Be Gentle with Yourself
One of the saddest things that I did and that I see other new Course students do is to beat themselves up (for all sorts of reasons). They believe they should have already mastered “that lesson”, or they caught themselves in judgment yet again, or they choose the ego over God. The self- shame and self-induced guilt Course students live with can at times be enough for students to not only significantly delay their own healing but may cause them to give up all together, which is exactly what the ego wants. Be your best friend and advocate, make it onto your own list, and be gentle with yourself.
Take All the Time You Need
This is not a race to the great finish line in the sky. Spirit is meeting you right where you are at. God’s plan for salvation has already been accomplished. If you are not willing to “go there” today, that is perfect. Don’t push yourself, or shame yourself, pray instead. Pray for willingness, reaffirm the desire of your heart, and wait. Wait for your heart to open or to become brave enough to look at the darkness. There is no rush to become what you have always been. Remember we can use time for its intended purpose which is to heal our mind, and heaven is just a decision away.
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Your journey will not look like anyone else’s… period. You will connect with Spirit in your own time and in your own way. It never looks the same. One person may connect with Jesus and have a visual or audible experience while the next person may have no connection. Others will hear the Voice of Holy Spirit, and others will have more of a sense or intuition and never “hear” a voice at all. One may find inner peace “quickly” while another may spend 20 years to forgive one person. It is all okay and it is all perfect. Comparing yourself to others only gives you more forgiveness opportunities, but other than that is relatively useless.
Practice what You Preach
I don’t think I really need to expand on this idea, yet you would be surprised as to how many “Teachers” actually don’t consistently practice what they are preaching. We are all “guilty” of this and that is okay. However, as we allow ourselves to become more aligned with Spirit, we, through our mind training, should naturally become more disciplined with our thoughts and beliefs. It is through practice that we walk the line and allow Spirit to show us that we unwind from this worldly experience to restore our heavenly one.
Connect Daily with Spirit
A daily spiritual practice is essential. Whether it is a short prayer to get yourself “right minded”, a call for help, or hourly lesson reminders. We must be willing to dedicate some time away each day from the ego mind in order to understand God’s will for us. When people tell me they aren’t “connecting” the first thing I ask is, “Are you spending time praying/practicing?”, the most common answer is “No”. I have read that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to develop a new habit or way of thinking. Like most things “you get out what you put in” and in this case “practice makes perfect… peace”.
Be Authentic
What does that even mean? I had spent my whole life being what I others thought I should be or what I thought God wanted me to be, but I had NO idea what authentically “being me” even meant. I was so busy people pleasing and trying to not rock the boat, I didn’t even know what my true feelings or natural reactions even were, and I most likely wouldn’t have shared them out of fearing others’ reactions even if I did. I did not value myself because I believed that I was undeserving of value. Once I stopped worrying about what everyone else thought or if I was making others happy (which is impossible), I started to rediscover my True Identity. I started to understand my value and worth and that my withholding of feelings and thoughts, may actually be hurting myself and others rather than helping. I don’t know what anything is for and by being someone I am not, I am saying I do, rather than allowing Spirit to show me who I am.