If my meaning and purpose can shift to a place of greater presence, awareness in the moment and real attentive being, then what I am committed to in an ongoing way shifts as well.
When I have vision, goals and strategic objectives I commit to the incremental steps to implement and execute. What is important here is I have an intention to focus my attention on my next steps. This interplay of intention and attention is critical to the entire transformation process.
When I was focused on catching a fish and all the mechanics connected to it I had and intention that caused me to focus attention on a certain mode of doing. But bone fishing requires a different intention. It requires commitment to attending to what is going on around me – an awareness. Intention to focus my attention on just being, on being attentive, aware, awake, and alive has an entirely different texture to it.
When my purpose becomes letting the universe unfold through me, God’s purposes and kingdom coming in and through my being, my commitment and success or failure are entirely different. Our traditional image of being committed is about working hard, expending effort, and wearing the badge that really proves I am somebody….which usually means always being incredibly busy.
Unfortunately I have found in my own life and in those I get to help this is a subtle form of self manipulation that doesn’t create greater awareness and fuller being-ness but inattentive numbness.
Can anyone relate?
Share on Facebook
Thinking together is a lost art. As a teacher I do hard thinking, then I tell you about all my insights. If you think it is insightful, clever, smart or feels new to you, you register your acceptance of my insights with a nod or a “great message Ron,” and assume those insights will now change your life. But we haven’t thought together. And we certainly haven’t come “to know together.”
Thinking together and coming to know together requires a posture of being that will accommodate new shifts in us. We have discussed the two components of the social field. Now we look at the four ways of being or listening.
[read more...]
Share on Facebook
One of the most powerful spiritual mentoring times I have experienced was when I got to spend a week retreat where David Steindl-Rast was present. I only had a couple hour long sessions with him for spiritual direction, but his input has been indelible.
His simple message is that gratefulness as a pattern and practice is life transforming. That is it. Nothing deeper, nothing more insightful.
His coaching to me… “Ron gratefulness is always a reflection on something, someone, some event, and usually something transformative. The way we keep that memory transformative and those events potent is for gratefulness to bring them into the present. This is the big loss in our times. We don’t keep bringing important moments from the past forward.”
Today is a day designed for just this… pull the past into the present. Practice gratefulness. For some more help from Father David take a look here.
Share on Facebook
