“What is a cynic?
A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

~ Oscar Wilde, 19th-century Irish Writer & Poet

I am so glad that self-development and spiritual-development are becoming more widely accepted topics, and that so many people are embracing the betterment of their lives through connecting with nature and their true souls.

Myself, I’ve been on this path for over a decade, you could say that I have been on it for my whole life, and I have experienced some fantastic changes and magical occurrences along the way.

That being said, I occasionally still find myself falling into the trap that many modern seekers do. The quest for money…the urge to master manifestation and spiritual thinking in order to create material prosperity.

This is not to say that thoughts of this nature mean that we are losing our spiritual achievements or that we are greedy, evil people of any kind. It is simply a true factor of a modern life.

In ancient times, when humans lived in small, manageable communities, staying in the same place for generations, there was more support for the spirit and the spiritual.

Spiritual leaders, the psychically gifted and those with metaphysical knowledge were honored by the community. These special community members acted as advisers, healers and intermediaries between the people and the spiritual realms. In return they were supported with food, clothing, shelter and love.

But those days and those community ties no longer exist for most of us. Thus it follows that we HAVE to be concerned with our own finances and how to get what we need in this world. The challenge is to learn to balance this with our spiritual development and spiritual outlook, without losing our focus and becoming myopically fixed on the “prosperity” issue.

Being a parent now, I am faced with this issue nearly everyday. You put yourself and aside and instead focus everything on the little being you are now trying to raise. Money does not go far, especially when you are trying to choose between providing the best for them in the present moment or saving for their educational and life expenses of the future.

Here I am, in one of the most historic and ecologically beautiful towns in Eastern Canada, fields and trails and ancient waterways all around me, and I am still worrying about paying the phone bill.

So, walking around with these very thoughts in my head yesterday afternoon, a line from a song that I was listen to caught my attention: “When did the light die?”

And at that very moment it occurred to me that with all of the planning and dreaming and hopes and intentions for success that have been swimming around in my mind lately, along with worry and doubt, I had somehow gotten blinded to the shear wonder of all that I found myself blessed with in this crazy life.

What about the idea of having chosen to incarnate now? As this very spirit that I am? What about wanting to live my life purpose to the fullest?

These things are our true motivation and the only thing that will bring us TRUE happiness. How many vastly wealthy people do we hear about every day who are just a miserable mess?

And why is that? Because they long for spiritual fulfillment and try to fill that hole with possessions and parties.

So, having realized the misalignment of my thinking with my core values, I have readjusted my viewpoint. And now looking at it from a spiritual perspective, I see very clearly that the same issue of needing value (ie. cash- as this is the object of value in the modern society) can be addressed in a way that is in line with my vibrational values and the nature of the universe.

Many, many times I have had ideas and concepts for ways that I can build my career, for valuable content that I can offer the world. Usually one of two things stops these great impulses cold: the opinion of others or, more often, the realization that the time I put in will probably NOT pay off monetarily.

What to do then?

What I now realize is that, in keeping with reciprocity, if there is no outflow their can be no inflow. You must give value to the world if you expect to receive value from the world.

Constantly sitting around willing the universe to bring you prosperity, while at the same time being paralyzed by the lack of it (ie. taking no initiative on your own behalf) is like a potter begging for someone to fill his cup and buy his bowls, when he hasn’t even bothered to sit down and make any yet.

From this point forward, when I get the impulse to create I will go with it as a gift of inspiration, a gift of value that I can give to the world. Whether others agree with me or not, whether the creation flops or not, is irrelevant. It is in the giving of it to the world that the energy of the value is released to the world. And the outflow will naturally attract inflow, I leave it the universe to decide how value is repaid, but I create value regardless.

How I intend to live my life from now on, is to ask, answer and act on these three questions every day:

3. What value can I provide to the world today?

I invite you to shift your own thoughts from desiring to giving, and see what the ever-creating universe blesses you with in return.

The Tao Te Ching said:

The Great Tao is universal like a flood.
How can it be turned to the right or left?

All creatures depend on it,
And it denies nothing to anyone.

It does its work,
But it makes no claim for itself.

It clothes and feeds all,
But it does not lord it over them:
Thus it may be called “the Little.”

All things return to it as their home,
But it does not lord it over them:
Thus it may be called “the Great.”

It is just because it does not wish to be great
That its greatness is fully realized.

And so this is how the spiritual attempt to live out their life purpose. Giving freely without expecting return and becoming great through the lack of desire for greatness. Ram Dass, who inspires me greatly, learned to live this core truth, to be more like the Source Creator from which all came.

I aspire to use my gifts, my words and my light, to give others inspiration and hope on their own spiritual journeys. If I were to become financially wealthy, yet fail to live up to this aspiration, there would be no joy in my heart, even if my bank account did rival that of Bill Gates.

Therefore my true value lies within my true soul purpose, not within my wallet.

