What Are You Manifesting?

The following piece is an excerpt from my book, “Word, From Your Mother,” a daily guidance journal written for my children, Liv and Pierce-Gabriel.

Excerpt #7

The world is chaotic, according to most. I deliberately choose to not feed into that idea. As you know, I haven’t watched the news for the past 8 years, or more. I don’t listen to politics in any way, shape, or form. I’d rather live in my private little world and understand who I am and my legend, so that I may serve others on my journey.

To make any sort of positive change, you need to start with self. Some people may say that’s selfish, but it’s not. In his book, The Essential Path, Neal Donald Walsch brings these questions to light: “What are we choosing and why? Is it possible that there’s something we don’t understand about ourselves, our life, and God? —The understanding of which would change everything?”

I believe there is. We’ve become so consumed, even programmed in this world by the complexity of concepts, ideas, perceptions, and beliefs, that we’ve managed to manifest the very things that we don’t want by placing all of our attention on it.

Walsch explains this much better than I can. He describes it from all angles: politically, economically, spiritually, effortlessly, and understandably. His explanations have helped me unravel many of my own skewed perceptions that I would have otherwise remained ignorant of.

Maybe it’s okay to be ignorant? Perhaps, in my heart of hearts, I have this knowing that I’m better off not knowing all the destruction and complexity of this world? Sometimes, I do become aware of the statistics. The senseless number of children who die each day of hunger while we’re throwing our leftovers away. The selfishness and mindlessness of war and murder. It disturbs me. I’m compassionate, as you know, and these things keep me up at night.

So, I try to focus on making small improvements in my life and the lives of others. Isn’t this where we should start? Absolutely, is my thought. Walsch is right, we are in a spiritual funk. We’re missing something that can quite possibly be very simple in nature, but we’re translating it, incorrectly. We don’t have a proper perspective because it’s been skewed for so long.

“What are we choosing, and why?” “What am I manifesting?” As I’ve expressed to you and what I’ve learned from my teachers, your thoughts create your reality. Whatever you think about or whatever you place your attention, whether it’s “good” or “bad,” will manifest. What do you choose to focus on the most? The new car? The stellar career? The straight A’s?

What you choose to identify with becomes your identity. If you wish to identify with the outer world, the material world, once you fail at getting what you want or even get what you want, you’ll identify with that. Do you define success in getting a nice car? Or do you determine success with opening your heart and sharing?

Inner world or the outer world? What do you feel will be the most rewarding when your time here is done? Is it important what other people think of you? Will that be your take away? Is it essential to compare yourselves to others? Are you into one-up-man-ship?

What are you choosing, and why? A simple question but a profound, philosophical one. I’m going to ask this question to myself as a new practice. I do believe it comes with a little key that will open my heart.