Thursday, March 29, 2012

Divine Mastery



Divine Mastery

"Are you seeking ways to be entertained or educated? It's the
difference between being mastered or becoming a Master."-Douglas
Holzmeier


Today's Life Coach Lesson is about Mastery. There is a difference between being a cook; a chef and a Master Chef. All should be honored and have an important place in this world. It could be argued that the need for cooks is much higher than for chefs and the need for chefs are much higher than Master Chefs. Nevertheless - the time and dedication it takes to become a Master at anything - is usually longer; and dedication is born of desire. What do you desire? What do you want to Master?

"You are the Conductor of your Orchestra. We await your
Masterpiece!"

     At this point in time - I have no desire to become a math expert. Math never brought me joy. I don't think I could be seduced or bribed to take a math course that was anything more than a required class to get a college degree. So, my teachable index for math is low. My teachable index for metaphysics; spiritual matters; success; how the brain works; writing; music and movies - is very high. My advice is to take an inventory of what you love and have a passion for. If you are looking for ways to increase your streams of income - look first at how you might turn an interest or a hobby into a creative outlet and a money generator. When you begin the process of reading books; taking classes and attending seminars associated with these projects - you'll be highly teachable and open to instruction and direction. This may seem utterly fundamental - but the misery many people experience is because what they do for a living isn't congruent with their Life Purpose. There is no way to master something you don't enjoy.

"Master life by becoming a slave to perfect purpose."

     I performed an Affirmative Prayer/Spiritual Mind Treatment today for a client. She wanted to treat for a new job that was in line with a higher purpose of serving; helping and loving people. When was the last time you actually described - in detail - your wants and desires? It is such a basic action step that it is so often taken for granted. In many of our jobs - we fill out forms and enter data all day long - never stopping to spend even one hour committing to inedible ink our hopes and goals and dreams. If you can't - right this very instant - reach for the document that documents your goals - then how in the heck are your dreams ever going to be within reach?

"If you follow your teacher - you'll never get out of the
classroom. Leave your seat and practice what they teach!"

     I am a cheerleader and coach. I am a teacher and assistant. But YOU are the one who will exercise your mental muscles - or not. YOU are the one who uses this material along with the works of others - or not.
     This is an education. The word educate is often misunderstood. We think of education as learning facts and figures from without. It actually means development from within; of the human mind; from unfoldment and use. Educate comes from the Latin educere - which means to "bring out". It is all within.  As Louise Hay says - you know what to do. There is a reason we use the word "grow" when referring to education. Just as all living things grow into what they inherently are - we unleash the power of our minds and the collective knowledge and consciousness of Divine Mind - when we are open to being an instrument of divine ideas.

"The person who thinks he is smarter than he is, is smarter than
you thought."

     This is in reference to Henry Ford, who for decades was one of the richest and most successful men in America despite being called an "ignoramus" by the Chicago Tribune.  Ford sued the Tribune and in court, the Tribune lawyers asked Ford a bunch of trivial questions, as if memorizing trivia was a measurement of intelligence.  After this line of questioning went on for more than an hour - Henry Ford exclaimed the following:

"If I should really wish to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the others you have been asking, let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-buttons hanging over my desk and by placing my finger on the right button I could call in men who could give me the correct answer to all the questions you have asked and to many that you have not the intelligence either to ask or answer. Now, will you kindly tell me why I should bother about filling my mind with a lot of useless details in order to answer every fool question that anyone may ask, when I have able men all about me who can supply me with all the facts I want when I call for them?"

     Henry Ford knew what he needed to know to do, what he wanted to do. And this is true for you as well.

"Gathering knowledge from books, lead to book ends, unless
you use the insights to write the new chapters of your life."

     When I read a book or listen to an audio recording, it is in hope that something will "bring out" of me the answer or inspiration I was seeking.  I often will be reading a passage - see an interesting word - put down the book - look up the word and its synonyms and then write an epigram that had absolutely NOTHING to do with the book I was reading. I've done this 1550 times already - and these epigrams are the foundations of my essays. I am always listening for inspiration. I hope - as you read these essays - even if the particular lesson or idea doesn't do much for you, there will be something that speaks to you in between the lines.


     Eleven years before Napoleon Hill published Think and Grow Rich - he created a course and book called The Laws of Success. It is over 1100 pages long and available as a free download on the Internet - because it is in the Public Domain. These Laws were developed after Hill spoke with, and researched the lives of the most successful people in America at the time. Leading the list was Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie. Here are the Success Laws:

Definite Chief Aim
Self-Confidence
Habit of Saving
Initiative and Leadership
Imagination
Enthusiasm
Self-Control
The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For
Pleasing Personality
Accurate Thinking
Concentration
Co-operation
Profiting by Failure
Tolerance
Practicing the Golden Rule

     Hill takes a fascinating look at 10 famous historical (and contemporary for the time) figures and rates their proficiency on the 15 Laws. Here are the subjects: Henry Ford; Benjamin Franklin; George Washington; Theodore Roosevelt; Woodrow Wilson; William Taft; Napoleon Bonaparte; Calvin Coolidge and Jesse James. This list is also where they rated from 1 to 10.
     Ford's weakness was Pleasing Personality. Franklin scored lower on Leadership. Washington's Achilles' heal was self-control. Roosevelt was a poor Saver. Lincoln was a worse Saver. (Maybe that is why his face is on the penny?) Wilson was below average at Co-operation - which is interesting because he developed the League of Nations. Taft's leadership was lacking. Despite one or two deficiencies - these men were highly successful because they were very good at most of the Laws as defined by Hill and his research.
     Of the bottom three - it is noteworthy that Bonaparte and James are considered "unsuccessful". For Bonaparte - he receives a ZERO for practicing the Golden Rule. This was a reason why - despite his brilliance - he failed in the end. Jesse James received a ZERO score for Definite Chief Aim; Habit of Saving; (Which is why he was robbing all those banks!) Habit of Doing More Than Paid For; Profiting by Failure; Tolerance; and The Golden Rule. They scored high in some other areas, but are examples of people who failed to Master themselves.

"Destiny is the volition of desire."

     What's good to see is how many of these successful people were considered "Tolerant" - in an age (100 to 200 years ago) of intolerance. The greatest icons of time are defined by their tolerance - or as I prefer to say - Acceptance. Are there any statues erected to the Intolerant? The few intolerant figures that had monuments built in their honor - (at their order) were taken down by their deeds.

"The best thing about Destiny is, it can't arrive without you!"

     Another purpose to sharing this information is that we should always be the best that we can be. I know - it's a cliche'. But the more consistent we are in exhibiting a degree of excellence - the closer to Mastery we get. And even if we are tremendous at doing many things - if we have a hole in our repertoire, our careers (and lives) can suffer.  How many famous people have we seen in the last decade self-destruct because they spit a bit of intolerance they had held under their tongue. Take an honest inventory. Is there unforgiveness in your life? Is there prejudice that needs to be discarded?

"What you buy into that makes you angry; you employ as your
master. Don't be a slave to emotions."

     You do not need to build monuments on your own behalf. You are already honored. Mastering your Life is not about parades and accolades - it concerns maximizing and magnifying the gift of free-will.

     We're all instruments of Truth - some of us just need a little more practice. Make Truth your practice and it shall be your Master.

"You are a Master who serves, not a servant who is mastered.
You are an heir to the Kingdom, not a slave to the throne."

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