The Power and Promise of Desire
Last night in one of the
Science of Getting Rich classes that I am teaching, we were discussing the importance of finding your passion in life, and the subject of desire came up. This is something about which most of us are lied to when we are kids. We're told in one way or another that wanting stuff (desire) is selfish. Being the literal minded little buggers that we are, we then apply that to our whole life and always feel a little ashamed to admit that we really want something. So we settle for unsatisfying lives, unsatisfying careers, unsatisfying relationships, and no money.
Here's the truth about desire - desire is your inner guide telling you what your purpose in life is all about! It's your passion for life, for full expression, trying to get your attention. The classic metaphysical writer Emilie Cady puts it even stronger - "Desire in your heart is always God tapping at the door of your consciousness with his infinite supply. It's the only way God has of letting us know of his desire to make it ours."
So rather than desire being somehow selfish and shabby, desire is actually a very spiritual quality that we should pay close attention to. Especially if that desire concerns how we spend our days - our work. If you're an accountant, but your desire is to be an artist, you've probably been told what a stupid, irresponsible idea that is. The advice we mostly get is, "You'll never make any money at that!" Perhaps all that good advice is wrong.
My friend Karen Leeds made that step a few years ago. She was very talented and experienced at marketing in the music industry, but her heart was not in it. She wanted to paint, and so she courageously stepped into the great unknown. She quit her job and started painting. When she was awarded "Best New Artist of the Year" in Scottsdale, AZ, it was clear that her heart was right. Was it easy? No. Was it scary? Yes. Did friends and family think she was nuts? Some did. Did she quit? No. Draw your own conclusions. You can see
her work here.There is something else very important about desire - desire carries with it the promise of the power to achieve it. Emilie Cady puts it this way, "If what you want was not already yours for the taking, you could not, by any possibility, desire it." We can not ever truly desire something that is impossible for us to have!
Sometimes the way our needs are provided for are almost spooky. I think of a kid in Arizona who wanted to be a stunt man. He started jumping off garage roofs at a young age and ended up as one of the top stunt performers in Hollywood. His specialty was high falls - spectacular leaps off higher and higher structures into those tiny looking air bags. He hardly ever got hurt, other than bruised up a bit. Later medical tests determined that Spanky Spangler has a genetic deficiency that makes his bones almost unbreakable. What a "coincidence", eh?
So what's your desire? What's your feeble excuse for not pursuing it? When will you start?
Let me know if you have any good desire stories. Post a comment below.
Finding Your Passion - for Moms
I find that one group of people that I deal with have a particularly tough time in figuring out what their passion in life is. That group consists of women with families. The reason they have such a tough time is that for 15-20 years they've been Mom 110%, focusing on the kids and the spouse, and never thought about what they might want to do or be.
They come up for air, usually in their early 40's when the kids are starting to leave home, and realize that they don't have any idea what they want for themselves, or how to figure it out. There is also, for some, still a feeling of guilt and selfishness for even asking the question!
Well, I want to say two things to women in this situation. First, thank you! Those of us who were lucky enough to have a mother like you are blessed indeed. You loved us, cared for us, kissed our hurts and gave us the best you had. We are very grateful.
Second, you now have permission to take care of yourself, even if all the kids aren't gone yet. After all, you've earned it, you deserve it and you're worth it. See, each one of us has a special gift to give the world, beyond the gift you've given your family. If you don't figure out what yours is, the world will lose out, and so will you.
There is a life force within us that is always urging us on to grow and expand. One of my mentors, Bob Proctor, likes to quote Thomas Troward who said, "Spirit within us is always for expansion and greater expression." Wallace Wattles, in "The Science of Getting Rich" tells us to "..fix upon your consciousness the fact that the desire you feel is one with the desire of the Supreme Power for more complete expression."
So, after 20 years of serving others, how do you get in touch with what you want? Well, here's a few ideas. This will take some work, but the results will be well worth it .
You will need some quiet time to yourself. That's a big step in itself, but get used to it! Get a pad of paper and start listing all the activities you've participated in, as far back as you can remember. Every game, every activity, every class, every vacation, every daydream, every organization, job, volunteer position and recreation. List all the many "jobs" you hold as a wife and mother - organizing, counseling, teaching, patching up wounds, managing finances, chauffeur, coach, purchasing agent, home decorator, landscaper, etc, etc.
As you go over these things, find the parts that gave you real satisfaction, the things that you liked. You'll feel them inside - that warm glow of joy and fulfillment, the feeling of competency. Perhaps you'll get in touch with something you remember that you always wanted to do, but never did. Make a second list of all these things.
Keep working on these lists for several weeks. You'll remember things as you keep this project in your mind, and you can keep adding things to the second list. DO NOT try to decide whether anything is possible or practical, that's not your job. Your job is only to listen to your heart, the voice within, and write the stuff down.
After you're pretty sure you've got everything down, start a third list. This is a list of things that you are good at - your skills and talents. If you have trouble with complementing yourself ("Don't be conceited!" is the voice in your mind) then ask someone you trust to help you. Get at least 10 things on the list.
Just doing this exercise should have opened your eyes to possiblities already, and here's a final step that will really help. Take the top 10 things you like and the top 10 skills you have and put those lists side by side. Look at them, think about them and see what stands out as a combination. Within those two lists is the key to the rest of your life!
If you have any questions or need help, post a comment here or write to me directly using the
Contact form on this web site. Happy Mother's Day!
