It's Thursday

Living in the Middle of the Here and Now

I was talking with a good friend of mine recently and he dropped this phrase on me. “Spiritual Surround Sound.” Then he added, “being dropped in the middle of the here and now.” It was one of those ‘wow’ moments for the both of us.

For me, it meant coming to the recognition that we are surrounded by a Something, (call It whatever works for you), that is always there no matter where you are in the world. No matter where you go It is right there. It’s like being a fish in the ocean. No matter where that fish swims, it is surrounded by this Something called the Ocean, and the Ocean provides everything it needs for its life. Everything.

We must come to the realization that life is for us. This thing called life provides everything we need to not only survive, but to thrive. Now’s the time to wake up to the realization that life owes us nothing because life has given itself to us. In fact, we owe life. We owe life the very best of ourselves we can give. Let’s give back to life what it has given us. Everything. Give life all that you have.

Life has provided us with a functioning body, fully equipped with all that is needed. Our hearts beat, our lungs breathe, and our minds think. All of this without us having to think about it. With this mind we can create our experiences in the way we want them. Not only that, but we also get to choose how we respond or react to the experiences in life where we didn’t have a say so. Is it easy? Well, maybe not all the time. But it is absolutely possible.

Here are five ways to step into being the best you can possibly be. Please understand that these are not the only ways, just five that I’ve worked with over the years that have worked for me.

1. This is the very first step. Recognize that you are surrounded by an Intelligence that responds to your thoughts, feelings and beliefs. This Intelligence is the source of all of life. It is the nature of this Intelligence to create. That’s what it does. Just look around you. Trees, water, plants, air, sunshine. There is no place you can look and not see the creation of life. This is the nature of that Intelligence, to create. Because we are created by life itself, we also have that nature to create. Truth is folks, we can’t help it. We are natural born creators. This is the only thing I can think of where we don’t have a choice. We can’t help but create, it’s our nature. There’s no getting around that. So, let us create consciously. Let’s be deliberate creators.

After we recognize this Creative Intelligence, we should acknowledge that it exists. Here is an example of what I mean. Let’s imagine I’m at a party. This friend I mentioned earlier walks into the room. I recognize him but do not acknowledge him at all. What happens between us? Nothing. Nothing happens. Yes, I recognized that he walked into the party, but if I do not acknowledge his presence, then we do not have any interaction whatsoever. And who knows, he may have information for me that I didn’t even know I needed.

This is the same way it works with this Creative Intelligence. Recognizing It is a good thing. But if we do not acknowledge It, we may miss out on information we didn’t know we needed for us to go to the next level of our evolution. And believe me, we are always evolving. Afterall, who wants to stay stuck doing the same old boring stuff? Not me. Resolve to evolve.

2. Now this next part can be a little tricky for some. It is about becoming one with that Creative Intelligence. How do we become one with something the physical eye cannot see? Well, recognizing that the things we do see come from the same Invisible Source. (We cannot see the air we breathe. However, we recognize and acknowledge that it exists.) Some may ask how to become one with the air we breathe. Actually, that’s a simple step. Pay attention to your breath. Take time to sit and just watch your breath. You may be amazed just how much the breath does for us. Obviously, without the breath I wouldn’t be writing this. And there is so much more. The breath is not just air, it is life-force, presence, and awareness in motion. Try being one with your breath and just notice what happens in the body and with your thinking.

Let’s take this a little further. Think about becoming one with what you want to experience. Let me explain. Say you want to be in a relationship with that special person. Becoming one with that experience means that you see yourself being a loving partner. You see yourself accepting love from another. You feel your heart opening so that you are able to love and be loved in return.

Feel yourself going out on dates. See yourself laughing together with that person. Feel yourself holding hands. Be one with this new relationship. Then let it go and trust. Sounds easy, right? In some ways it is very easy. The challenge comes when we believe we are not worthy of being in a loving relationship. What most of us don’t understand is that we will create experiences to prove us right, and we find ourselves not in a loving relationship. Remember, we are always creating through our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. I get that this is a simplification. However, it is just another way of talking about being one with the Creative Intelligence.

3. Once we become one with what we have recognized, we declare what we want to experience. Tell this Creative Intelligence exactly what you want. Do not be wishy-washy about this. Rev. Ike used to say that you have to be definite with the Infinite. Declare what you want from a place of knowing that you already have it. Even if it takes time for it to come to you, don’t give up believing that you have it. Never, ever give up. You want that new business. Recognize that you have it now. Acknowledge that it is yours, now. Become one with it, now. Feel it, be it, own it. Then declare it to be yours now. It does not matter what things look like. Even if the bank account looks lacking. Don’t let that stop you. Desire it with your whole being. And most importantly, declare that it is yours right now. This method works on whatever you desire. As long as it is for your good and the good of others, you cannot fail.

Now, please do not misunderstand me. I do not mean to imply that all we need to do is think, feel, and speak our desires into being. That would be crazy foolish. This would be ridiculous. We must do our part. We must put in the work. This is a good thing. Why? Because when you recognize how you want to live your life, and become one with the vibration of said life, doing your part, getting to work, makes the path clearer for you. Now here comes the part that is so important that most people miss it. Acceptance.

4. Accept that what you have recognized, unified with and declared, is yours now. This is what I mean when I say dropped in the middle of the here and now. All of this is happening here and now. Do not think that your good is coming to you. Instead, know, feel, and sense that your good is here now. Allow yourself to accept your good. I repeat. Allow yourself to accept your good. Allow yourself to be dropped in the middle of what you are declaring. It is happening at this moment. In spite of the appearance.

You are surrounded by an ocean of infinite possibilities. These possibilities can only be manifested in your life when you believe and accept that they are yours. Now, none of this would be complete if we didn’t talk about the power of gratitude.

5. Gratitude is a powerful tool that we can use to experience more good in our lives. Being grateful creates more to be grateful for. You see, being grateful signifies that the thing is already done. It also signals to Life that you are ready and willing to accept even more good. Even now, accept that beautiful relationship you desire. It is time to accept and be grateful for your highest and best.

If you are not already doing this, give this a try. Every morning, list at least five things you are grateful for. Then do it again at night. Give this a try for at least one week, yes, seven days. Making this a habit helps to create an attitude of gratitude. And creating an attitude of gratitude sets you up for success in life. Being grateful allows you to be full of greatness.

Spiritual Surround Sound is about allowing ourselves to be dropped in the middle of the here and now, where the Infinite Intelligence has already created our lives in such a way that we cannot fail. We have been set up not only to succeed, but to live life abundantly.

Peace and Abundant Blessings,

Eugene