We often go through life on autopilot without ever questioning our motivations. The beauty of life is we have the ability to shift gears into manual mode. Manual mode is tough; the road is paved with unknown twists and turns and even bridges are missing that must be built.
Some people never turn on this mode because it is very tough to maneuver. With the option of auto, who would want to learn manual?
I am here to tell you a secret: manual is where the magic happens. It's when we turn off the auto switch that we cruise through life on, keeping us in the same lane, that we begin to take control. We choose to be in the driver seat of our life.
Automatic is a perfectly acceptable path to choose; many find utter happiness and bliss here, but oftentimes for those like me, it's an unfulfilling path.
The auto lane can lead us to questions posed by the soul. If I choose a different path, what possibilities would I encounter? Would I truly get to know my potential and authentic self? Would I take risks knowing I may fall while believing that I could also rise?
You see, that is why the road less traveled was created in the first place: it is the entry way into freedom, blinding love and inner peace.
There is a reason it's a difficult path: nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy. How would we appreciate something we didn't struggle to get? How would we feel once we got to the top of the mountain if it didn't take obstacles and dark times to get there? How would we know ourselves with crystal-clear clarity without having to journey to the dark depths of everything looming between us and our whole heart?
The reason we must struggle, fall and maybe even fail a few times is we have to learn just how resilient, strong-willed and steadfast our soul is.
We have to come to know our true heart in order to continue maneuvering life in manual mode.
Our true heart is the key to living freely with the courage, passion and clarity of the soul we were meant to discover. When we live from our heart and breathe into our soul (using the love we gained while learning to love ourselves), we'll emerge to find true purpose in life.
We will raise our consciousness as we evolve into our authentic spirit.
We will take control of our life; manual allows us to shift our own gears and change our path when necessary.
Once we're in manual mode long enough, our intentions to live from the heart (and embody the appreciation for the blessed life we lead), God will send us everything (and everyone) we need to travel this path.
The Universe supports our efforts to live with the intention to be love and spread that love wherever our journey takes us. And often we won't know where the path leads; the only guarantee is it will be filled with enough joy, laughter, happiness and love to keep our soul ignited.
We must choose to surrender our spirit to the unknowing and set our sights on serving a loving purpose in the world (this starts by loving—and knowing—who we are). Take one step faithfully and know that our loving intentions will lead us far beyond our wildest dreams.
Drop the how and focus on the what. Surrender the how to the God, but be sure to answer doors when they open.
This is what I have found to be true: it takes setting our heart on fire and admitting our true heart's desires; that is where fulfillment lives.
It isn't the goal or even the dream that brings us fulfillment; journeying through life as our true heart's expression is the fulfillment. What we do with that sense of joy and fulfillment is secondary; it will only matter that we are the full expression of our soul while doing it.
That's where the magic of manual mode happens—getting that job, securing the partnership, finding the dream home (or anything else outside of our soul) isn't the purpose we're here to fulfill. Fulfillment happens when we are simply ourselves and when we both love and express every piece that makes up the collective sparks of our soul's light.
And when we find and unleash that light, everything we thought would make us happy will still arrive; betcha bottom dollar it will be more magical than we ever dreamed of. That is a fact.