Recently I’ve been slightly on edge; happy, yet overwhelmed by having a lot on my plate. One night I couldn’t sleep because of all the things swimming in my head that needed to be done. Really, I was worried about how it was all going to get done and the outcome. Over the past couple of years, I have been focused on practicing living in the now, but like with everything else in life, it takes practice. And then, the other night the solution hit me. You make you!
I believe in divine placement of your life — everything happens for a reason. It just so happens that this week I had a meeting with a world-renowned, multi-bestselling spiritual healer. Like many of us, I believe in the power of self-healing in concept, but not quite in reality. I wanted to believe that I had the power. I say it over and over again, but I didn’t actually believe it.
To be honest, I didn’t really want to go to the meeting. I had too much to do and I had no faith in the outcome. However, I try to keep my word and mostly succeed, so I went to the meeting with low expectations. Our discussion went fine, and then the spiritual healer talked to me and prayed for me. By the end of the meeting, I had a different opinion of him and of my own ability to make powerful change in my life.
For the first few hours afterward, I was in a bit of a daze. Not spaced out; just lifted with great thoughts. I jumped back into my life, which quickly made me lose the feeling of happiness and control that I had been feeling. Ultimately, it led to the night that I couldn’t sleep. I began to contemplate all of the stuff I had to do. The worries that I had about work, finances, family, love, etc. crept into my thoughts. I decided to try and meditate to see if I could settle my thoughts. I haven’t been quite successful at meditation, but have continued to try. After about an hour, my thoughts did settle, and instead of thinking about all of the things I had to do, I began to encourage myself. I listed the things I’m grateful for and focused on what was good in my life. Then came the realization that all my worry was misplaced. None of the things I was worried about make me who I am.
We worry so much about external things and circumstances that we forget these things have no relevance to our everyday selves. We’ve assigned false importance to both tangible and intangible. In the process, we forget that the core of who we are never changes as things do. The core of who you are is your spirit. It’s the reason why the saying, “Everything always works out,” is the truth.
When Deepak Chopra said, “You are a spiritual being having a human experience,” I didn’t quite get it. Now, I do. All of those things that we place false value on are temporary. Success. Fame. Work. Bills. Debt. Relationships… it all eventually changes. But, what doesn’t is that none of those things make you who you truly are. You make you!
Wishing you love and ceaseless joy! Follow @NathanHWilliams on Twitter.
Nathan’s book INSPIRATION: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World is available now.