Have
you ever been called judgmental? How about a gossip? Do some people think you
are highly critical or cynical? Do you consider yourself an optimist or a
“realist” (another fancy word for pessimist)?
The
odds were, if you were called judgmental or critical, you were probably displaying a non-accepting
attitude. And, to be sure, the person who called you this was being
judgmental.
One
of the key steps to discovering our purpose (or at the least a major block to
living it) is learning to accept others.
By
acceptance, this does not mean that we condone nasty behavior. Nor does it
mean remaining in a situation damaging to our self-esteem due to someone else's
problems. However, it does mean accepting that we are all different.
If we hold up our hand we may glimpse an instantly recognizable characteristic
demonstrating our uniqueness: our fingerprints. Each person has a
unique thumb-print, no matter what race, gender, age or size.
Judgments
lead to anger, which leads to conflict, which can lead to a battle or war.
How many lawsuits would be avoided if people refrained from speaking ill of
others? The word "libel" would no longer be relevant in our
society. How many atrocities, from rape to genocide, have been committed
because of differences in race, culture or religion? Yet, there are many
races, cultures and religions, so to think that we can tread upon those
different from us is simply wrong-headed thinking. To live in the new world, we will need to
accept these differences and send love, rather than judgment, to help build
understanding of others.
One
method to track how often we judge is to keep an "anti-judgment
journal." In the journal, note how often we pass judgment over the
course of a week. Even if you do not verbalize the judgment, write it
down. You might be surprised how often you judge others. I sure was.
When
we are judging we have a hard time loving. Since love is a key to
discovering and living our purpose, then judgment is a block.
In
accepting others, I do not mean accepting negative situations or being
apathetic; on the contrary, accepting is simply freeing your mind of the
negative thoughts that can distract you from living in authenticity.
We
review the more about our Spiritual Nature and The Purpose Question in our
new Life Purpose Program entitled, "The Keys To Discovering Your
Purpose," featuring our experiential e-workbook, audio CD companion,
and upcoming e-book and hardcopy book on Discovering Your Purpose. People
report that living a life on purpose brings higher fulfillment, raised
self-esteem, increased abundance, and more time to do what they love. Why
not be one of the twenty percent living on purpose?
"I
think that everyone should read and re-read your [workbook articles]
frequently. It is easy to start with much gusto but we
all need a reminder of our direction." - Mary R. (GA, USA)
To
learn more about the Purpose Question and gain additional exercises into
how to discover and live your life on purpose, we have additional
resources for you:
The
Keys To Discovering Your Purpose Audio (74 min. CD) $19.95 US
The
Keys To Discovering Your Purpose, Experiential e-Workbook $24.95 US
Life
Coaching by Scott Andrews, AspireNow Founder
