Our obsession with the destination has blinded us from the truth. We are so attached to the ‘outcome’ that there are very few rules we won’t break in order to achieve that desired outcome. We have reached the point where we readily silence our conscience and compromise our own values and principles just so we can win and claim the prize. But is this winning? If in order to cross the line we have had to trade away a little bit of ourselves, have we really won? … Of course the answer is no.
How can it be of benefit to surround oneself with kudos, status, material possessions and those things that our modern world holds dear, if in doing so the ultimate prize, ‘an awakened self’, has been lost? There is no attainment that can even begin to equal the ‘awakened self’. So ask yourself what destination are you heading towards and is it even a place you want to be? Will it really make you happy and content? Will it give you clarity and peace of mind? The ‘awakened self’ offers that and so much more.
People who are ‘awake’ do not blindly pursue the ‘trappings’ of the material world. They are not averse to money, possessions, status, etc; they simply are busy pursuing other things. Their focus is on living ethically, they are concerned with values and principles. If as a consequence of this approach, wealth, possessions and status emerge then they will happily accept these things without ever allowing them to become a focus in their lives. They understand that to do this is to give away the most precious of gifts… the self.
True happiness and wealth is not found in ‘things’, it is found in treasuring and nurturing oneself: the more we cultivate our inner landscape the more abundant its harvest will be. The ‘things’ that matter the most will then bear splendid fruits. The fruits are the gifts, talents and qualities we already have that simply need our attention and love to grow. Instead they are left to go rotten on the vine because they are rarely picked, as we are so busy chasing the wrong things. It’s time to wake up. An ‘awakened self’ knows the only destination worth pursuing is ‘doing the right thing’ then the outcome takes care of itself. In fact the desired outcome comes and finds us.
What follows next may appear to be a contradiction as the truth often appears paradoxical but on closer inspection we come to understand the depth of its message. Here’s the paradox: whilst it is important to focus on ‘doing the right thing’ and not on the destination it is equally important to know where you are going. If you don’t know where you are going you are unlikely to get there!
So on the one hand we are asking you to not be attached to the outcome and not be a ‘destination junkie’ and on the other hand we are saying the destination does matter and you need to have a clear vision. So which is it?… Both! Both requests do quite comfortably co-exist. It is imperative to have a sense of where we are going so we can point our efforts and actions in the right direction (see: Focusing with Faith, Miracles are Made); once we’ve created that vision we need to turn our attention to what’s required to get there.
Here comes another twist; if part of that ‘getting there’ requires us to regularly visualise being ‘there’, isn’t that being a ‘destination junkie’ – continually focusing on the goal? Isn’t that being attached to the outcome? Yes it is but this is a destination we want to be attached to; more accurately, we need to be fully focussed on it. This is not a focus that takes us away from the self or those things that really matter. The prize on offer here is clarity, peace, love, happiness, personal power and much more. As you peel back the layers you will see there is not really a contradiction here: there are simply different layers of understanding that we need to become aware of and appreciate. Practise being still and reflect and it will all become clear.
The only destination is ‘right action’ and ‘right action’ means to focus on the ‘right things’ and to do what is necessary to make ‘conscious contact’ both with yourself and your dreams. Be obsessive about this and the pointless messages of the modern world (i.e.: acquire this, become that, you’re incomplete until you have one?!, etc…) will pass you by as you become ethically driven, morally focused and concerned only with right thought, word and action for they are the ultimate prize!
Also see: Virtues Always Travel in Pairs and Invocation