The 6 'D's of self-destruction

Today's Quote

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

T.S. Eliot

How far in life do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish? How do you know when you have 'arrived?'

This is a spiritual question. One of the five cornerstones of change (see the bottom of this blog for an explanation of the cornerstones) is spirituality. As one of my former student's put it, "Spirituality is not religion." Spirituality is simply the belief that there is something more important than yourself, a higher power or law of humanity that must be obeyed in order to maintain both personal and worldly peace. While some enhance their own spiritual journey through organized religion, as I do, some find spiritual peace in other areas.

I think that most people want to do that which is good. The important thing to remember is that you will never 'arrive' at perfection or anything near unto it. Life is a journey - not a destination. For some, 'risking go too far' is a negative. For others, life is a matter of discovery, both of self and the world around them. A life of scientific discovery is a fascinating prospect, but choosing to go on a journey of true self-discovery can be quite daunting to some. After all, who wants to look in the mirror and truly face all the decisions that have brought them to this point in their lives?

There are 6 - 'D's to a life of spiritual healing. These 'D's are the difference between a life of fear and a life of spiritual peace and happiness. The 6 - 'D's are:

Doubt - don't let doubt of your ability to change get in the way of your happiness. Doubt leads to...

Discouragement - when we become discouraged in our efforts to change - we are easily led to...

Distraction - becoming distracted from our goal to truly change leads to a ...

lack of Diligence - when we are no longer diligent in our efforts to change we become...

Defiant (Defiance) - we 'rail against the machine' as it were. We seek to blame anyone and anything else for our problems. This defiant behavior leads to the final 'D' in the destruction of our spirituality...

Disbelief - If we have no belief system, there is no hope for us that anything can help us. We are utterly undone in our goals of personal, emotional and spiritual health and peace.

There are ways out of this destructive pattern, but they require a great deal of self reflection. Everyone has made mistakes. Some are minor and some are skeletons that we would rather leave in the closets of our minds. It is frightening to think that we have to look into that closet and make amends for the things that we have done in order to bring ourselves to a place of greater personal peace. You must dig deep in that closet where you hide those things you don't want to deal with and remove one item at a time. Work on fixing it - if it can be fixed. If not - look in the mirror and forgive yourself and anyone else involved. This will not be easy. In fact, it may take a long while to deal with certain issues, but when all is said and done, you will feel better. My challenge to you is to find out just how far you can go towards making yourself happier and healthier through your own search for peace and hapiness. May you enjoy life's journey.