Commitment… An agreement or pledge to do something in the future. (Dictionary definition).
Generally, we tend to think of commitment as being committed to your relationship or your career or to results you are looking to achieve in one or more areas of life. We might commit to our families, our communities. People commit to getting out of debt or getting into good health, good physical shape… and so on. But, how about committing to ourselves? I mean truly committing to becoming who you really are. Choosing to be who you really are. Engaging with life as your true, authentic self.
The truth is that most people have no idea who they really are. They know certain things about themselves. They may know their favourite colours, their favourite food… what they want to achieve in five or ten years’ time. They may know where they live and who they are married to … the names of their children and how to be a good parent. But do you know who you are?
We are taught, from an early age, to identify ourselves from the outside in. Society teaches us that we are the job, the house, the holiday, the car when, in fact, these things are the mere manifestation of our external experience. As the spiritual beings that we are, having a material experience, there needs to be a balance. The body and the physical world need to be looked after and cared for in order that we have the material comforts and resources necessary for the soul to fulfil its purpose during its time inhabiting the body. The soul has a mission. The purpose is already there, like a seed waiting in the depths of your heart for you to go within and honour it.
The big question is… how? And if I mention ‘meditation’ at this point there is likely to be a universal groan and utterings of “oh no!” So maybe revisiting what we mean by meditation is appropriate at this juncture.
The word ‘meditation’ is derived from the latin verb – meditari, as follows:
Verb · to think or reflect upon, consider, contemplate, ponder, meditate (upon); intend · plan, contrive, devise ·
Meditation is simply about taking some time to still the mind and allow the thoughts to drift. Of course, with practice, this can develop into a lifelong daily habit… and a good one too… but for the initial stages I believe in keeping things simple and manageable.
I have found over many years of working on and teaching personal and spiritual development that the most powerful way to get to know yourself is to develop your creativity and make time to be with yourself in the passion of your creative energy. Getting lost in what you are doing and becoming one with what you are creating. This is where great ideas and thoughts and words of wisdom come to us… this is where our hearts become excited and we forget time and space and lose any desire to return to the real world. But when we do return, we have the extra dimensions of compassion and understanding to bring back with us.
Until one is committed there is hesitancy… the chance to draw back. The moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too.
William H Murray.
It has been said that true commitment is when the meeting takes place between what already is and what actually wants to become real. And indeed, a commitment must be made if we are to manifest the dreams for which we have been born. So, what already is can be found through delving into our creative self and trusting the process of bringing it out to become real. An awesome process. We have all been created and, therefore, as creatures of creation it is endemic in our very beings, to create. There are as many ways to be creative as there are people on the planet so do not berate yourself for not being a Dali or a Picasso… you are you and you must give yourself permission to play around with whatever takes your fancy until you locate the inner you and then you can make the commitment to your inner self to live your life being the best version of yourself, living and honouring your god given purpose from the inside out.
A commitment is not made, it is forged. It is forged between what is already located deep within and what wants to become real. You will know that you have located the inner you when you find yourself immersed in your project. You cannot tear yourself away and you are super excited about getting back to it as soon as possible!
Thus, the commitment makes itself… forged by the inner formless truth, an unchosen desire, taking shape and being defined by the outer form which it takes on.
A true commitment is one that will change your life because it is born from who you already are and it will grow into its fully developed form by who you become.
As your commitment develops and you grow with it, through it and from it, so you can become ever more specific. As Rumi says, the desire has been placed in every heart and that desire becomes a driven thing when we discover the joy of being committed to who we really are!
Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart… Rumi.
Kate Mchardy MA(Hons) PGCE MSPH Spiritual coach, teacher and healer. katemch@gmail.com / Tel: +44 7712889534. Facebook: The University of Light Group / Readings at The University of Light (@tarotangelspiritreadings).
