A while ago, as I was sitting at my computer reading yet another email from yet another self-help guru telling me what I needed to do, read, or buy to change my life -- I lost it! I found myself yelling at my computer screen, “I don’t need anything, I’m perfect the way I am!”. Then I paused for a moment because I really meant it and it felt wonderful. In the months prior to that, I had unintentionally signed myself up for just about every free webinar, email list and newsletter that was out there claiming they had the secret to my perfect life. I signed up thinking, at first, “Oh, this will be helpful,” or “Oh, I could use that in my life,” but after receiving email after email, I was bombarded daily with the same message—I wasn’t OK just the way I was.
This was a great lesson for it pushed me over some invisible edge, allowing me an even greater realization of my spiritual wholeness and perfection. Forgiving myself for thinking anything different, I was filled with compassion and self-love. It got me to thinking about others in the web world that believed they are somehow not OK or that they ‘should’ be at a different point in their life, whether it be in terms of weight, relationships, abundance, spiritual growth, etc. I thought of all those who might be buying into the false belief that this ‘next great thing’ will be their ticket to happiness and I felt angry that our society, and the mass consciousness, leads us to believe that we are separate from the Divine and all the sweetness It imbues.
I’m not saying that self-improvement is a bad thing, or that using tools to grow & change is wrong or that having desires isn’t a positive thing. Absolutely the opposite! I’m sure many of the newsletters and webinars pouring into my inbox were full of helpful information. It is necessary to learn life-affirming skills and to change behavior that isn’t serving us. Life is all about making our desires a reality! My life wouldn’t be what it is today if I hadn’t taken the advice of wise teachers and healers, learned new skills or lived my new beliefs.
But how do we know when and how much “self-improvement” is really necessary?
Your heart knows. I invite you to ask, “In this now moment, do I remember who I am?” As spiritual beings, it is our birthright to experience Joy and Love. It is who and what we are at our core. It is our spiritual inheritance. Your true Self doesn’t need one iota of improvement! Regardless of your place in life or your level of growth, or lack thereof, you are absolutely perfect just as you are, right now—you always have been and you always will be. Within you is a Perfect Self, a Light brighter than the sun and as expansive as the universe. You are one with the All…..a unique emanation of It, expressing uniquely and unlike any other. The symphony that is this Life would not be as full, beautiful or as harmonious if it weren’t for you. Yes, you...and as you are, right now! You play an integral, valuable role in the interconnectedness of Life by simply being! Whether you believe it or not, you were born on time, on purpose and for a purpose. The Perfect Self within you longs for you to recognize this, to unify and embody It, and to remember who you are so that you can know and experience—and express—that Love. If your “self-improvement” doesn’t leave you feeling and knowing this then rely on your heart’s wisdom to remind you.
We are Divine Beings having a human experience. Yes, a human experience, complete with life lessons and requiring skills and tools here in Earth school. It is easy to forget who we are and to feel separate from our Divine Self so my assignment for you is this, since you are clearly enrolled and attending, why not just go ahead and remember your Truth—that ‘Universal Prerequisite’ with which everyone enters—you are loved, you are Love Itself and you are perfect! I guarantee you that Jesus had it right when he said, “seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all good things will be added unto you”. The more often you consciously cultivate your heaven on earth by bringing your awareness to your Divine connection—to that perfect, strong, wise and compassionate Self within—the better you will feel about yourself and the more easily and gracefully your life will flow, including any and all “self-improvement” projects!
