Are you awake?
In one of my favorite books, Wake-Up Calls by Eric Allenbaugh, he talks about a simple but vital aspect of life and that is simply paying attention to each of the lessons that life is trying to teach us moment by moment and day by day. so that we can avoid the bigger negative consequences that can occur later when we ignore these small, often subtle details and messages.
What is a wake-up call (as Eric explains) and how can we learn from it?
Our outer and inner world constantly send us signals, some are subtle, while others can be like a 2X4 on our forehead, but in the end their purpose is the same: to teach us lessons, make us pay attention, or alert our consciousness to things that they need to change somehow.
A wake-up call can be anything from a driver cutting you off on the road to a sore lower back. These signs in the early stages, where something in your life needs to change, can be upsetting at best, but in the end, if we don’t pay attention to the small or small signs and don’t learn, grow, or make the necessary changes, trust. me – the signs will keep coming – and as time goes by depending on the problem or challenge – these signs will tend to increase in frequency or impact – from an occasional backache to nagging backache.
Life wants us to be happy, successful, and live in joy or peace, and if we don’t, it’s usually because some change needs to happen in our life or lifestyle.
I’m sure you know someone who seems to be on a relentless path to self-destruction. I know some people like that. At one point in my life I was also going down the wrong path and life pushed me little by little. One of these nudges led me to Eric’s book in a small bookstore in the mountains of North Carolina.
I was browsing the store like I do a lot and something told me to get down and look at the bottom shelf. When I did, I saw dozens of books, but my eyes focused on his book. I picked it up, flipped through it, then returned it to the shelf. But something inside me told me to buy it and I did. Have you ever had a similar situation and I don’t necessarily mean a bookstore?
I bet you’ve had a lot of these subtle cues, maybe to let go of something, change something, go somewhere, etc. When you followed these urges (and who knows where they come from) something in your life improved, changed for the better, or something negative was released.
This happens to each of us several times a day. Are they divine messages or something else? I don’t know for sure, but what I do know is that when I honor them, things seem to work out and when I don’t, the signals keep coming and depending on the problem: a relationship, a career, a health issue. financial challenge or circumstance escalates in severity – basically telling me – pay attention or sometime in the future we will come to your attention with a major catastrophe, disappointment or severe life situation.
Another of my favorite authors, Eric Butterworth, puts it this way: “God’s law of adjustment governs all the affairs of my life. All things are in divine order, now and forever.”
Why do we ignore these little nudges when they appear in our lives?
In a book that I just finished, and have added to my recommended reading list, it’s by Singer – The Untethered Soul, he goes into great detail, but with an easy to follow approach, how our thinking determines what we pay attention to and what not and why
Let me briefly summarize the main reasons why we ignore these early signals – at our risk, I might add if you skipped the previous section.
Ego – I am better than my circumstances. I know everything. I know what is best for me in my life. I’m the smartest person in the room. I don’t need the guidance, feedback, suggestions, etc. from other persons. I’ll do what I want, when I want, and how I want, period. Do you know someone like that?
Fear – If I change something – the unknowns in the future scare me. What if I can’t handle them? What if they don’t work for me? Fear of rejection from others. What if the other person doesn’t like the way I dress, talk, drive, eat, etc.? I need to be approved by everyone. Do you know someone like that?
Occupation – I don’t have time for this. I have too much on my plate. What I’m doing is far more important than dealing with this distraction right now. I have a lot to do, this can wait until tomorrow. Ok, do you know someone like that?
Arrogance – I can handle this. I don’t need to change or improve. I’m as good as I need to be. It’s everyone else who needs to wake up. Who needs help anyway, surely not me? Okay, I’ll stop asking the final question. I’m sure you understand the strategy by now.
Stress – When we are under stress or what can be called “panic mode”, we all do stupid things and make bad decisions because we want whatever is causing the stress in our lives to go away. But, as a result of these stress-related actions and decisions, we tend to make things worse.
Impatience – The number one contributor to stress, disappointment, and anxiety is a lack of patience. It doesn’t matter if it’s a traffic jam or the actions or inaction of a friend, client or loved one, the result is the same. Impatience says: I need and want to be in control of everything and I need and want it now. Trust me, this is not a way to impatiently solve your problem. Sooner or later we are all disappointed by something or someone. Deal with it.
How can we tune in to these signs and be fully aware of them?
There are many steps we can take, but here are ten of them.
-Stay present – Life is now – not tomorrow or yesterday. We can’t change the past and we can’t control the future, so spending time anywhere is a waste of time.
– Let yourself go – Surrendering to things that no longer matter but that maintain an emotional control over us is stupid. Be willing to admit, face, and let go of the things that waste precious present moments.
-Stop – If you don’t stop from time to time and only listen – to life – to God – to your body – to your feelings – you will never listen or be aware of the messages that are constantly being sent to you.
-Honor – Be willing to follow the messages of your internal guidance system. They are there all the time, but you must be willing to honor and follow them if you want to avoid the path of self-destruction.
-Trust – We must learn to trust what we have no power to control. This is not always an easy task, but it will pay big dividends in your life.
-Accept what is – It is what it is. And it is what is due to our previous actions, decisions, choices and behavior. Yes, things happen, but if we continue to resist and fight against reality, we will only bring ourselves more disappointment.
-Relax – Spend time doing nothing and I mean nothing. Perhaps a walk in the woods, a moment of thoughtless meditation or prayer.
-Turn off your negative mind – The mind thinks 60/24/7, it never stops. And what it focuses on is manifesting what we fear or what we love. If you want to turn off the negative influence of negative thoughts, you must learn to focus and concentrate on the positive no matter what is going on in your life.
-Show appreciation: The best way to stay away from the fear mentality and pay attention to what is (and what you can’t control), is to learn to be aware of all the moments, circumstances and people that deserve a simple – thank you you you Appreciation comes from love (not romantic love) of your own life, of others, and of every moment you are given.
-Be willing to change – Change is constant. We can change for the better or we can change for the worse. Guess which one will serve you best in your life and in your future. Change is not easy but we do it all day every day. The key is to pay attention to the internal impulses that are trying to get you to change something and then guess what? change them.
