Self Improvement is takes courage
By David Berger
Self improvement takes a different kind of courage, a courage that doesn’t seek the glory from the outside world.Take for example extreme sports, which take courage of a very physical/emotional nature as opposed to the emotional/physical nature.
The physical/emotional is a more tangible, graspable goal. When one achieves this, their physical/emotional connection is very strong and the emotional spirit connection is left wanting. Using your emotions to perfect your physical nature is very good. Yet many that strive for this goal also fall short. The ones that fall before the finish line have detached from the emotional aspect of their being. When one engages the emotional body into the physical and mental bodies, one has three bodies working together instead of one, the mental body or two, the physical mental bodies. Your physical prowess has been defined, the trophy of immediate gratification has been won, now what?
Now that you have defined your physical capabilities, what do you do with yourself once you're off the playing field? How do you handle yourself in your personal life? Your social life is just another performance, so to speak. Your personal life starts after the applause ends. This is when most of your fears arise, for now; there is no time piece to beat. The continual test of the human spirit is a grand and glorious thing when others are watching. You are now watching yourself when by yourself, how does this make you feel?
The human spirit boundaries are limited in the long run. However, the spirit human boundaries are endless. To recap; human spirit boundaries are limited to the human, on the other hand spirit human boundaries are limitless. Boundaries are made to be broken. What would you do if there were no boundaries? Probably have a nervous breakdown, right? The idea of no boundaries is downright terrifying, isn’t it? The reason it can be so frightening is one begins to feel how minute and insignificant the human aspect truly is.
The ego is here to keep us from feeling vulnerable! The sole purpose of the ego is to keep us limited to the human condition. The journey inward is the only way to stay the hold the ego has upon us. Now when we are able to use the ego on the way in, all the better. We will be using the ego instead of the ego using us.
When we start the journey/quest inward it seems easy at first. It is easy in the beginning because consciously and unconsciously we know of all the monsters in the closet and under the bed. All the pains, trials and tribulations of the past are minor obstacles that the mind/ego or mindgo threw at us to keep/protect you from finding and feeling your true nature. Our true nature and not our human nature is infinite, and once again terror sets in and disrupts and scares the beejesus out of the mindgo. Without all the bumps, bruises, hurts and fears, the mindgo dies, or better yet, the mind goes. When the mind goes, awareness sets in. With awareness we see the beauty in things instead of the fears the mind brings to any given situation.
Going inward gets the applause and the accolades of the angels so to speak, as they understand the want, need and desire to go home. Going home is stepping into our spirit self and stepping out of our selfish self. Going inward is both an immediate and long term gratification, joyful and empowering while also being frightening. (ahh, more ego.. weird little bugger isn’t it?).
When choosing to do the internal work, the external world will support us. It will support us because we are strengthening our core, growing anew. In growing anew, we outgrow the old and it falls away. With the falling away of the old, we attract the new. When we continue to maintain a strong core, we outgrow and more of what was new becomes old and that falls away. This is the true cycle of life. If and when we hold onto past behaviors (or what was old) that we have outgrown, they make us old and brittle and the body breaks down. Wouldn’t it be grand to lie in your bed after a long life and say “WOW! That was some friggin experience. I think I’m done here, waiter can I get the check? My next experience is awaitin’ and I don’t want to be late!"
