There's this movie called The Shift which is probably one of the most influential movies I've ever seen. It's about finding your purpose in life and finding a way to align yourself with what you want. The man who is behind the ideas is Dr. Wayne Dyer. He says that we should let ourselves go and trust in God. He says this analogy that I thought was just amazing: During our first nine months of life from conception to birth we didn't control anything and we weren't able to. Everything was taken care of for us because we didn't interfere. During these nine months we were given everything we would ever physically need to live a long and healthy life. Everything was perfect because we didn't have our ego step in and mess things up.
He makes an acronym out of the word ego: Edge God Out.
Isn't that so true. It is us against the world right? I know that's how I have felt for my whole life, and still to a certain extent feel. I have to do what I have to do to survive. And that's instinct right? Survival of the fittest? That's what I've been thinking for my whole life. Well here's an idea: Trust. How many people do you 100% trust in? I know it may sound bad but I think I can only count that on one hand. People will let you down. Things will let you down. That's a fact. One person who won't let you down is God. For those who don't believe me, I understand, but let me say that if you feel God has let you down then that means you probably trusted in your ego instead of him.
It is said that you can get whatever you want in the world if you just leave things up to God. When I first heard this it was a little confusing to me because I took it as me not doing anything or simply just being lazy and things will fall into place. Now it's a hard concept for me to wrap my head around. I feel like it's up to me to make myself successful and it's up to me to get what I want. This is wrong. I learned through reading a book by Dr. Dyer that maybe what I want isn't what God wants for me and furthermore it isn't what is best for me. It may be hard to see how a million dollars could hurt you or how a seemingly perfect job could help you become better but that is your ego. Think about something that you wanted really, really badly for a long time. Now when you got it you found that it really wasn't what you wanted. This is the illusion of the ego and it is something that you must overcome if you truly want to be happy. I've found that if you allow things to happen, then what's best for you will happen.
There is a difference between being successful and wanting to be successful. It is a state of mind. Anyone can achieve a state of peace but people don't allow themselves that luxury. They are materially motivated (me included), they are extrinsically motivated on things that in the long run don't really matter all that much. My friend Egey told me a very straightforward statement the other day saying, "When we die our earthly possessions will fade away and be forgotten but what will always endure is our everlasting impact on those around us." I like to think that there is a place we go when we die. When you get there you won't have the egotistical things that fulfilled you on earth. You will be left with those souls that you touched positively and negatively and that will be your legacy and that will last for eternity.
I like to think about the analogy of the storm. First of all there is never a never ending storm. A storm may cause immediate damage but there is always a reason for the pain and suffering that accompany the storm. A storm renews life. Without it's rain there would be no life. Our troubles are like the storms of life. There will always be an end to them and when they are done the sun will shine brighter than ever before and our lives will be renewed.
So bottom line is trust God not your ego because all you're ego can see is the here and now and that is temporary. God is everlasting and his plan for you is absolutely perfect even though it may not seem like it at the time. Just think about the storm.
