To many people, the American dream means graduating college, getting a great job, getting married, having children, buying a big house, and enjoying the good things in life. While there is nothing wrong with this approach, it alone is unlikely bring about a fulfilling life. Just ask all of the people who feel that something is missing in their lives.
Like many people, I was fairly content with my life until something catastrophic happened in my life. In my case, that catastrophe was the passing of my mother in 2008.
That event pushed me over the edge and made me realize that there had to be something more to life than accumulating money, status, family and friends all your life then losing it all when you die.
Sure, pursuing the American Dream may seem fine when you are young, healthy, and everything is going well. But what happens when a catastrophe happens, such as a terminal disease? Old age appears to be a train wreck waiting to happen.
After working hard all our lives to earn a much-deserved retirement where we can live the good life, everything appears to come to an abrupt end all too fast.
Without a firm spiritual grounding, many are left, like rats grasping for straw, drowning in a sea of suffering when they realize that they will have to leave everything that they worked so hard for behind when they pass on.
Some people believe that we go to heaven or hell when we die depending on whether we lived according to certain beliefs. Others are convinced that we will get reincarnated as many times as necessary for us to burn off our bad karma. I frankly don’t know what happens when we pass on, because I haven’t died yet.
Many religions claim that theirs is the only right path and everyone else is wrong. They all can’t be right while everyone else is wrong. Beliefs in God and the here-after are often determined by what family you are born into. That seems to be a kind of spiritual crap shoot.
Perhaps everyone’s spiritual path is like a river running to the ocean. It doesn’t matter which river we take, we will eventually reach the ocean. Some rivers are short and more direct and some meander a bit more. It doesn’t matter because we all eventually reach the ocean (which is realization of our Oneness with God).
The way I look at it, if you want to reach heaven, you better do it now, because the future is always uncertain.
Words point you in the right direction, but it is the feelings behind the words that really get you there.
It’s amazing the power that thoughts have over your moods. Whenever I start feeling myself starting to slip into a negative state of mind, I read the sayings that resonate most with me. It has such a profound impact, that most of the times it immediately starts lifting me out of my funk.
Some people collect baseball cards. I collect inspirational sayings. The list of sayings that I created resonate most with me. Try creating your own list of inspirational sayings that resonate most with you. Write down the epiphanies as they come to you throughout the day. They are like precious jewels that have the power to lift you up.
I am attracted to shorter sayings for one simple reason. Shorter phrases can filter down into your subconscious better than long and complex ones. Also, if a concept is too complex, it can be difficult to remember when you need it the most.
If we create our reality through the thoughts that we think, why not use uplifting thoughts to create our own heaven on earth? It is certainly within our power. We just have to reprogram our minds to have more loving, peaceful thoughts and let go of the conditioned lies that tell us that we are not good enough, less than whole, and separate from others.
If you read things that resonate with you, write them down and repeat them when needed. They will to point you back to your true nature, which is always loving, peaceful, and good. In this way, you will live your own version of the American dream.
Copyright © 2019. Mark Ellison. All Rights Reserved.
Living in Heaven on Earth 