Day-by-Day Progress

[Plenum]

you know, one of the worst things I hated when I was working full-time was the feeling that somehow a day could be wasted.  There were times when I would notice that 24 hours had gone by (either at the start of a shift, or thinking at the end of a shift), and there was the depressing realisation that I hadn't really learnt anything or made any progress.  Now I'm sure I was not totally evaluating the situation correctly - I don't think you can repeat a 24 hour period without exposing yourself to some new thoughts or situations - but there definitely are periods where a greater amount of change takes place, and there are situations where a smaller amount of change takes place.  There is also the sense of 'being on the right path'; and if one is not progressing as one would like, much of that can be attributed to paying attention to the wrong things (wrong in the context of the goals/desires of that individual).

Things got much better once I dropped down to 4 days, and even better once I dropped to 3.  The ratio of worktime to freetime was much more balanced and even; in regards to the responsibilities to the self, and the responsibilities to holding a societal function, and contributing in some small way to the greater human economy - as measured by monetary means.

But I think if we sleep well, and have a good approach to processing the catalyst that comes our way, even if the progress is incremental, it can be something we can live with.

There's nothing more depressing than feeling like you are going through the motions of your life, without any real learning or change.

Day-by-Day progress is where the spiritual journey meets the hard reality of living in an earthly society, dealing with our own and others' distortions, and co-ordinating and connecting as best we can.

When we do have massive spiritual epiphanies, that is well and awesome.  But those are not scheduled events, at least from our perspective.  When we are ready, the next plateau will suddenly open up - like clouds parting to reveal the bright, undiffused and warm sunlight that was always there, yet obscured by our own clouded perception.

So small progress counts for a lot; and paves the way for these larger events imo.

It's great to know that you've learnt something new, and found a way to implement it.

[AnthroHeart]

For the last few days I've been focused on one thing, getting more in touch with how I feel about the catalyst around me. I'm having some serious financial catalyst now. I'm working to approach it from the violet chakra point of view. Also utilizing the heart chakra. It will be interesting as my awareness slowly builds how the universe will unfold around me.

[111]

This post resonates soundly with me. It is the first I've read in these forums in sometime. And happens to hit the nail on the head for where Im at in my life. I JUST quit an 80hour/ week job making crazy money because I was losing an uphill battle. But, after I freed myself from the burden of want, I realized, every day, no matter how wasted it felt, was so far from it. I realized that, without even noticing I had concieved and put in to practice a new and highly effective style of sharing high vibe material without saying a word. I left probably 300 drawings of personalized sacred geometry hidden all throughout the buildings lol. Tickled me later when I realized what I had done. But In the moments it never occured to me. And thats that faith that all of us must have as we align ourselves with sto actions. I am so grateful for everyone in this forum. For Carla and the entire L/L crew. The light that has be brought 4th is of an unmatched caliber and I hust wanted everyone to know. I love you all, and even if you feel like a day is "wasted" just know with every single breath you power the engines of infinite potential. Love and light!!!! -444

[APeacefulWarrior]

Yeah, I have similar issues. My higher selves have to remind me quite frequently that trying to "force" progress or -worse- getting stressed about a lack of apparent progress is entirely self-defeating. I tend to have an issue with putting myself under pressure to excel even when I know that pressure only exists in my head. (Let's not be too existentialist here.)

One thing I occasionally do that helps is, if I'm feeling like I'm stuck, I review the last day or the last week in my head and ask, "What have I learned from my recent experiences?" I tend to find that no matter how boring or samey things have seemed, at least ONE interesting thing has happened that taught me something. Sometimes it's not a terribly useful lesson, or merely a lesson in "Don't do that again," but that's still progress.

[AnthroHeart]

My progress is all over the charts. There's no clear path for me. Sometimes I move forward, and sometimes back. Sometimes side to side. Sometimes life is a paradox.

