Of course, we all know that we are supposed to think positive and the majority of those on a spiritual path expend considerable energy on this task. Positive thinking is a good thing, but in my own life, positive thought itself has had little muscle in the grand scheme of things. If I affirm something that I do not have a very clear intention of, it’s a bit like revving the engine on my car while it is in neutral. I use up the gas but I never get anywhere.
Affirmations have always frustrated me- and as a result I am a very weak role model for the philosophy. I am not knocking affirmations- I just am not very good at using them so I have configured other ways to move toward my goals and desires.
One of the creative ways I have worked through my ‘affirmation aversion’ is to skip the affirmation and instead make a clear intention to the universe. Once the intention is set, I let spiritual GPS get me there. It’s kind of like using a Google map. My present reality is the blue pin symbolizing where I am – and I set the red pin on where I want to be in the future. It’s easy for me to visualize this and it is easy for me to let go and let GPS take over. (This is very different than affirming that I have already arrived at the red pin when I know intellectually that I have not.) Once I set the red pin- my only job is to stay awake and to have patience. The universe needs no further information from me – I don’t need to offer direction via affirmation, I don’t need to beg, plead, or pray hourly… I just need to watch the road signs and follow the trail.
I can give you a real-time example of how this philosophy plays out in my world. Last year, one of the red pins (destinations) that I set on the map of my life, was to move into a new office space so that I could incorporate a few new healing modalities into my therapy practice. It was a complicated move because I wanted to double my office space but did not want to double my rent. Complicated or not, I set my red pin on obtaining the perfect office space. Within a few days an office space that fit my needs perfectly became vacant just down the hall, and it was only $30 more than my current rent. The universe had me on GPS and was moving me securely toward the red pin I had set.The only glitch was a minor cosmetic issue. This new office space had cool tones on the walls, and my current décor and furniture was strictly earth tones. I needed to find a way to merge these warm earth tones with the cooler tones of my new space. I bought an ice blue throw rug, some pretty light blue throw pillows for the couch, and a wall hanging that had blues and browns in it. I was satisfied with my cool additions and carried on with my task of moving. I had been in need of a new ‘therapist chair’ for a while and the move was a good excuse to get one. Because I spend upwards of 8 hours each day in the same chair comfort is a big issue and I had long ago made an intention (set a red pin) that I would get a specific type of high-end recliner for my office. The specific chair I wanted was a Euro-style recliner called an ‘Ekorne’. These chairs are notoriously expensive and my budget had not yet been able to accommodate one, but I did firmly believe that I someday would have one…it was just a matter of when.
So back to my office move into the new cool toned space… As I made the final preparations to move in I decided to go onto Craigslist to see if there were any good deals on chairs. I never even thought of searching for an Ekorne chair on Craigslist – it just was not a place I would expect to find one. It turns out I did not need to go looking for my chair- it came looking for me. When I typed in my search request for leather office recliner, the first thing that came up was an Ekorne recliner- in good condition for $150.00. (These chairs typically retail between $2,000.00 and $4,000.00) It had been placed on Craigslist a mere 30 minutes prior to my search. I clicked on the picture with bated breath hoping it was a neutral tone that would blend in my office. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw what color it was- ICE BLUE. I did not know an ice blue Ekorne chair existed anywhere on the planet, let alone on my local Craigslist on the day I needed it. By that evening I had the chair of my dreams in its perfect spot, in the perfect color, in my office. Let’s recap my Google map;
- A few weeks before this I had set a red pin on moving into the perfect office space to support my endeavors
- Ten years ago I had set a red pin on getting an Ekorne recliner for my office.
I could never have imagined that those two red pins were in the same locale on my life map… but I never get to see the ‘where’…I just have to trust that my red pins are out there and that the universe will guide me to them. In this case, the universe moved me to both red pins seamlessly, beautifully, and perfectly. And all I had to do was to stay awake and be patient. Below is a picture of my office today.
Could it really be this simple? Does the universe actually supply me with the route that will take me from the blue pin (my current reality) to the red pin (my intended future reality) just because I set an intention? It may sound ridiculous, but Google Maps for the Soul gets me to my intended destination every time. I have an Ekorne chair to prove it. I take that back, I have an ICE BLUE Ekorne chair to prove it!