I typically do not start my articles out with a quote; however, this post lends itself beautifully to it.
"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I am changing myself." Rumi
The poets recount so effortlessly and exquisitely the internal transformations one goes through in a lifetime. The perfect words are chosen. Not too many. Just right. The ethers sing the perfect message and letters to the poet's inner ear. Written out on paper seamlessly describing an indescribable experience.
What I love about this passage from Rumi is how he sums up so eloquently the shift in perspective we take when we are ready. Part of our evolution through emotional and spiritual maturity takes this path. Effort to effortless. Rigid to flexible. Forceful to allowing.
It is not uncommon to see a younger person spend an enormous amount of energy pushing, pulling, and persuading others to think how they think. See the world as they do. See "problems" as they do AND have the passion to change it like they do.
Many of us have learned from experience how little this actually does to change the trajectory or course of events. It will most likely burn some or many bridges along the way. However, in our pursuit to be "right" it feels a small price to pay in the whole scheme of things. People need to "know" we tell ourselves over and over. We may even tell our dwindling number of friends through highly charged rants and raves about these "needed changes" in hopes that they see things our way.
In an act of full disclosure, I have been here before. More times than I'd care to admit, but there it is. Do I have friends that also do this? Yes. Am I related to people who still do this? Yes. Am I consciously working on changing this behavior in myself? Yes. What do I do when others go on and on...? Keep reading, my friends.
I use to get annoyed and take others rants and raves personally. Now that I am more aware and shifting/transitioning into seeing things differently, I see clearly that this is part of who they are choosing to be at this point in time. Nothing personal.
The truth is this: It's not what we believe. It's how we go about it. The bigger question is this: What is our intention behind wanting the change? This is what truly makes the difference. Let me explain.
For example, if someone is wanting to change the price of organic produce or the availability of high quality organic produce there are two common, yet very different ways to affect change.
You can post/write/share negative facts and statistics in hopes to persuade people to see your point of view. Very fear based. Resonating at guilt, blame and shame.
You can post/write/share positive, uplifting, supporting facts and statistics in order to educate people about the benefits of eating organic. Resonating much higher and more likely to cause a genuine outcome that will exponentially expand.
Now, I'd like to touch on the passage from the beginning. In particular the line that reads, "Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."
This is yet another way of viewing change. Contemplating our evolution through human-ness as we become more highly evolved beings, we can see that it is within that we affect change the most.
When we begin to see that our inner world is directly related to our outer world, then we are truly changing and transforming. As the old saying goes, how we see the world is how we see ourselves in the world.
When we are not adding to the negative energy around us it won't expand. We can actually help bring much needed equanimity and peace to others simply by not engaging and adding to the drama. Every moment is a choice. And, it's up to us to choose wisely.
If we want the world to be more peaceful, we need to become the peace we so deeply want. If we want more love in the world, we need to become the love we are wanting others to vibrate at. If we want more joy, we need to look inside and see where we are lacking joy and consequently become more joyful ourselves.
There are two important questions to ask ourselves in this evolutionary mindset:
How can I cultivate and support myself on the inside instead of expecting the outer world to meet my demands and requests first?
What am I not willing to do for myself that I expect others to do for me?
When we take the time to look within and make a vow to become the change we most want to see, we stop expecting others to do it for us. It is the powerful shift from cleverness to wisdom.
What changes have you made in your life that are more aligned with the wisest part of yourself? Share in the comments below so we can support each other's growth.
In gratitude,
Joanna