Practice of the Month: “Eight Success Principles”
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Welcome Members once again to the November Edition of SGM. Kevin Schoeninger here.
In the second week of each month, we review a specific book/product/or tradition for the practices that it offers. The key to our personal transformation is to apply our insights by practicing them daily. This month’s material is drawn from Roy Eugene Davis’ book “The Spiritual Basis of Real Prosperity.”
Like the title to his book, one of the things that I appreciate about Mr. Davis’ work is that he doesn’t dress up what he has to say for the purposes of marketing or hype. Mr. Davis is very grounded, practical, and to the point. Like his personality, his straight forward, no frills, rational approach is consistent and high-integrity. You can trust Mr. Davis to speak the truth as he sees it and he has done that without compromise for over fifty years.
In our first Weekly Message this month, we talked about the spiritual basis of real prosperity which is this: we are individualized units of the One Field of Consciousness. Each of us is part of the One Life, we are members of One Body. When we begin to look at ourselves, those around us, and the world through the lens of this spiritual insight, we open the door to receive the abundance that is present in the One Field that we all share.
The only barriers to our health, happiness, prosperity, and success are our own false perceptions and fears. These are what inhibit us from realizing the spiritual basis of real prosperity in every moment of our lives. As we never tire of saying at SGM, the key to our success is to find effective ways to practice our spiritual insights daily. We need consistent repetition to install spiritual insight as our dominant view of self and the world.
With that purpose in mind, this week we’ll talk about Mr. Davis’ Eight Success Principles. By following these principles we enable spiritual consciousness to permeate every aspect of our lives. After listing and defining these principles in Mr. Davis’ words, we’ll talk about specific ways that we can put each one into practice.
EIGHT SUCCESS PRINCIPLES
1. Inspiration: “Inspiration is the infusion into the mind and body of spiritual influence arising from within the soul. Every soul has an innate urge to have its capacities enlarged, its potential released, its qualities unfolded, its abilities unrestricted, and its awareness clarified and restored to wholeness.” (P.41 SBORP)
2. Aspiration: “To aspire to achieve meaningful goals and purposes is to rise to a higher level of thinking and action.”
3. Vision: “At the soul level, we can intuitively ‘see’ and acknowledge the reality of our ideal future.” We can have a clear perception of our ideal possibilities. (p.45 SBORP)
4. Education: “We can acquire practical knowledge from others who are wise and we can awaken and unfold our innate knowledge. It is fairly easy to acquire knowledge of how to be healthy, how to work, how to interact with people, and how to use money and resources.” (P.46 SBORP)
5. Participation: “We do not need superior powers of intelligence to live correctly—we only need to learn how to live, and do it.” (P.47 SBORP)
6. Faith: “Faith is the firm belief or conviction which is not based on external evidence. . .The exercise of faith requires that we be realistic, that we believe in what is possible to be manifested or experienced. . .our sustained beliefs can not only influence our health, the outcomes of our personal endeavors, and the environment—they can definitely cause events, produce circumstances, and attract resources that are desired or needed.” ( p. 49 SBORP)
7. Persistence: “When resolved on a constructive course of action, persist until desired results are experienced. Many people begin worthwhile projects with strong resolve, only to quit too soon or give up too easily. Their faith wavers. Their concentration is faulty. Their will to prevail is weak. When you know that you are the right course, don’t give up.” (P.49 SBORP)
8. Grace: “By doing our very best to learn, live effectively, and grow, we unfold our innate knowledge, perfect our skills, and become more receptive and responsive to the nurturing actions of grace. The enlivening, redemptive actions of grace are impelled by the evolutionary impulses of Consciousness that maintain the orderly processes of the universe, contribute to our spiritual awakening and growth, and support our constructive endeavors. Because grace flows freely it is available to everyone.” (P.50 SBORP)
All of these success principles are skills that we can develop. We can write the story of how we achieved our ideal possibilities by putting these principles into practice. When you get good at practicing these principles your ideal possibilities will take on a life of their own and carry you forward. It might take a little effort getting started, but, once you begin, a momentum of spirit, the surge of the One Life, will pick you up and carry you along.
Inspiration can certainly come as a bolt of lightning, but most often it is something that we acquire by cultivating it. For instance, many of us may work at jobs that do not inspire us. We may wish for something better, but find that it takes all of our energy to get through the day.
After a day of working, taking care of our families, and attending to the tasks of life, we may find that we are just plain tired. We are far from inspired. Do you end the day by plopping down in front of the TV and vegging out? Does that inspire you? Does it fire you up or does it lull you into unconsciousness until you go to bed so that you can get up and do it all over again?
There was a period in my life when I felt that I was struggling to survive. I felt like I had to do it all on my own. My story was my heroic effort to take care of the million things that life demanded of me. I was stressed. I was exhausted. I did not enjoy myself and I’m sure that, though I put on a good face, I wasn’t a joy to be around.
