Patience, Practice, Preparation

Unfortunately, many of us are impatient. We try to fly before we are ready and we crash rather rudely into the ground. Then, we have to go back to the nest to heal and get stronger. We may do this several times before we realize that being in a hurry is actually slowing down our progress. If we are smart, we won’t leave the nest until our wings are strong enough to support us. We will stay and learn the skills we need to succeed.

I recently met with the regional director for a large hotel chain. He had been in the business for 35 years. His first job was washing dishes. Then he became a front desk clerk. Gradually he worked his way up to General Manager. He talked about his career with a twinkle in his eyes. He was proud of what he had achieved and well he should be. Still, I must tell you I know many people who are “too proud” to take a job as a dishwasher. They want to be General Manager first. They want to skip the steps.

One of the things that you learn quickly enough on the spiritual path is that you can’t skip any of the steps. You can’t fly before you are ready. Many people try to manifest their dreams before they have touched their pain. Of course, it doesn’t work. If you want to build a house, you have to build the foundation first. Then you can put up the walls and the roof. If you want to manifest your dreams, you have to heal your wounds and recover your innocence. Then you can meet the Core Self and be true to it.

First Things First
I know some parents who buy their kids the best musical instruments before they take their first music lesson. Three months later, the music store buys them back for half price. You would think that by now they would be choosing the rental program!

Well, what can you do? As much as you would like to prevent people from battering their heads against the proverbial wall, you can’t force them to stop. Sometimes it’s a rather bloody affair and it’s hard to watch. But sooner or later, each one of us reaches our pain threshold. That’s when we stop looking outside of ourselves for happiness and turn our attention inward. That is when the real journey of healing and transformation begins.

Copyright 2007 Paul Ferrini

Paul Ferrini is the author of 35 books on love, healing and forgiveness. This article was adapted from his two new books Real Happiness and Embracing the True Self. For more information about Paul’s books and his transformational retreats email staff@heartwayspress.com. Paul’s books can also be found at Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore in Atlanta, GA.