[Matt1]

Yeah, i think its difficult sometimes to see daily progress, I like having some type of spiritual program to follow helps, like writing down dreams, meditating, remembering unity throughout the day, being mindful of the moment etc. I get the idea that every little one of these things that we may do throughout a day will help in polarization.

[AnthroHeart]

Remembering unity, gotta remember that one.

[rva_jeremy]

I know feeling a lack of spiritual inertia has been something I have struggled with. I continue to, but I've reached some conclusions that may be useful.

It used to be something I felt a lot of anxiety about, like a metaphysical "Fear Of Missing Out". That has not left me altogether, but I did have a realization a few years ago that you can't fake it. I can let a perceived lack of progress weigh on me, thinking that this pressure will push me forward, but "pushing forward" without having your heart in it is a truly horrendous feeling, especially in something like this where the heart is everything, where honesty is the coin in the first place.

If we truly believe this is a universe infinite in time, space, and potential, then it's really just about having patience with ourselves, isn't it? It is all literally going to come around at one point or another. The ego simply has no control over any of it, period. Recognizing that, I try to focus on manifesting the choice in my daily life -- or just paying attention, mindfulness -- and let the higher self handle what the higher self is better at.

If there's one ironclad law I've noticed, it's the one the OP mentioned: epiphanies are not scheduled. So instead of focusing on progress, like planting a seed and then standing there waiting for it to grow, focus on tending the garden. Seeds grow, and it's good to plant them, but they grow in their own time. What one has control over are the intermediate conditions, the watering and what not. Patience is an elusive but simple virtue.

Introducing structure into your waking life is one way to better regularize. But again: you can't fake it. I used to have a morning meditation regime, but it became such a chore. It's not that meditation was bad or wrong, but my mindset certainly was. So for me I found it better to introduce small changes little by little into one's life, test them out, see how you feel, and in that manner achieve slow but steady "progress" that relies on building faith rather than specific pieces of spiritual feedback. That approach works for those of us who tend to be perfectionists, especially.

I remember reading old theosophy books back in the day and one phrase that stuck with me was "spiritual materialism". This is a way of describing an approach to the metaphysical that sees spiritual achievement as the result of specific phenomena one should experience, like out of body experiences or a vision or some concrete, mentally tangible experience that grabs you. It's really difficult because we always get pulled in by the flashiest aspects at first, and spirituality is no exception, at least for me. I started to realize that those kinds of extreme experiences only caused me anxiety -- anxiety that I was not perceiving them, or anxiety that I was and they are not necessarily the most pleasant. I've really been focusing on releasing expectations to have huge revelations, and instead focus on understanding myself in as thoroughgoing a manner as possible. If that makes it hard to think and talk about, well, that's not the point anyway.

Hope this helps; you're not alone in feeling the way you do.

[Minyatur]

Yeah, i  think its difficult sometimes to see daily progress, I like having some type of spiritual program to follow helps, like writing down dreams, meditating, remembering unity throughout the day, being mindful of the moment etc. I get the idea that every little one of these things that we may do throughout a day will help in polarization.

Contemplation is a great one too.

[outerheaven]

A very simple and easy practice that I employ every day ...

If you're anything like me or the common person, you probably tend to think of "yourself," that voice within, as residing somewhere in your head.

Now, instead of thinking of 'you' as existing there in your head, try to shift that voice, that consciousness, to your heart. Observe. What do you feel?

That's what it means to me to "live from the heart." It's amazing how much more I can feel when I do that -- and how much more loving, emotive, and empathic my thoughts become.

If I'm feeling angered or stressed by a situation, I'll make the switch and observe the situation from a new perspective. Often, what the heart knows is the right thing to do, is the thing that the ego was unwilling or found impossible to do.

I discovered this practice on my own, but I'm sure it's been talked about plenty by many, many people. I'd be curious if anyone could share links/literature with others who have described this phenomenon ...?

[AnthroHeart]

I sometimes don't trust that voice within.