You are not the same today as you were when you were a child. The question this statement evokes is "are you who you want to be today?" The follow-on question is "are you living the life you want to be living?" The two questions are inseparable.
The Law of Attraction essentially says that I will attract to me that which I am (which is definitely different than attracting that which I may want). Another way of saying this is that my world and my experience of it is determined by what I bring to it. In order for me to externally realize and experience my ideals I first need to have them be present inside myself. How to do this?
Intention, Attention, Practice, and Guidance
Transformation will naturally occur in life. Mindful transformation is a different undertaking. It begins with intention. Here I'm reminded of the childhood riddle:
"Five frogs sit on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many frogs are left on the log?"
The answer is five. Simply deciding to do something is not the same as doing it. Intention is different than simply deciding. It is the catalytic agent for effective action. It implies some clarity about the "for the sake of what" that compels the action.
Attention is the handmaiden to intention. What I mean by this is that intention is a choice about where I place my awareness. And, because energy follows intention (awareness) I begin to notice what facilitates and what impedes the flow of energy. It's this attention to detail that a shift in awareness facilitates. Attention facilitated by awareness increases the choices I have in my life. And, an increase in choices potentially allows me to be more effective.
I say potentially because poor execution of anything will compromise the quality of the results I'm producing. Practices designed to insure a qualitatively effective repetition of new ways of seeing, thinking, being and behaving are crucial. It is no exaggeration to assert that the way I do anything is the way I do everything. I want to be engaged in practices that are designed to touch the smallest details of my life in ways that help shape them so that they are consistent with my intention. Why? Because I realize there are no "small" things. All aspects of me and my life are the very things that determine the content as well as the trajectory of my life.
Which is why I want effective guidance. I'm practicing all the time - effective and ineffective practices. Indeed, everything I do can be considered a practice, including the way I practice learning. Are my practices enabling me to be as effective as possible? If I practice doing things less than effectively I will not achieve my potential. We all need instruction. How to be better? How to notice the details that a master sees but the novice misses? To practice effectively means to learn effectively.
Transformation is a change in the ways I see the world - and a shift in how I see myself. It is a whole different perception of what's possible.
Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
