How do you know who to listen to?
How do you know whom to turn to for advice? How do you know what books to read,
what coach to use, what course to take? It can get very confusing when you are
seeking advice or guidance, and everyone around you claims to be an expert.
You first have to begin by being
clear on what it is that you want. Do you really want advice? Advice is
cheap, and you can get it on the inside of a Snapple bottle cap. Or do you want
to walk the path that someone else has walked? If you want the latter, you first
must decide what really matters to you because with some individuals, it is all
smoke and mirrors.
Start by considering what qualities
you are seeking to demonstrate in your own life, and at the end of the day, who
do you want to be? Once you know what you want, finding a guide through the fog
to who you are will be much easier, but always keep it real. When you begin
your hunt for that "right" teacher/guide/coach, look at a few
different things about all the candidates: 1) How are their lives? Are they
happy? Do they embrace change with confidence and conviction, or do they balk
at the first sign of challenge? 2) Do they consider themselves as experts on
everything in the world, or do they admit that they are lacking experience in
something, and suggest that you go elsewhere? 3) And finally, are their actions
consistent with how they present themselves?
It can be easy to find individuals
who think they know just about everything, but those who constantly seek to go
further, to look deeper, to forgive more, and to love more, are who I want to
be around. Watching one's own mind and ego is not an easy task. Actually, it
can be downright exhausting. I check my words against my standard of
authenticity regularly, and things still get by. What has helped me is the
attitude that says, “I'm willing to be wrong and I'm willing to be teachable.”
If you are willing to remain teachable, you will be gifted with all sorts of
guidance that could be held at bay by an "I KNOW" attitude.
Want more love, more peace, more
joy? Be the eternal seeker, the eternal student. Be willing to have life gently
guide you to a higher experience of yourself. The seeking I'm speaking about
doesn't mean you have to give up your current path for a new one, but to take
the path that you are on more seriously, to stand on this
path in total conviction. In the end, the world is our teacher, so remain
teachable and so much good will be present.
Run from those who know, even if it is YOU, and turn to
those who seek as you allow yourself to be the seeker. Dance in the light of
discovery.
