Sometimes you read or see something that connects with you on a deeper, almost spiritual, level. David sent me a short video that contains some pieces of wisdom that really resonate with where I am in life.
Narrator: What is the most important thing you have learned in life?
Dan Millman: If I only had one sentence to say to somebody about life, it would probably be, “Trust the process of your life unfolding.”
I don’t know if it’s true or not that everything that happens if for a highest good and learning, but I choose to take that on as an operating belief in my life. Because I can never choose to feel like a victim. Then instead of saying, “Why did this happen to me?” or “How come? Is God Punishing me?” if this is a difficult time, instead I can only say, if I chose this on some level, I might as well make the best of it.
I tell people that at least 10% of what I say is going to be wrong for you. You need to determine which 10%. Discriminate. Have your bullshit detector on, turned up. You check it out against your own inner knowing, because I’m not here for people to trust me, I’m here to help people to trust themselves.
Narrator: I love this journey. I get to live my dream, travel the country, and meet amazing people. The only time I really screw it up is when I try to control it instead of just letting it unfold as it should.
Lately I feel like I’m too inclined to micro-manage my life and the things I’m doing. I don’t enjoy that micromanagement. I think that in many ways this attention prevents my life from actually happening. I’m always worried about how other people are going to react when I should just relax and let life unwind. I should just be myself.
As the saying goes, “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans.”
I mean, I think it’s good to plan and manage a little bit, but the primary teaching from Millman and all spiritual teachers is honor the present moment.
Millman told a story about how a high school student couldn’t attend a work shop that Millman was putting on, so the student asked if Millman could just give him the bottom-line advice from the workshop … Millman answered, “Here and now, breathe and relax.”
And as HL Mencken said:
“We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine.”
That was awesome! Dan Millman is right on. So many things that people say won’t fit what we need, so we have to have our bullshit detector turned up.
We have to figure out our own truth.
It’s people like Dan that I wished would run for political office.
I fall into the trap of grasping after more. I still need to let life unfold and enjoy this grand journey without expecting more.