It got to a point where I was just tired of being tired. I was tired of being frustrated. I was tired of trying to hold up my little corner of the world. I was beyond bored. I desperately wanted to be inspired. I saw with crystal clarity that I was my problem, that it was the way that I was looking at life that had to change. Since I was too exhausted to do anything new, I started by doing a little less and resting a little more. When I felt a little energy, I vowed to become inspired.
From that day, I vowed that I would not go through a day without taking in something that inspired me, something that fed my soul. How did I get inspired? I stopped rushing through my life and I began to listen deeper. I gave myself more time between activities, more time to get places, more space and time to feel what was happening inside. I learned that, as a general principle, we’ve got to listen inside, we’ve got to get in touch with our heart.
Be alert to what interests you, to what catches your eye. Bring alert consciousness to everything that you do and seek inspiration. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open. Expect to be inspired. Practice it. Cultivate inspiration.
Once you’ve found an interest, something that lights your fire, it’s time to practice aspiration. Ask yourself “What am I here to do now?” and aspire to excellence in that area. Learn how to have your desires fulfilled and to be in the flow of abundant resources by being awake and alert to opportunities to express and develop your unique gifts. You are here as an agent of the One Life. You have a purpose. Aspire to fulfill that purpose.
To most effectively and efficiently fulfill your purpose, develop a clear vision of your ideal possibilities. Without a clear vision, your life will move in fits and starts and your actions will be disorganized. When you get clear on what you are here for, and specifically what that looks like, the right actions will become clear. It is far easier to make decisions in your life if you know what you want and have a mental image of it.
Pause right now and write a clear statement
of an ideal possibility that you want to create in your life.
When you have a clear vision of an ideal possibility, educate yourself on what you need to know to realize that possibility in the world. Have a thirst for knowledge. Acknowledge what you don’t know and seek out sources of that knowledge. Read a little in an area of your interest every day. Take a continuing education course. Join a group centered around your field of interest (such as, say, Spiritual Growth Monthly).
Participate. Get involved. Throw yourself into what interests you full out. Dabbling is fine for entertainment and relaxation. In the area of your strong interest, life passion, and personal purpose, you need to dive in. Establish a daily practice that will nurture, build, and grow your ideal possibility. Take one action every day to create that ideal possibility in the real world.
Once you are involved in the field of your ideal possibility, you will get the lay of the land. You will come to understand what is involved to aspire to excellence in your endeavor. You will know what the real possibilities are. You will see what others have accomplished and you will have a clearer sense for what particular gift you have to offer.
Have faith that you have a specific gift to offer in the area of your interest. See what others are doing to get a sense for possibilities, but know that you have your own unique perspective and gift to offer. Even if what you desire seems selfish, know that you have an interest because the One Life has a need that you can fulfill.
View your ideal possibility as a gift and a sacred trust
given to you by the One Life to develop
for the good of the whole.
When you encounter difficulties, realize that these are here to ask you to go deeper, to develop yourself and your capabilities to a higher level. See challenges as opportunities to grow and expand. Persist because it is the only way to realize your reason for being here now.
On the sheet where you’ve written your vision of your ideal possibility, write down a challenge that you’ve allowed to deter your efforts in the past. Then, write down how you can use that challenge as an opportunity to learn something new and expand what you have to offer. Write down what action you will take to overcome your challenge.
Finally, realize that greater forces are orchestrating the evolution of our One Life. There is an orderly unfoldment of life on this planet across time. Though we may resist, and thereby create challenges and suffering, nevertheless there is something bigger happening here. According to Roy Eugene Davis we are all destined for enlightenment. That is where we are all heading eventually. We can be open to it and participate fully, thereby easing our way, or we can resist and suffer. Either way, there is a bigger plan at work. The One Life is evolving and as part of it, so are we.
We need only be awake and aware, listen and act according to inspiration, and trust that grace will take care of the rest. It is up to us to do our part and to be receptive to the supportive influences that are always available to ease our way. Expect that things will work out for the best. Expect that good fortune flows to each of us as we are open to it. Write on your vision sheet “I do my part and I trust the One Life to supply everything that I need.” Use these words or ones that work better for you.
In the words of an inspiring leader of our time, “Are you fired up? Let’s get to work.” Begin today to write the story of how you realized one of your ideal possibilities. Post the Eight Success Principles along with your Vision of your Ideal Possibility somewhere where you will see it regularly. Write your success story a little every day.
In next Week’s Message, we’ll learn two of Mr. Davis’ powerful techniques for neutralizing negative thoughts and limiting beliefs when they ambush us and try to overwrite our best story writing.
Until next time,
Enjoy the opportunities you have today to bring your best dreams to life,
Kevin