“Believe in your infinite potential.
Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.”
Roy T. Bennett
You have infinite potential. We all do. And sometimes the best way to access it is through the way we handle everyday challenges.
During the next few weeks we’ll be expanding on an alphabet of spiritual literacy developed by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat1. They’ve compiled a very helpful list of qualities to remind us of the simplicity, and profound power, of turning all our living moments into an extended spiritual practice, especially during our more challenging moments.
Attention
The world is amazing. Often we miss the magic because we’re lost in our heads. Redirect your attention to where you are, what’s happening, who you are with, and learn how to leave that zone of anxious, superficial thinking that drains our energy and distracts us from appreciating the beauty of the moment.
Beauty
One way to discover your inner beauty is to expand your awareness of external beauty. The act of appreciative looking reminds you of your power to choose to live in gratitude. You see what you choose to see. You experience what you express.
Being Present
What you have you do not want. What you want you do not have. Who you are is enough. Being present, you come to know the depth of significance embedded in your very being. Before you do a single thing you have immense value. Experience it ever more deeply by being fully present.
Compassion
Compassion is sometimes described as “suffering with.” Notice those you are with and, seeing them through the eyes of compassion, become more vividly aware of what may be going on for them. Without a word, your attention – extended by being fully present – will bless them with the energetic reminder that they are not alone, that they are cared for.
Connections
We humans can return to being part of the web of life. In fact, we are always connected to all other life forms… we just don’t consciously know it. That causes us to be destructive, to hurt our “family” because we’ve lost connection. Regain your connectedness to life by expanding your sense of self. As Joanna Macy said, “… the world is our body.”
Devotion
Meditation is a devotional practice. Without words, in the silence of your own being, you can praise the God that made you, the life force that sustains you and, rising above dogma and judgment, feel yourself to be one with that which you are devoted to. Every moment is sacred when we devote ourselves to life itself, beyond beliefs and limitations.
Enthusiasm
Passion is a powerful force. It brings us alive and inspires those around us. Enthusiasm can fuel our way in life, through, around and over the greatest obstacles. Enthusiasm also helps us regain a child-like enjoyment of life. Duty becomes adventure when we live with enthusiasm!
Faith
True faith is not religious. It has nothing to do with beliefs. It’s the experience of knowing with certainty, “nothing wavering,” as the Bible described it. All of us have felt that kind of core assurance but we may not know that we can originate it. We are always able to reach out to experience that mysterious something, beyond words and description that beats our hearts and steers the stars.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not about coming to terms with how someone hurt you, it’s about releasing judgment. Something happened. You were affected. You can face facts, feel what you feel, and refuse to be a victim. Offering love in the face of injury is the secret to freedom in life. We can’t avoid damage because we can’t control what others do. We can be fully responsible for our own state and live in forgiveness, “for giving” in every moment.
Grace
Grace is one of the names of God. Grace comes in many forms, from the parking place that magically appears on a busy street to a stranger helping you in an emergency. Each of us can be an instrument of grace, by being vigilant for opportunities when we can help others, and receive the help that comes our way.
Each of these qualities, and the others we will describe in following blogs, can help us in times of challenge and, as we express and experience them, remind us of our infinite potential… as it actualizes!
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