Commitment: The Art of Meeting the Universe Halfway
At the end of my first meditation retreat in 2006, one of the teachers announced he'd be leading a week-long yoga and meditation retreat on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala later that year.
Despite my logical mind asking where I thought I'd get the money — I'd just moved across the country with no savings and was piecing tip money together to put myself through massage school as I started teaching yoga — something inside me announced loudly and clearly that I'd be there.
As the months went by, my head started winning out over my gut. It seemed less and less plausible that I could round up the $3,000 I needed to make the trip happen.
But one morning I woke up and decided I needed to register anyway. Something in me told me it'd be OK, even though I had no idea how.
So I put the deposit down on a credit card and decided to leave the rest up to the universe.
A week later I opened my mailbox to find a letter informing me that my grandfather, who had died 15 years prior, had intended to leave me some inheritance money that for some reason had never reached me.
And here it was: In the form of a check for exactly the amount I needed to pay for the trip.
Sometimes leaping and trusting that the net will appear is the wisest action we can take, even if our ego-mind tells us we're nuts.
And yes, we never know how things will work out with absolute certainty.
But when we align our actions in a committed way with our most sincerely heartfelt desires, the universe tends to step in to support us in some way, even if not in exactly the way we'd envisioned.
But we have to meet the universe halfway.
Our commitment sets synchronicity and grace in motion.
It's not that those "magical" forces weren't already there. They were just waiting for us to open the door and welcome them in.
Our genuine commitment is the greeter that invites supportive forces to flow to and through us.
The following quote — often attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe but which is actually from Scottish writer and mountaineer William Hutchinson Murray — articulates this beautifully:
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
So if you're waiting for a sign that you're meant to move forward on a path your heart or gut is tugging you toward maybe…
You can consider this your sign.
Show life you’re serious about turning your vision into reality. Commit in some genuine form now so that the universe can get on board and help carry you where you're meant to go.
Wishy-washiness is like saying to the universe, Never mind, I'm actually not that interested in taking that trip I've always wanted to go on, welcoming the awesome relationship I've been longing for forever, stepping into work I love, finding peace with myself.
The first step is up to you.
Declare how serious you are by taking some committed action right now toward your heart's most genuine desire.
The magic that flows from that bold move will likely make you a believer if you're not yet. So what's one bold act you're committed to taking today?
Lots of Love,