Here is another winning submission to the Inspired Abundance Andy Andrews give away we held in celebration of the upcoming release of Andy Andrews newest book Mastering the Seven Decisions.
Today's article was written by Jan Wehner.
Reflections on The Seven Decisions by Andy Andrews
Andy Andrews’ Seven Decisions from his book “The Traveler’s Gift” provide a solid framework within which to build a successful life. They crystallize the principles which guide my life.
Through my own spiritual growth, I have come to understand that every experience holds within it the seeds of opportunity. Opportunities are provided by the experiences of my life and they will be ‘negative’ – unpleasant or wasted – if I allow them to be. On the other hand, they can be fuel for my growth if I take responsibility for my response to them and if I look past the apparent meaning on the surface to find the deeper meaning – the gifts or treasure in the experience. These are the keys that are held within to open new doors of discovery in my life. I know that I am the only one who can take responsibility for creating the life I choose – therefore, as Andy says, “The Buck Stops Here – Adversity is preparation for greatness.”
A seed is very much influenced by the conditions it is placed in – the soil conditions, amount of sunlight and water it receives. In a similar fashion, the path of my life is influenced by the messages I take in and accept as true. Supportive and constructive messages nurture me and help me to have the strength and stamina to continue to grow through all of the experiences I face. Destructive messages, if I accept them, will hold me back. The company I keep and the books I read or recordings I listen to provide the messages that set the conditions the seed of my life faces. I can choose to surround myself with friends and teachers who will support and encourage my growth I can also choose to not associate with those who would tear me down – perhaps to wallow with them in their state of self-pity or jealousy. Andy states, “I Will Seek Wisdom – I will choose my friends with care.”
The only ‘time’ in which I can live and grow and take action is the present. Anything else – remembering the past or dreaming about the future – is simply a way of passing or wasting time. Procrastination – dreaming of what I will do ‘some day’ – is a way of avoiding life. It is important to gather facts and to ensure safety – and then one must act. Each moment offers a new chance to choose, so, if in a new moment I decide that the choice I made is no longer serving me, I can make a new choice and head in a different direction. Andy says, “I Am A Person of Action – I can make a decision and I can make it now.”
“I Have A Decided Heart – My destiny is assured.” is Andy’s fourth principle. This one is closely related to the first and third and seventh principles. When I understand and accept that I am responsible for my own life and how it ‘turns out’, I have great power within me. I will then make the decision to be the ‘Sovereign in my Castle’ to borrow from Carl Jung’s archetypes. I will have a clear vision and will engage my ‘Warrior’ to take the appropriate action to lead me along the path of my higher purpose. Living out my higher purpose puts me on the path of my ‘destiny’ - the realization of the gift that only I can bring to the world – rather than in the way of ‘fate’ – ill-fortune that befalls someone who is in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ because they are not on their clear path.
Andy says, “Today I Will Choose To Be Happy – I am the possessor of a grateful heart.”
I am alive today – that is cause for celebration. I have the opportunity to learn and grow today whether the lesson is pleasant or less so. An experience does not hold the ‘power’ to make us feel happy, sad, angry, or any other emotion – we choose how to respond to the experience. I can choose to celebrate the opportunity to grow and all of the gifts that are already in my life. The vibration of gratitude draws to it more to be grateful for, therefore, if I want more ‘good’ in my life, I will begin by being grateful for what I already have. The energy of gratitude moves us forward – so why not decide to be happy and grateful for the life you are learning from?
“I Will Greet This Day With A Forgiving Spirit – I will forgive myself.” The sixth principle is to recognize the value in every person and every experience – as a source of learning and growth. There is no benefit to be derived from blame, shame or holding grudges. These only drain energy away from the one who is ‘frozen’ in these emotions. When you recognize that everything serves a purpose, you can release these draining emotions, and reclaim the energy they trap. This is done by ‘forgiving’ – or as I prefer to say – ‘accepting’ – the people and situations as just ‘being’. The first and most important one of all to accept is yourself. If you believe as I do that ‘we all do the best we can in any given moment based on the resources we have at hand’ and that these resources come from our past experiences and learning, then there is nothing to forgive – we can simply accept ‘what is’ for what it is – and perhaps even move on to gratitude for the lesson it has provided us.
The last principle – “I Will Persist Without Exception – I will find a way where there is no way” – is an interesting one. I once understood it to mean that, once I have chosen a course of action, I must commit to following that forever. I have come to understand that there is flexibility and grace in this one. When one sees that experiences and relationships are there to contribute to our learning and growth, it becomes possible to recognize that, sometimes, a course of action serves its purpose and then offers no further value. To stay on that path may actually take us further away from the realization of our destiny or higher purpose. A great quality in living all of these principles is the discernment to see the gifts and to see when the path is moving us forward and when it is not. We can then choose to take a different fork of the path or to step onto an entirely new path.
The book, “The Traveler’s Gift’, adds a wonderful narrative that illustrates these principles in memorable ways. Making the decision to follow these principles opens the possibility of great joy in the discovery of the path of your life and in claiming all of the gifts that are waiting for you. Decide now to implement these Seven Decisions in your life in this moment – and this – and this… and watch as your life unfolds before you.
Thanks so much for the article Jan.
If you've never read The Travelers Gift, now you have much incentive to do so.
