photo by pensiero

One of the things I find so enjoyable about my work is the type of clients I get to work with. Many of them are motivated to become, for lack of a better description, their ‘higher self’. Based on their background and belief system they may use many different terms and phrases to describe this desire, but the core desire is basically the same. Many of them use the term “calling” for this, believing that there is something higher compelling them to live in this way.

Often my clients find themselves struggling because they feel they are falling short of their goal, or because they believe they don’t understand what their true calling is.

It’s very common to be quite hard on one’s self for falling short. I have observed with many clients that the way they beat themselves up is often far harsher than the failings they are beating themselves up for. It’s so easy for us to believe that because we can see the vision of our higher selves that we must become our higher selves right now.

This is not the case. Whatever our motivations, we need to understand that there is a process we need to go through to reach this vision.

This is a struggle I have experienced in my own life: wondering if I am living to become all that I can and wondering if I am even clearly seeing this vision of all that I can be. When I bump into this I am brought back to the words of Thomas Merton. I have found them very useful to pray and to tap to.

Try tapping along:

“My Lord God. I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are always with me, and you will never leave me to face perils alone.” – Thomas Merton [How to use these phrases]