What's Next?

Lately there have been several people telling me they feel lost and anxious, not sure of what it is they are supposed to be doing with their lives. They feel an impulse to be of service to other people and to the planet, but they can't get a clear mandate of exactly what they should be doing. Some of these folks work in the business world while others have already set up healing or counseling practices, but feel they haven't hit their full stride, that there is much more they should be doing.

Their question is, "How do I know what I am to do next? How do I know which way to go, what project to pursue?" My answer: Bloom where you are planted!

Wherever any of us are is where we need to be. It is the place that holds the most possibility and promise for us, even when that is very difficult for us to fathom. Human nature seems to always want what we cannot have, always seeking to be where we are not. There is nothing wrong with that. It is called evolution and it is what can make us grow and explore in noble and expansive ways.

There is a secret, though, that most of us are not told about. The secret is this: until we can bloom where we have been planted, we are not candidates for transplanting to a new garden. Until we have mastered the lessons of our current life situation, we won't be given another to work on.

What can be most difficult is ascertaining what the current lesson is. Especially lately, it seems that everything is more convoluted, that we must pay closer attention if we want to see the truth of any situation.

For many people who feel stuck, who don't know what they are supposed to do next, I think the primary lesson to be learned right now is how to stay at center no matter what's going on in the outer world. It's much more glamorous to think you're supposed to be healing people, changing the world situation, or influencing Congress. Although all these things are important, none of them will be effective unless the people doing them are coming from a place of inner connectedness, of deep connection with the source of all life, of a centeredness that can't be challenged by life's ups and downs.

You know what center is. Center is the place you find in deep meditation or when you are expressing yourself creatively. It is the feeling of stability and calm that comes from being in contact with your soul. In his tape series called How to be a No Limit Person, Wayne Dyer talks about this concept by comparing it to being the inner flame of a candle. Light a candle and look at the flame. You will see there is an inner part to the flame that is not affected by the movement of air in the room. This is being at center: being calm, focused, and acting with intention no matter what sort of upsets are going on around us.

Finding center is not difficult. Learn to meditate and you will find your center in no time at all. The trick is staying there once you leave your meditation room! It's staying at that place when you feel frustrated with people or situations around you. It's being there when you have physical challenges. It's living there when you feel adrift with your life, unsure that you're doing the right things.

All of us are given opportunities to practice the art of centeredness. Frequently though, we don't see these situations as chances to practice. Instead we panic or get depressed, or throw up our hands in desperation. Times such as these are our practice sessions, times to see how we can live from our center when we are outside the secure walls of the meditation chamber. These times are not easy, but in them we will find our path, our way to live in the world without being seduced into its erroneous beliefs in scarcity, competition, and ineptitude. I don't know of anyone who has accomplished anything great who didn't have to practice their craft. So do we.

Once we are on the path to living at our center, the next step will be presented. We will know what to do, where to go, who to talk to. There probably won't be any thunder or lightening. More likely, there will be a simple knowing of the next step, an almost effortless move into our next path of service.

Until then, if we fight where we are now, we won't be at center and we won't hear our call when it comes. Stand solidly in your current life. Be aware of everything and everyone around you. Put one hundred percent into whatever it is you are doing. Release the self-centeredness that insists your needs and desires must be met exactly how you want, when you want. Let your roots reach deeply into the soil and soak up the nourishment that is there for you in your current life situation. Lift your head to the sun, rain, moon, and stars. Let the light penetrate every cell. Allow yourself to bloom exactly where you are.

Be the flower that everyone stops to gaze at, the one that gives off the sweet aroma of life's goodness. Allow yourself to be transplanted, used in a flower arrangement, or even composted if that is what your gardener wishes to do with you. Bloom where you are planted and you will never have to ask the question, "What's next?" You'll know.

Living with grace and ease,

Krysta