Don't Slow down, CALM down
© Leslie Householder
Author of #5 National Best-seller, "The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can"
ThoughtsAlive.com

'I'm in a hurry to get things done, I'm... rushing, rushing till life's no fun.' (Sung by Alabama) Does that situation sound familiar? Life has become so fast paced that it is easy to get sucked up into the whirlwind of it all. We can't afford to stop long enough to catch our breath, and we continue to race on this treadmill that often seems to be going nowhere. At some point we have to ask ourselves, 'what is the point??' Even if we have a pretty good sense of what life is all about, and we are confident about its purpose, we can fall into the trap of living frantically day in and day out to meet deadlines, obligations, and expectations.

When you've had enough of that, and something inside you says, 'You were born for something greater than this... there's a more significant contribution you were meant to make during your time here, or, why does peace and happiness always seem to be just one more task away?...' What do you do?

First of all, it is a healthy thing to recognize those impressions within yourself. It is true, you WERE meant for more than this. You wouldn't be having those feelings unless something greater was beckoning you to come do your part, make a difference, or quit waiting for whatever-it-is before you can be happy. You know it, but where and how do you begin?

Here's how you begin: Today, do the things you have committed to do, giving it your best. You see, if you want to change your 'space', or your world, and escape the bondage of whatever kind it is that you feel, you must live the life you're IN with completeness. You must more than 'fill your place'. When you have 'filled your place', you become bigger than where you are, and circumstances must change, just to hold you.

Do not wait until you have the time to start something new and grandiose. Be grandiose where you are. In other words, be a spectacular you, right where you are, in just the very thing you are already doing. If you want to have a better job, be bigger than the job you already have. Do it better than you ever have before... enjoy the feeling that comes from doing well, and before long, it will not be able to contain you any longer. Old circumstances will fall away and new ones will present themselves which will give you more opportunity for growth. Do I mean, be a superperson and get 10 times as much done as the next person? NO. I simply mean, be present. If you are completing a task, allow yourself the pleasure of enjoying the task. Do it carefully and well, but most importantly, enjoy it.

If you're busy getting a lot of things done, and simply cannot slow down, you CAN do the same things you are already doing with a calm spirit. Much of the time we get all worked up and frantic about our deadlines and pressures, but we have to remember that the things that we do and the things that are happening around us are nothing more than events. We're the ones that add the 'stress element' to the equation. In fact, if we can go about our day calmly, we will accomplish more than if we try to force things to happen faster. Force negates. What you push will push back. That's one of those laws.

So much of what needs to happen is out of your control, so quit trying to control it! It's not your job. Your job is to do the things that YOU can do, and trust God to handle the rest. If you are calm, He will. If you are frantic, He seems to step back and let you try to handle it on your own, so that maybe you'll learn a lesson. At least that's my interpretation of how He seems to have handled me. I finally had to ask, 'How many times must I experience that sort of abandonment before I learn that I CAN'T do it on my own anyway??'

I'm learning to calm down, and trust. Let's resign as Manager of the Universe. Let's have faith that by keeping a calm spirit, we are in the right 'vibration' to allow the blessings to flow our way. Keeping a frantic spirit prevents the blessings from flowing. We cut ourself off from the Source of all good when we demonstrate our doubt through our stress. A faithful heart has no place for stress and worry.

I started reading the book of Mark in the Bible again recently. I think I've made it through about 7 chapters so far. Perhaps this is the first time I've really tried to picture myself there, taking the time to think about witnessing the miracles happen for myself. It would be a hard thing to read through all of those chapters without feeling a little more confident that something good could happen to me, too. Jesus performed miracles for the worthy and unworthy alike. He showed mercy to the broken hearted who hoped for relief.

No matter how you feel about yourself right now, you can be blessed with an abundant life. Need a 'faith-lift'? Maybe you should read Mark. (Why did I choose Mark? Because it happened to be the shortest one of the 4 gospels, that's all. If you're short on time like me, it's a good one to read.)