Wednesday, March 26, 2008

In my Inbox today

When you are impatient, you are trying to take control. Controlling is not the same as leading. Leaders lead by inspiration. Bossing people is like changing an artist's painting. It is like going to the museum with a brush and paint box and changing a painting that you would prefer to be another way. You want to make it different from it is. You want to change the artist's perception to your own. Paint your own paintings. Make them the way you want. You may find that you too fall short of your vision. Why is it so important that things be the way you like?

When you are impatient, you take too much upon yourself. When you try to control, you try to take over. When you try to control, you are showing your displeasure. Reap pleasure instead.
Learn acceptance, beloveds. That does not mean to be passive. It just means not to try to rule. Well, rule yourself, beloveds, if you must, but not others.
You are not in charge of the universe. Certainly you influence it. The universe is a product of your thought, yet, still, you are not to foster impatience with it. When you play in the orchestra, you play in the orchestra. You do not get up, shove the conductor out of the way, and wave the baton. You wouldn't do that. That would be too impertinent, and yet you would whip the universe and your environs into shape. You would censor the words from your friends' mouths. You would supervise everything within reach. Who appointed you supervisor of the world?
Do not even supervise yourself, beloveds, for then you are your own pain in the neck. Supervising, second-guessing, and all those other faultfinding habits are not the same as living life. Living life is spontaneous. Faultfinding comes from long practice. Will you now live life as a novice? You really are not an expert in life. No one is. You agree that no one knows everything. Why do you sometimes think you do? Who appointed you? Who told you to mind everyone else's business? Who proclaimed you the expert in even one thing let alone everything?
Try taking a back seat. You are not the driver of every car. Let's face it, beloveds, you are a passenger in life. Sometimes you may be the driver of the bus. Most of the time, you just go along for the ride. This is the ride of your life that you are on. You do not take the food off someone else's plate. You do not hand-feed anyone. Everyone has to be left to his or her own devices. Hands off your self-elected directorship. Hands off interference. That's what control is - interference. It is not for you to interfere in anyone's life. You may think you are taking responsibility, yet your responsibility is to let go. Beloveds, you cannot have your finger in every pie.

When you are impatient, when you feel you have to take over, take a deep breath instead. Tension makes you haughty. Let go of your tension, and you will be more amenable to life.
Seek simplicity rather than control. Seek ease rather than impatience. Choose the servants who best serve you. Send control and impatience out the door. They have been great restraints on you. They have blocked your path. You got caught up in them, and so you tripped yourself.
You don't need control, and you don't have it. Let's be realistic, dear ones. You have thought you were a very practical person, and yet a need to control and its accompanying impatience are quite impractical. They haven't worked yet, have they?

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