Experience Your Greatness

Part of the spiritual path is learning to love the darkness as well as the light, within ourselves and within the world. In my experience, at first it is much easier to love the light, both inside of me and outside of me. It is easier to love the light within me and the light within others, just as it is easier to love pleasure instead of pain. Yet often times, it is our pain that transforms us. Sometimes it is our darkness that awakens us. In every painful experience, there is the seed of pleasure, and in every pleasurable experience, there is the seed of pain. The more comfortable we become with the light and the dark, the pleasure and the pain, we will begin to see that it is all part of the perfection, all part of the wisdom, all part of our soul's journey. Ultimate reality is beyond both pleasure and pain, beyond light and dark, beyond good and bad. It is the screen on which all of this is projected - timeless, boundless, and eternal. Enjoy your pleasure - it is delightful. Discover your pain - it is always insightful. Know that the true you is utterly beyond and dissolves all polarities.As you discover this part of yourself, you will see that we are all one, all equal, all unbounded. As barriers dissolve, you will discover yourself to be more magnificent than you ever dreamed. This week's article is dedicated to discovering your own greatness and through that dissolving all insecurities. The most important element in creating what you want in life is to know that you are capable of it, that you are worthy of it, that you deserve it. This world is as we are, meaning that the world is a projection of our consciousness. Therefore, if we believe ourselves to be great, we will create greatness. Likewise, if we believe ourselves to be inadequate - we will create inadequacy. This is not at all about being egotistic or full of yourself. This only occurs when you think you are better than someone else. We all tend to think of ourselves relative to other people, thereby judging ourselves and judging other people. But when we compare ourselves to other people, we lose. It is often said "comparison is a loser's game", and nothing could be more true. Many of us are afraid of experiencing our own greatness because we are concerned about the voices that will accompany our possible success: "I am smarter than he is" "I am more successful than she is" "I am sexier than she is" "I have more money and a better education"rnEtc., etc., etc. Feeling insecure is simply the flip side of this coin: "He is more successful than I am" "She has a better body" "She is more successful - why would she be interested in what I have to say?" "He has more money, more fame, and more prestige - why would he want to talk to me?"rnEtc, etc., etc. As long as we live in this world, in this state of mind, we suffer. Period. If we happen to be on the "successful" side of the equation and comparing ourselves to others who are perceived to be "less", it cuts us off from potential love, truthful connection, and valuable insight. We are creating filters that skew our vision, preventing us from seeing the beauty or the greatness that might be standing right in front of us at any given moment. If we are on the "less successful" side of the equation, we suffer as well. Nothing will create pain faster than comparing yourself to someone else and deciding that you come up short. Absolutely nothing. Yet it is something that many of us do continually. When we feel inadequate or less accomplished, we are less willing to take chances, less likely to ask for what we need or to set big goals, and less opt to claim the life of our dreams. We give other people power over us, simply because we perceive them as being smarter, prettier, or more successful than we are. Not fun. At all. The solution? Step out of the paradigm all together. Step out of the comparison game and step into the greatness that knows no boundaries. Step into the greatness that is limitless and discover that you can be great, and everyone else can be great as well. Here is how this works: When you notice yourself comparing yourself to other people, simply notice it. Become aware. No need to judge yourself or create a whole story about how you shouldn't be doing it - this just adds another layer to the angst. Instead, simply notice. Become the witness to your experience. This helps to create detachment, so you no longer need to be bound by the stories in your head. As you cultivate this practice of witnessing awareness, the ceaseless chatter begins to drop away and loses its power to control your life. Next, shift your focus to who you truly are. At your very essence, you are eternal and unbounded, omnipotent and omniscience. You are the wisdom and intelligence of the universe manifesting as a human being. You are beyond the body-mind, in fact your are the creator of the body mind. You are the very power that creates worlds. You are this power, and everyone else is this power as well. When you live in this realm, you realize that there are no divisions, only unity that binds each and every one of us. As you discover this truth, you can begin to tell a new and different story. You can tell a story of your greatness, your wisdom, and your triumph. You can begin to tell a story of your beauty and your grace, your power and your strength. It can be a story that extols your perfection, as well as the perfection of everyone else as well, because you will know that at our essence we are all expressions of each other. Once you begin to tell a different story, you can begin to create a different life. Our lives are an expression of the stories we tell ourselves. When you connect with your source of power, you will discover that you can create whatever story you want, and you can create whatever life you want. It's an exciting and hopeful thought. Connect with your source of power and you will find the beauty that awaits you once you step outside of the comparison game. So, here again are the steps: 1.) Simply observe the mental chatterrn2.) Focus on the truth of who you arern3.) Tell a different storyrn4.) Create a new life based on that story Recognize YOUR greatness. Embrace and overcome insecurity, and discover that you have the power to create a life that you love.