Provide value and you will have value.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

Life can be confusing sometimes. Even the simple act of getting everything that needs doing completed each day can turn our heads round and make us forget that we are living a unique life and that we are individual bits of divine spirit energy. To be honest with you I am known to be a huge procrastinator and often several days can go by without me pausing to take notice of life, spirit or my connections to others.

Over the years I have gotten much better at doing things that need doing, even if I don’t feel particularly motivated to do them, at least more often than I used to. Like when dishes need washing, I use the “just do 5 dishes” mentality and, inevitably, I end up doing 20. Starting is the hardest part.

Days are the same way. Starting them may not be as hard as picking up your tax forms and filling them out, but how you start you day most certainly sets the pattern for how the remainder of your day will flow (or stagnate.)

Oddly enough, my own busy-ness and procrastination, which are always in the way of me starting or completing things, seem to end right at the place where my comfort and desires begin. In other words, I never have trouble finding the time to bake brownies or getting up and starting a new knitting project. Those things are easy to remember and to place priority on. Yet, publication deadlines, jogging, paying bills and mopping the floors can get pushed back for weeks and even months.

I suppose you could call this self-indulgence, and in some instances our distracted mind can fall into such a “pleasure and comfort” pattern. But, in most people’s case, it is so much more than just that.

We live in a world filled with over-stimulation. The mental and visual landscape seems designed, and often deliberately intended, to keep you distracted, to silence the voice within, to reinforce your separateness from other human beings. This is the mentality that has ruled our westernized society for hundreds of years, and it has led us into many of the social, financial, moral and environmental troubles that we have today.

When we see the purpose of life as one of gaining fortune, of acquiring power over others, of conquering our circumstances at any cost, we inevitably become someone who is perpetually over-scheduled, lacking in compassion, physically or psychologically unhealthy, mentally scattered and unfocused or any of a number of other personally or socially unfulfilling things.

I am no different, having been up and down the roller-coaster of money versus fulfillment and bravado versus low self-esteem. In the past I have been someone who wants to please everyone and have vastly over-committed myself in order to try and achieve that. What it leads to is stress, procrastination and unfulfilled promises. And, if you keep ignoring your own inner truth while trying to be everything to all people, eventually to a nervous breakdown. This is a modern ailment, brought on by our externalizing contentment and looking for happiness in the opinions of others.

Recently a new approach to living more mindful, sensible and fulfilling days has been helping me to clear up the connection between who I am and what I do. The answer for me is a simple one, but is a realization that has been a long time in the making.

What I have found is that if I begin my day with “fun” stuff, such as surfing the internet, knitting, laying about and watching a movie, then I am likely to continue in a “self-oriented” way throughout the rest of my day. Obviously this leads to low productivity, but after a prolonged period of time can also lead to anger, depression and a lack of compassion. If a person is unfulfilled on the inside, it will eventually work its way out and effect their moods, relationships and even their worldview.

But, in a world so desperately in need of compassion, connection and personal responsibility, if one begins their day with actions that benefit others, then a complete change in the pattern of one’s day occurs. And this is a change that can sprout wings and flitter into positive changes for other people’s day as well.

What do I mean by actions that benefit others? Quite simply I am referencing any action that you need to do, which has an effect not only upon yourself. This can be changing the snow tires on your family min-van or washing the laundry. Having a safe vehicle benefits your whole family, having a clean environment makes everyone feel better. It can also be taking yourself to a doctors appointment or meeting with a business contact. You being healthy benefits those who love you. You meeting with someone benefits not only yourself, but the other person.

For me this concept generally means channeling readings for clients and writing magazine or blog articles. Allowing my gift to inform, inspire and enlighten others brings more light to their lives and to the world. But, as you can see, doing the things that benefit others as your first priority of the day, also means that you are bringing huge benefit to yourself. When I connect to spirit I am reminded of my own unique purpose, and the lower heart-rate, peace and contentment that it brings me is priceless.

Like I said, beginning something is the hardest part, whether it is one single task or how you choose to begin your day. Choosing to begin your day by accomplishing the tasks that most benefit others allows us to feel truly relaxed when we then sit down and do something completely for ourself. It could be that you enjoy fishing or reading or oil painting. But think of how much more fulfilling those moments of enjoyment and relaxation wil be when you realize that you have connected with others, fulfilled your responsibilities and completed all of your pressing tasks for the day.

And this mindset, this simple approach to task management, will also change you in the long run. You may find yourself becoming more open to the viewpoints of others, more willing to be charitable with your time and energy. We are all in this journey of life together, if we help others who need it then there may be someone to help when we have a need. To approach your day by doing what you can do to benefit others, perhaps the society as a whole can eventually morph into one of compassion and attention to the welfare of others.

As for myself, I hope that this idea can spread. Yet, regardless, it has benefitted me as I begin each day by benefitting others.