The Practice: Trusting the Process
“Uncertainty, when accepted, sheds a bright light on the power of intention. That is what you can count in: not the outcome, but the motivation you bring, the vision you hold, the compass setting you choose to follow.”
Daily Practice and Reflection:
Recently I was asked the question: Are you seeking, or are you being found? A lot about our personality can be revealed by this inquiry. For most of my life I have been a seeker. This attitude towards life can be helpful but it can also lead to quite a bit of stress, exhaustion, and suffering. Seeking in the form of striving and accomplishing usually results in holding a tight grip on life with a constant uneasiness that is difficult to shake. I held this perspective for years because I truly believed my striving towards perfection would bring me happiness and contentment, it would make you like me.
I then found the practice of mindfulness which has been a process of undoing many deeply ingrained habits. It has helped me recognize what truly brings forth happiness and contentment… and it ain’t out there somewhere. Mindfulness is a training of the mind to look inward for our well-being. And this shift in perspective has helped me create more spaciousness for life to unfold naturally, the trust that I can be found rather than seeking out my moments.
Albert Einstein said, “I think the most important question facing humanity is, 'Is the universe a friendly place? ' This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.” If we believe the universe to be friendly, can we allow a little more trust to arise? Allowing for uncertainty and not knowing, trusting life to reveal itself on its own terms rather than through our forcing or control. Allowing ourselves and our loved ones to be simply who we are, without needing to fix or change; trusting we are all on our own paths of learning and becoming, and on our own timelines. And may we have faith that everything will be okay; things will work out as they should. This life will provide for us all.
I know that in moments of genuine happiness and contentment, I am doing the work of trusting myself and trusting the process; and letting that be more than enough.
“Prayer means accepting that I don’t know what’s good for me or for the world, but I trust that goodness exists anyway.”
Meditation Practice:
“Instead of searching for what you don’t have, find out what it is that you have never lost.”
“Every year I managed to live on this earth I collect more questions than answers.”
“When we let ourselves hang out in the space of not-knowing, there is enormous potential and life could unfold in innumerable ways. So, rather than avoid and fear this place of uncertainty, we can embrace it and all its gifts.”
“The essence of spiritual practice is remembrance, whether it’s remembering to come back to the present moment or recalling the truth of impermanence.”
“When people say, “Let it go,” what they really mean is “Get over it,” and that’s not a helpful thing to say. It’s not a matter of letting—you would if you could. Instead of “Let it go,” we should probably say “Let it be”; This recognizes that the mind won’t let go and the problem may not go away, and it allows you to form a healthier relationship with what’s bothering you.”
“We can travel a long way and do many different things, but our deepest happiness is not born from accumulating new experiences. It is born from letting go of what is unnecessary, and knowing ourselves to be always home. True happiness may not be at all far away, but it requires a radical change of view to where to find it. The key to our deepest happiness lies in changing our vision where to find it.”