Find Joy in Simplicity (WD)

For a moment, let’s imagine what it would be like to be fully alive without a physical shell or any of the stuff we need and desire for maintaining life on Earth. We’d have a mental energy that allowed us to move forward or backward, up or down, instantly creating whatever we desired. We’d be free to wallow in an exquisite existence without time or space as we know it. We’d be in a state of pure bliss, in love with everything and everyone. We’d have no duties or bills to tend to, no fear of losing anything, no one judging us, no possessions to insure, no demands on our time, and no goals to achieve. What we’re envisioning is actually the world of Spirit, which we experienced before we came here and will return to when we shed our body (or as William Butler Yeats poetically called it, our “tattered coat upon a stick”). Remember that a central idea is that inspiration is a state of being here and now in this material world, while at the same time reconnecting to our spiritual origins. In order to be receptive to inspiration, we need to eliminate the ego clutter that accumulates all too easily for most of us—after all, if we’re preoccupied with events and activities that have nothing to do with inspiration, we’re unlikely to notice its summons. So in order to achieve a reunion with our ultimate calling, we need to emulate the clear, uncomplicated world of Spirit. Our life must be open to Spirit’s guidance in order for us to feel inspired. When the calendar becomes frenzied, full of unnecessary turbulence because we’ve failed to simplify, we won’t be able to hear those long-distance calls from our Source . . . and we’ll slip into stress, anguish, and even depression. So whatever it takes to feel joy, we simply must act upon it. Regardless of our current station in life, we have a spiritual contract to make joy our constant companion—so we must learn to make a conscious choice to say no to anything that takes us away from an inspired life. This can be done gently, while clearly showing others that this is how we choose to live. We can start by turning down requests that involve actions that don’t correspond with our inner knowing about why we’re here. Keep in mind that it’s only difficult or impossible to accomplish joy when we engage in resistant vibrational thinking. If we know that we don’t have to live a life stuffed with non-joyful activities, then we can choose the way of inspiration. Opting for joy involves giving ourselves time for play instead of scheduling a workaholic nightmare. We deserve to feel joy—it’s our spiritual calling. By giving ourselves free time to read, meditate, exercise, and walk in nature, we’re inviting the guidance that’s waiting patiently to come calling with inspirational messages. There’s also no law requiring us to be at the continual beck and call of our family members. I see no reason to feel anything but joy when we know it’s right to choose to do what we’re called to do, even when it interferes with another family member’s calling. In fact, children benefit by knowing that the business of parenting is to teach them how not to lean on their parents. Raising independent kids to find their own inspiration and look for their own joy is important for everyone—we want them to be doing what they’re called to do, ultimately for themselves, not for us. We can take great joy in attending their soccer games and recitals and in being with them and their friends—and when we’re inspired, we actually enjoy their activities. But let’s help them to live their joy, and be able to do it with or without us there to cheer them on. The bottom line is that we can simplify life by cutting down on the busywork that keeps us off purpose. We must curtail such activities and listen to Spirit, staying aware of joy and how simple it is to access.

— Dr. Wayne W. Dyer