The Spirit within and how to embrace it.

‎2012 is but 365 more days given by Gods grace to live. The way we use them is determined by our own priorities and desires. To fritter them away and wish they had been lived differently is foolishness and a reflection of our own flaws and weaknesses. Resolutions are but a statement of who we aspire to be. The strength of those resolutions will decide their success. We must not take the future so lightly as to think we will always have another chance to be who we think we should be. The time to act is now. Remember, it is you who choose to see the challenges in front of you as something to transcend or something to tolerate and live with.
I can attest to the days lived saying I am a good person for tolerating this or that or not insisting on my own way. Then I sit back appearing to be the long suffering victim of others selfish needs or gratifications. Patting myself on the back for putting up with others. I see this behavior as a means to justify being unassertive and lazy.
There is action demanded on my part, and to be honestly introspective is a prerequisite for moving forward with the correct behavior. We sometimes become desensitized and numbed to the chronic disappointments and set backs in our lives. This "numbness" makes us capable of sitting in very unsatisfactory situations and claiming it is the way things are and that is that. Is is self justification for unmet goals and settling for less than what we are capable of. It becomes who we are by our own inward definitions.
Regardless of how we express our acceptance of our circumstances we must realize we are doing nothing but lying to ourselves so our discomfort and disapproval is but hidden from those we interact with. Drunks do not enjoy the life of a drunk. Dependant people do not love being dependant upon others. People who have failed to reach their potential do not approve of themselves falling short.
There comes a time in all of our lives when we realize the window is closing on the ability to achieve what we aspired to so many years ago. Then when that time passes we must let it go. The past is past. It is nothing to be dwelt on and forever punished for within our minds. The thing we must do at this point is evaluate who we are, what our abilities are (honestly), and what we can achieve. There is a popular song by a singer named Joe Jackson titled "You can't get what you want. Til you know what you want." So simple of a title but so difficult it is for many of us to actually come to grips with.
Many of us go through life day to day, with no direction. Oh, we do the mundane. The laundry, the dishes, clock in, clock out, submit to the ritual of life. But we have no horizon. Nothing to be a focal point of our daily efforts. We work towards no goal that represents our growth Spiritually. We may work out and that is a vehicle for physical growth and maintaining good health. We may invest and save towards financial growth. We may read or study in ways that enhance the mind. But what of the Spirit?
Do we have a horizon based on the growth of the Spirit? Do we have a program that helps us to attain a deeper way of thinking on both life and what lies ahead? There is an old Zen proverb saying "Before Enlightenment, Chop Wood, Carry Water. After Enlightenment, Chop Wood, Carry Water.". It means we should bring a Spiritual Mind to all we do, no matter how small and insignificant we see it to be. Live in the moment as if that moment was an opportunity to experience it with God. So much of our lives is experienced superficially where it could be felt much deeper. Superficiality is by definition a shallow existence.su·per·fi·cial (spr-fshl)

adj.

1. Of, affecting, or being on or near the surface: a superficial wound.

2. Concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; shallow.

3. Apparent rather than actual or substantial: a superficial resemblance.

4. Trivial; insignificant: made only a few superficial changes in the manuscript.

To be Spiritual is to go beyond the surface and see the meaning in things instead of taking things (even the little things) for granted. It is definately an opportunity to see the blessings in everything instead of the routine and boredom we associate with the everyday of our lives.
Stay in constant communion with God in ways that you haven't tried. Find the God in everything. Pass the tests of life that serve to grow the spirit. Be above the pet peeves that took you off the track of love in the past. Transcend those minor things that before could grow so big. Be responsible and respect yourself but at the same time realize we are all here very temporarily and the days cannot be wasted on negativity or pessimism. Being positive or optimistic does not mean we have to be blind to the challenges we face. It means we can come to an understanding that when we operate from a spiritual foundation we see the purpose in all that we experience. Whether it is a setback or a success. We take each as an opportunity to grow in the spirit and because of that, we can always give thanks and be grateful.
The New Year gives us many opportunities to be who we aspire to be. You will find a life lived more in the spirit and less in the flesh is a life lived with more joy and less stress over the things we let into our day to day. There is purpose in everything. There is a chance to grow from all we do. Nothing is meaningless. Take each breath with gratitude and each moment as something to feel and genuinely experience. All of it.