course we do, they’re our caregivers and so we come with expectations….at least to be fed and clothed. Our spirits equally clamour for sustenance as we hold the gaze of our mother’s and father’s eyes and then their hands as we take our first steps. We have no one else to follow so like ducklings we follow them into the water…be it safe or dangerous. We then move onto teachers, employers, friends and lovers and we get let down. When we’re down in the dirt, we berate ourselves for being too trusting, too gullible.

Can I trust you?

When our parents reveal their foibles and idiosyncrasies we don’t question it until we reach an age of maturity. Many people never question the authority figures in their lives and those become the sheep who follow the herd. 

Blind faith and sacred trust are not the same. Blind faith suggests a little softness in the head but trust is a bond between two hearts - unbreakable - sometimes.

Trust is sacred only when we nurture our higher self. Otherwise trust turns into a frivolous exchange between two people who feel that they can outwit the other. If you’ve ever watched an episode of “Cheaters” you’ll see how emotional people become when their trust is violated. 

Relationships throw up a maelstrom of trust issues. I’ve had my share. Sometimes I’ve been the trusting and the distrusted. Trust is a reflection of your emotional circuitry. When you’ve placed your trust and had it reciprocated then you'll love as if you've never been hurt. When your trust has been misplaced then you’ll be wary and watchful. You’ll feel as if you’re damaged but, in truth, you’ve been broken into little pieces for re-modelling. 

Trust has much to do with feeling confident and comfortable in your own skin. When you trust yourself you give others the benefit of the doubt and don’t sweat the small stuff. When you don’t, you play out disaster scenarios in your mind.

“He didn’t call me so he must have had an accident!” He said he was playing golf today but his secretary’s out of the office too”.

The mind games you play on yourself are far worse than any diasters that could befall you. Just don’t play them and put them back into the box in your mind’s highest shelf.

The only person we can trust is yourself so we need to spend time finding out who we are. Not the impulsive self that wants to splash out on something designer or the self that constantly seeks to please. These “selfs” are the products of our egos and when we get too wrapped up in them we become selfish. We fish for this and that – compliments, food, relationships. We’re not too choosy whom we trust and sometimes we find it easier to trust anyone but ourselves.

 When faced with conflict and struggle we often wonder if we can get through it? You can never know enough to trust and often it’s a mixture of luck and good environment. If you’ve been born into a healthy situation, trust will be natural but if you haven’t then you’ll struggle with it all your life.

Lack of trust damages any relationship. Even in your job your boss trusts you to get on and do it. When fundamental trust has been denied to you then there’s come a time when you feel as if you’re falling apart. Your defences may seem strong but even the smallest gesture of distrust will hit them hard. My trust was hit by a wrecking ball and it's not been fully rebuilt.

Trust is a relationship that I've not had much success with.  I’ve got to accept that disappointment is part of the journey to trustworthiness just as failures are the pathway to success. Once I get my head around these and meet the trustful then I'll let go of my mis-trusting nature.

 You never get more than you can handle but why does God trust me so much?!!