Endless Source of Power

by Gregory Allen Butler

If you had a choice between two cars, one with an endless source of power that would never run out of fuel, or a conventional energy type car that would, which one would you choose?

Have you ever run out of gas in the middle of a trip? Do you ever feel like your life is running on empty? That's why I don't subscribe to the philosophy of drawing on willpower to reach my goals. If you are drawing upon willpower everyday to reach a goal, you will sooner or later find yourself depleted, like a car running out of gas.

Also, it seems if you need willpower to reach a goal then there is some kind of inner conflict going on that needs attending to. Are you sure this is the goal you want? Someone the other night asked me what is needed to reach goals, to manifest intentions. Here is my answer.

If I take on a major project, I either do it wholeheartedly or I don't do it at all. That is the essence of holistic personal development. You use your heart, mind, body, and spirit as a harmonious system, working together to reach a goal. That is wholeness. Then you can proceed. That is equivalent to attaching to your car an unlimited fuel cell. You are never going to be running on empty.

Is willpower really power? Why would I want to do something that weakens me, that saps my energy, that dulls my senses, that takes the joy out of life? That's like saying that the operation was a success but the doctor died.

At the end of a day, I want to be more alive, not less alive. When I reach a goal I want to discover that I am a better person emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I want to find that I am not weakened by the experience. I want to be strengthened and more alive.

When I think of will power I get the sense of someone exerting great effort towards a task-using every last iota of strength and energy to get it done. "A work until I drop mentality." That's not my idea of life. I'm not saying that we should avoid hard work; I saying that we should avoid working in a way that takes the joy and vitality out of life.

When we can harness the power of our whole being-our heart, body, mind, and spirit working together-we can move into a state of effortlessness. In that state our work becomes suffused with love and joy. Work becomes an expression, not an exasperation. Our minds are no longer controlling our actions with demands and complaints. We are living in a state of awareness.

With the awareness of consciousness, there is no more resistance to the task at hand. Instead there is acceptance. No longer is mind in the driver's seat complaining. Instead there is a sense of joy that comes when we are free of the mind. Instead of resistance to life, we have participation with life. When free of the mind's labels, we are free to experience life for what it is-life. And life is joy when experienced fully, in the present moment.

That deep experience of being alive, free of the mind, living in the present moment transforms the experience of the most mundane to the most noble.

The holistic approach to personal development makes joyful and easy what is normally painful and hard. The reason is that there are no inner conflicts sapping your energy. When you decide to do something, every part of your being is on the same page. There is excitement in progressing towards your goal. St. Theresa said all the way to heaven is heaven. That is the experience you can expect to have when your heart, mind, and soul are working together--an expoerience of an inner, endless source of power.

Wholeness

With wholeness, enthusiasm comes into your work. You see the whole picture. Perception is clear. You know what you want, you know it is an expression of your whole being, and you know that it is for the benefit of everybody. When you know that what you are setting out to accomplish is going to benefit people, that it is an expression of your consciousness, creativity, and love, you have a tremendous power to get you to your goal.

When you approach any goal with a holistic perspective, you have synergistic power. The combination of your heart, mind, and spirit working together is far more that the sum of their parts. It is a sort of fusion. You are a rocket set for take off.

Be careful, however, not to let people and things sidetrack you. If you have a certain time of day set aside for your work, do what you need to do to make sure that your time is not encroached upon. Don't take phone calls; don't check you e-mail; don't even answer your doorbell. This is sacred time. You are trying to fulfill your life's purpose. Don't allow yourself to get off track.

I mentioned a couple days ago that I now keep an off track log on my desk. This helps me stay aware of how I am wasting time getting off track. Just the simple fact that the log is on my desk and that I will write down everything, keeps me on track.

Being on track is also a metaphor. Imagine a high-speed train traveling effortlessly on its tracks. And then imagine that somehow it got off-track. It derailed. It can't go anywhere. And it's not easy to get back on track. Momentum is lost. Time is lost. You might even lose sight of what it is you want to accomplish or why it is important to you.

Once you are on track, make sure you stay there. It is the difference in getting to your destination and not going anywhere except maybe to a hospital room via an ambulance.

It's important to do what you need to do to keep your energy high. Don't let distractions keep you from sleep. Don't let tempting junk food lead you into bad eating habits. Don't let the negative energy of other people affect your positive energy. You have what you need to get to your goal as long as you are connected to your source of being. Keep your focus.

Keep in your consciousness how you are going to feel when you reach you goal. That fuels your enthusiasm. Each day follow your bliss. There is nothing dull or boring about that. Your power will increase, not deplete, as you move closer to your goal. You have momentum. Keep moving. Keep your love alive. Keep connected to your source of being.

Some people go a whole lifetime without getting this type of opportunity. It takes alertness and consciousness. Once you understand that what you are engaged in is an expression of your true life's purpose, honor it and you get to your target every time.