AUTOPSY OF THE SOUL

Just what is an Autopsy of the Soul? It’s quiet time with you extracting what is really important and what can be left by the wayside for your best interests.

Find a place where you can be alone and have quiet without disruption. This sometimes is scary to those of you who fill your moments every day with stuff and your mind is always jumping from one thing to the other. That quiet time is when you can excavate you from underneath all of the other faux distractions.

I am reminded of a discussion I had with a friend after she returned from a trip to the Colorado River…a place where there is a great deal of quiet. She was unable to sleep because it was too quiet and her mind wouldn’t allow her to stay with herself during that trip. How sad and how telling that was.

So, start by lighting some candles and put on some soft music and just sit and think about you. It is during this quiet time that you can examine your deepest thoughts and try to get a better understanding of who you are, what you want, and how best to get there.

Look at where you are and then think about where you want to be. Who are you with, or without? What kind of relationships have you enjoyed or endured, and why? What type of relationship would improve, expand, or add to your life at this point? All things are possible in this world of possibility. The Universe is here to enable you to have it all, but it only works if you know what it is you want.

So do what I call an Autopsy of the Soul and do it regularly.

Spend some time with you, even an hour a day, to begin excavating your deepest thoughts. Make that your time, don’t waste it, don’t squander it and don’t give it up! Be true to yourself and above all honest with what you will and will
not accept. It is not unusual for you to think you want something, only to find that the price to be paid is far too great.

We tend to think that having money will be the answer to all of our problems
and concerns. Think about this: A beautiful young woman captures the attention of an incredibly wealthy Arab Sheik. He marries her quickly and provides a fairy tale life. Her home a palace, staffed with hundreds of servants, her transportation; limousines, a 400’ yacht and a private jet, her life; a whirlwind of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, and of money flowing like water. There was nothing material that this young woman could want for. Nothing seemed beyond her reach.

In the beginning, she had been hypnotized by the extraordinary riches, but soon learned that money couldn’t buy the one commodity she required and yearned for, her freedom. So after 17 painful years and of marriage and several children, she decided to leave. She made a secret plan, as she felt like nothing more than a prisoner in a gilded cage of gold and diamonds. Her every move was monitored. By Islamic law she was forbidden to drive, wear makeup, dance and go to movies or restaurants alone.

She no longer wished to live and made several attempts on her life. Her long black robes covered a well of deep sadness and despair. Her decision to leave this prison was cloaked in secrecy. She had hidden some jewelry over the years and now needed to sell it for her support. In leaving she gave up custody and any relationship with her children and endured constant threats on her life from Islamic groups. But her wish to be free was greater than even those losses. Initially she thought the riches would give her the life she wished for but in the end it was just her perception that needed to be changed.

She nearly lost her most precious commodity doing that…her life. Every person is different and has unique needs and desires. Examine your wants and needs from all angles. Think about the sacrifice necessary to achieve your goals and whether or not you are willing to make those sacrifices.

I asked the Universe for someone to take away all financial worries. Over the next several years I had what I asked for, what I thought I wanted and never worried about money. But the one thing that I missed, amidst all the riches that I personally enjoyed was my freedom; me climbing on my bike and taking a ride along the beach or having sushi with friends, not having to dress so formally for dinner every single day.. One day I had enough and I walked out. I had no children to leave behind. There were no palaces, jets, yachts, servants or caches of diamonds, emeralds and rubies to leave behind, linger over or hide. I was well taken care of and money was not a worrisome thing but at the end of the day the financial freedom was hardly enough to replace the real freedom that I had on my own.

Remember, in every decision you make in life there are certain trade-offs. Initially it might look rewarding to have a specific person in your life but what will you sacrifice? Is the cost too great? Are you at risk or are other family members at risk because of your relationship? You need to weigh the gain against what must be given up and understand the importance of each before making that
final choice.

You control your ability to carefully analyze your options and to be certain of what you really want. Remember, don’t be needy. Be courageous. Ask for what you want just be sure you are being honest with yourself.