Find Your Fuel for 2019
The clients I work with are often navigating through some type of transformation—business, personal, or both. At the start of our work I’ll remind them that transformative work requires us to fuel our mind, our body, and our soul. That fuel, in turn, creates the momentum to help us GSD.
Some days, when we have lots of fuel in the tank, GSD is a breeze. Other days, when we have less, it’s tough. That’s when just the right comment can make a BIG difference, reminding us that we have the ability and the energy to get it done.
One of the best places I find my fuel is what I read, and of everything I read, watched, or listened to last year, one book stands out in terms of impact: “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life,” written by Richard Rohr.
Father Richard is a Franciscan priest, an author of more than twenty books, an internationally known speaker, and the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation. A friend with whom I love discussing all-things spiritual suggested Falling Upward. I was only three pages in when I read:
“Our soul’s discovery is utterly crucial, momentous, and of pressing importance for each of us and for the world.”
After reading that passage I was hooked! It didn’t take long to finish the remaining 200+ pages.
In the spirit of soul-nourishment, I selected twelve quotes from Richard’s book and daily meditation emails that added soul nourishing fuel to my tank, for which I’m grateful. Here’s hoping they do the same for you.
“Awakening oneself awakens the whole world.”
“Setting out is always a leap of faith, a risk in the deepest sense of the term, and yet an adventure, too.”
“Life, if we are honest about it, is made up of many failings and fallings, amidst all of our hopeful growing and achieving.”
“Nothing is wasted; even our mistakes are the raw material to turn us back into love.”
“Sooner or later, if you are on any classic “spiritual schedule,” some event, person, death, idea, or relationship will enter your life that you simply cannot deal with, using your present skill set, your acquired knowledge, or your strong willpower.”
“Before the truth “sets you free” it tends to make you miserable.”
“The human ego prefers anything, just about anything, to falling or changing or dying. It attaches to the past and fears the future.”
“Transformation has little to do with intelligence, willpower, or perfection. It has everything to do with honesty, humility, willingness, and surrender.”
“In meditation, you move from ego consciousness to soul awareness, from being fear-driven to being love-drawn.”
“We actually respond to one another’s energy more than to people’s exact words or actions.”
“Only when we love do we fully and truthfully exist in this universe and move toward a full purpose.”
“We belong to a Mystery far grander than our little selves and our little time.”
Before I end my first blog of the new year, a big THANK YOU for the emails, texts, phone calls, voice mails, tweets, Facebook messages, Instagram posts, and LinkedIn comments on my recent appearance on 20 Minutes with Bronwyn. (Our episode is titled “Let Go or Be Dragged: Ben Kiker Sets Me Straight!) Every one of your messages added fuel to my tank, for which I’m incredibly grateful.
All the best for a kick-ass 2019—and a year full of soul nourishment!
As always, thanks for checking out my blog. I hope you found this helpful, and I’d love to hear from you! You can email me at ben@thebenkikergroup.com, or connect with me via Twitter or LinkedIn.
Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash