Higher level functioning is a possibility for everyone. It only takes a commitment.
The late Admiral Rickover once asked Jimmy Carter (before Carter became President) if he was doing his best. Carter responded that he wasn’t. Then Rickover asked him, “Why not?” It prompted Carter to search within himself for the answer, and then step up his efforts to his best. This was a key motivating factor that led to him eventually becoming the President of the United States. Along the way he wrote a book entitled, Why not the Best? And he didn’t rest on his laurels. He then envisioned and manifested his Habitat for Humanity.
Are you doing your best? If not, why not? Are you lazy? Why? Too much stress? What can you do about it? Are you inspired? If not, is it possible that you are not pursuing your true purpose in life?
Tough questions, but they lead to deep introspection about how we live and think. When we do our best, then there is nothing to worry about, because we have done everything we can do. The “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” song that was made into a Grammy award winning hit by Bobby McFerrin originated with the spiritual master Meher Baba. In the 1960s and 1970s you may have seen “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” posters. But the complete quote puts it all into context: “Do your best, then don’t worry, be happy. I will help you.” Sounds like good advice to me. Worry is a big drain on energy and it keeps us out of the present moment keeping us away from experiencing the highest energies of joy, bliss and inspiration.
On a personal level, when I started this blog, I give it my best effort every day. And each day my best became a little bit better. My focus is better; my skills are sharper, and my vision keener. When I tell my wife the goal I have for this site, she tells me I’m being unrealistic. But I don’t think so.
My motivation is aligned with my source of being. I feel joy when I work. I become more alive every day. Without that inner sustenance, it wouldn’t be possible. But with it, I have no doubt about it. What we can achieve in life is directly proportionate to our perception of ourselves and of reality. As our perceptions expand, so do our abilities.
As we pursue our goals, we need to make sure that we are also pursuing higher levels of consciousness, as that alone will guide us and inspire us, increasing our perception. For example, how can an artist paint like Monet without the perception of Monet.
So what is one’s best? That is a complex issue. If I pursue a goal to the extent that I exclude everything else from my life, including my family, my health, my spirituality, and my pursuit of further learning, then I am sabotaging my results. I’m no longer a whole person. We cannot ignore the fact that we are more than the sum of our parts. We cannot ignore any part of our life without negative consequences on the whole. Remember, personal development without a holistic perspective can lead to personal sabotage.
But with that taken into consideration, what stops us from being the best we can be? What causes us to be distracted or lethargic? Is it a fear of success?
Fear of Success
The ego, which loves to be in control and familiarity, will do anything to keep the status quo. It loves separation; it loves living in the past. It sees any expansion in being as another step toward its annihilation.
The ego is comfortable in its old identity, even if that identity is one of poverty, sickness, or failure. The ego might even control your mind to the extent that it seeks more extreme situations of negative situations to prove how unfair life is. It’s all about getting attention. If the ego can get attention through tragedy, then tragedy it will find.
If your ego is running your life, then you will not be able to do your best. You need to take control. You need to go deep within. You need to experience deeply the present moment. You need to get away from the limitations of the past and the uncertainty of the future. Remember, nothing happens except in the present moment. It is in the present moment, and only in the present moment that you can experience the fullness of being. In the present moment the mind can slow down. The mind likes to control your life by interpreting the past and projecting itself into the future. But in the present moment, you get control of the mind.
If you are experiencing any kind of negativity, then rest assured that you are not living in the present moment. Negativity cannot exist in the present moment because to live in the present moment means to be in a state of acceptance. Negativity means non-acceptance. And negativity is a toxin to our energy state and to our consciousness, and ultimately to your level of success in achieving your goals.
So get control of your mind by living in the present. The ego hates the present moment. It loves the past. In the present moment you can connect to your source of being. You can experience your Presence. And when you feel that, you will understand that the past has no meaning.
Meditation
If you find it difficult to live in the present moment and go within, you might want to try meditation. If you are not sure if you want to meditate, read my article on that subject.
Another form of meditation to raise your level of energy is simply reading inspiring literature, such as the poetry of Hafiz. Try reading The Gift, translated by Dan Ladinsky, or renderings of Rumi by Coleman Barks, like Open Secret.
Maybe you’ll be lifted into the realm of inspiration by studying the life of a contemporary spiritual master, like Ramana Maharshi, Yogananda, Meher Baba, or Ramakrishna. Another method of “diving within” is studying the lives of historical spiritual masters such as Mohamed, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Ram or Zoroaster.
Reading literature like this will raise your level of energy and uplift you. Even looking at a photograph of a spiritual master will change your level of energy.
Joy of Inner Realities
When your mind and ego are not running your life, you can experience the joy of inner realities. It is not dependent upon the past or the future. It is something that has always existed. It is not something to be attained or realized in the future.
You have it within right now; it’s waiting for you to claim it. When you do, you will see creativity come alive. Inspiration will motivate you to new heights. A new level of energy will sustain you. What may have seemed impossible a day earlier is now a vision of certainty.
When you are in this state, everything becomes effortless. You are operating on a new level of awareness, way above what the majority of people exist on. You are truly firing on all cylinders. You feel invincible.
But the hard work is not done. There is a whole world full of low energy attractor fields, just waiting to pull you into their orbit. Like an athlete training for the Olympics, this new pursuit of excellence on the wings of consciousness takes one pointed focus.
A typical television show could be enough to pull you down from your elevated state back to the state of existence where most of the world is sleepwalking through life. If you are pursuing a goal in life that requires you to be the best you can be, then be committed to be the best that you can be.
It amounts to consistent conscious choices–the higher over the lower. You’ll find that it is actually easier and more joyful to operate on this level of existence than it was in the lower level.
At the higher level, you are sustained by your higher power. At the lower level, you are sustained by your limited mind. At the higher level you are sustained by joy and bliss; at the lower level, only by the brute force of the mind.
Doing your best while being aligned with your higher self will lead to higher and higher levels of ability and perception. What is your best today will be far from your best 10 years from now. But enjoy the present moment with its joy and inspiration and the future will take care of itself.
