It sounds quite simple yet affirming. I have also become aware that when most people take this bold step, they sometimes share every detail with others, hoping for support or sometimes encouragement. However, this kind of sharing is often more likely to find those who would subvert your confidence. When Spirit, Source, or God endows you with your gifts, those people are not privy to the picture or image embedded within you. So Seng T’san, a Chinese author and sage, shares this wisdom:

We can find this wisdom in scripture, from our elders, and from our experiences. Until we manifest that image from within, I would concur that silence and contemplation are the keys to finding meaning and purpose. If that purpose is inspired from Source, then we can be assured that we will be supported, guided, supplied, and sustained by the Source. There aren’t any external powers that can supersede that authority. The lessons are stepping-stones to seeing infinite possibilities and gaining profound insights. I confidently assert that spiritual practice and a commitment to it will heighten one’s awareness. Spiritual practice is what sustains us, pulling us through those challenges.

If we currently find ourselves in a place where we have settled into merely doing what is expected of us from our external world, or we have plateaued after starting a new journey, or are at a standstill, or crossroads, we know that there is cumulative wisdom in where we have been, where we are now, and where we intend to go. As René Daumal, in Mount Analogue notes:

“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again…

So why bother in the first place?

Just this: What is above knows what is below,

but what is below does not know what is above.

In climbing, always take note of the difficulties along the way;

For as long as you go up, you can observe them.

Coming down, you will no longer see them,

But you will know they are there if you have observed them well.

One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer but one has seen.

There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions

By the memory of what one saw higher up.

When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.”

It is in our knowing that we hold power. Our experiences count for something, and nothing is in vain. If we look deeply and begin using that call to service, there is always one consolation: that we already know what we are being called to do. We already possess, in the recesses of our minds and spirit, the skills, understanding, and love to accomplish that goal. So what has love got to do with this? My answer is everything!

It is through love that we find freedom and fulfillment. It is tangible and measurable. As we embrace our journeys of love, we are required to recognize our own power, presence, and our ability to make choices that cultivate the practice of unconditional love for all that we have been.