James Redfield’s book, The Twelfth Insight, focuses not just on gaining spiritual understanding, but on how to live it day-to-day. This practical focus was very helpful for me as I find that consistently staying on track is not so easy. In the book, the character Wil addresses this issue when he says, “All you have to do is remember to remember.” This is good and simple advice that, if I can follow, brings so much to daily life. The question for me has always been how do I remember to remember? Let’s review 4 simple steps we can all adopt to keep us in the flow.
Step 1: Start The Day Off Right
First thing in the morning is the best time to bring goals for the day to mind. For many of us, waking up is an unpleasant process that includes feeling tired and rushed into the day’s activities. Over-responsibility can create stress and worry that starts as soon as we wake.
For me, it is tempting to grab my phone and start the day with emails, news, and an information overload. This early screen focus sets the stage for a lack of balance where my spiritual practice takes the back seat. With effort though, it is possible to start the day well and even become a morning person.
It can be helpful to make sure we are up early enough to get a peaceful start to the day. A routine of an early morning mindfulness meditation allows thoughts to settle. Taking a short time to sit quietly and notice everything we’re experiencing is often enough to emerge focused on how we want to move forward through the day.
Step 2: Remember That Intentions Matter
The sooner we remember our intention to be awake to synchronicities the better. It is amazing how easy it is to forget to approach each moment as the meaningful event that it is. For some, maintaining a focus on their spiritual life comes easily and naturally. I’m not one of those people.
For me, one way to avoid twisting aimlessly in the wind for the whole day is to incorporate an affirmation to be present and attentive. Another good habit is to bring our life questions to mind. The issues that are most intuitive and pressing provide a natural energy boost.
Recently, I’ve added intentions to my phone reminders. This way, at regular intervals, I get a buzz that brings my goals back to mind. It’s easier to make time for a few very small breaks like this rather than wait for a large chunk of time to regroup.
Step 3: Keep It Going
Having a plan to keep our spiritual lives in mind increases our chances of sustaining our efforts. While we can’t anticipate every kind of encounter we might face on any given day, we can be sure that challenges await. Whether we are at home or work, we can bring a beginners perspective to our tasks. This allows us freedom from mind numbing monotony that can pull us from our pursuits.
Interacting with others has the potential to either strain or enhance our spiritual efforts. One easy fix is to commit to consistently sharing our truth. If we take an attitude of authentically sharing our own path, we are likely to both give and receive help. We engage in conscious conversation when we bring an expectation of synchronicity. Committing to listening fully to others opens the door for us to receive important messages, to offer key information to others, and to avoid getting wrapped up in defending our points of view. This has the benefit of preventing us from forgetting what it is we are trying to do, as well as giving us the energy needed to keep going.
Step 4: Accept That Distractions Happen
As we move into each day, there are sure to be difficulties, distractions, and frustrations. Unwelcome thoughts, feelings, and events can dominate our consciousness. This often leads to lower energy, which might cause us to fall into control dramas and compete with others for energy. The result is that we forget to put our practice into action. In these moments, we have the greatest need for a way to remember to remember.
One of the best antidotes to negativity is practicing gratitude. Taking a moment to remember all that we have to be grateful for can lift us back to steadier footing. Trying to force gratitude is rarely ever successful. Creating a daily routine and focusing on things and people that elicit good emotions from us will help to cultivate gratitude until it becomes a way of life. If we are patient, we can remember a time we loved or felt loved and then we are ready to return to living life according to a deeper understanding.
Another practice that can bring us back to a more centered approach is non-judgement. Accepting ourselves and any situation we find ourselves in can free us from a cycle of internal dialogue that distracts from our purpose. Once we notice that judgement has taken over, we can try just letting go.
We Can Remember To Remember
Putting our spiritual understanding into practice is not always easy. Our attention is pulled in many directions and we lose the connections that give us energy. While sustaining the approach we want is as simple as remembering to remember, even that can be a challenge.
The good news is that there are so many practical methods we can use to help. Experiencing synchronicities gives us energy and the more we are able to tap into these events, the easier it becomes to keep it going. In the meantime, we can work to make mindfulness of synchronicity a habit.
