How To Walk Through Walls In 7 Steps
Everyone wants to follow their passion. I want to follow mine. I hope you want to follow yours. But how often have I said to myself one of these excuses: “I can’t right now because” , or “I’m not good enough because…”, or “I have a foreign accent” and I put myself in a prison that I created and I lock the doors behind me.
How do we break down the wall that we, through our “education”, “culture”, “backgrounds”, etc, put up brick by brick for ourselves. I know it’s hard for me to break down this wall for myself. It’s a process I go through every day.
When I was growing up in Argentina, people were disappearing right off the streets and never returning because they dared to break down the wall. In a much more subtle way, I see the same thing happening all around me, and even in me.
The wall is not really a wall, it is something much more harmful and solid than that, it is our inner saboteur, and it tends to appear in the form of a thought, it may sound like this:
- I don’t have the right credentials (schooling, teachers, corporate blessing, etc)
- I’ve never done it before
- I need technical skills
- My spouse would be upset at me
- I have to pay my bills so I can’t!
- I would need a lot of money to get this started.
- I’m not good at selling anything
- I’m sick
I was at a dinner last month deep in Texas with five men, all of them brilliant.
The one across from me sold zillions of books, the one to my right can sell any product and make millions in an afternoon just for fun, no kidding, he gets bored after he proves he can do it. The one at the end of the table you would not want to face in court, I am married to the one in the middle, and on and on.
None of them ever heard of the wall, ceilings, or excuses, at least not in business. None of them ever let outside-impossed rules stop them, they simply ignored them. They walked through walls.
Here are seven ways to break through our own walls, they’ve worked for me sometimes, maybe you’ve found other ways, if so please let me know on Twitter. We break the walls when…
1. When The Direction Comes From Silence and Insight.
This morning I knew I had to write and I had no idea what to write about. I was restless. Then I opened Kamal’s email where he told me all about his recent silent retreat. I knew what I had to do. I went to the other room and sat in silence for a while. Doing NOTHING. Here I am writing.
A lot of people wonder how to find out what our own passion is, or, WHAT IS IT THAT WE NEED TO DO?
There is only one answer to that, and it will NOT come from the mind, it will come from the silence and from a sensation in the body that will inform us.
It is in the silence that a higher energy has a chance to come in, and give us divine directives. The more restless we feel the bigger the indication we need to sit in silence and feel things, with no judgement.
I know how cheesy this sounds. Cheesy is the name of the main wall, the wall keeper of all the walls. When you find yourself thinking “this is stupid,” realize a wall is growing around you, and sarcasm builds the most solid, prison-like walls.
And If you think you cannot sit down for 2 minutes that is also a clear directive: you need to sit for 20.
2. When We Trust.
Once we dare sit down in silence and observe, directions as to what our passion is or what is it that we need to do today will come. It has no choice but to show up. It might be small at first, but we will know. That is the moment to trust. The moment of action.
I really did not want to write about this today, but I realize this is not coming from my mind, it is a spiritual directive. Right now I am just the instrument and I am trusting, meaning: doing.
Just like writing on walking through walls sounds strange to me, any directive that comes from stillness is likely to sound a bit weird.
If this is the case then all the more reason to know that is exactly what we need to do. If it sounds too safe it is likely coming from the mind, it is not a directive, it is a wall in formation.
A word of warning here, if the idea involves harming another person, or acting up on addiction or anything that is not constructive, beautiful, and creative then rest assured, it is NOT coming from the silence, that is mind creation and it is another wall, the most horrible kind of wall, the one that will produce future pain for everyone involved.
3. Sometimes We Wait – We Give Up Control.
I’ve been wanting to start the work on my second book for about two years now, but I have not been able to do so. Then one day I was invited to speak at a conference in New York City for entrepreneurs, and, on the train back home and after the high of the experience, the topic and theme of what I needed to write came to me as a “download”. I wrote the whole first chapter on the phone! You could say it took over me.
Passion doesn’t come all at once in the first second you let it in, or in the first moment you allow yourself silence. It comes in bits and pieces. If you get impatient, just tell yourself to wait. Please wait for it.
I always remind myself that I need to let go of controlling everything, that there are forces that no matter how highly I think of myself, are totally beyond me. I like it that way much better.
4. Once We Hear The Directive We Get To Work!
Once directive is clear we do the work. Once we are blessed enough to get an insight during silence then we know we have been chosen for it! Acting on it is critical at this point!
Painter will grab that brush and mix those colors. Writer will sit in a room and write, yogi will roll the mat and stand at the edge of it.
When we have a directive from spirit, things are easy, all we have to do is hold our part of the bargain, bring it into the world.
5. When We Are Open To Listen.
As we go through the work that needs to be done we will encounter situations, people, signs. Coincidences may start to happen. At this point, we must listen.
Listening is another way of remaining open, another way of saying yes to what the universe is getting out of its way to bring to us, so that we can fulfill the directive it already gave us.
Any negativity is another wall. When you feel that sarcastic demon sitting on your shoulder, whispering, “this is stupid” just say hi to it. An angel will appear shortly also. Listen to her.
6. When We Are In The World But Not Of It.
When we come from silence we know viscerally what we need to do. That is whatbeing in the world but not of it means.
We walk the walk, we know what needs to be done, and there is no fear for we are on spirit track.
We also know there is no delay, no lack of resources and no lack of creativity. If we are unsure we can always fall back on silence.
The job did not come from our minds, it came from the universal stuff that makes big bangs happen, it already has within it the mechanism for its fulfillment, all we have to do is enjoy the process.
If we are not having fun then a wall is being built again. Maybe we need to go to the quiet place again. Does that sound a bit loony? Out of our minds? IT IS.
Only “out of our minds” we find the connection with inspired direction.
7. When We Are Grateful.
I’ve watched this in my life many times. Perhaps not so much in business which is why I feel awestruck when I watch James or these brilliant guys fly through so-called obstacles.
But I did experience it in finding real love for example, and I am so ever grateful to witness it daily as I look at James’ eyes in the morning, when he is not yet wearing his glasses and his hair is all messy and cute. My heart expands with love, I live in gratitude.
Whenever I see a wall now I just laugh, I know exactly what I need to do.
Be quiet. Answer comes. Act on it. Say thank you.
Silence it turns out, is the most powerful wall breaker. It screams.