Focus on Life™

We know only what we know. This sounds very simple and naïve but still it is a powerful statement. It also defines what we do not know, which is very important to realise as well. One could say that we limit our world and experiences by our awareness.

Learning new and being open to new opportunities and possibilities is not easy. This can be clearly seen from the above axiom, or just by looking around you and observing how the people you know carry on having their usual habits and routines—often unchanged for decades. As if this would not be enough to restrict and narrow our potential we do it also proactively, and others do it for us.

Imagine that you are faced with a new situation that is somewhat awkward or cumbersome. To whom will you tell about it? Quickly you scan through your friends and decide to share the information with people who can handle the news. In another words you do not bother upsetting the persons, who you feel with your past experience, would be shocked and would have hard time taking in the news. Everybody knows a relative or a person who is very uptight and square with his/her world-view. With those persons you are very careful how you put your words and what kind of issues are appropriate discussion topics. You filter your interaction and communication proactively, subconsciously.

So, who limits and what? Is it you or the rest of the world?

Many of us are learning the lesson with money. Either we are tight to make the two ends meet or we have an uneasy relationship with prosperity.
Wealth itself is a neutral issue. It is not either good or bad. We ourselves create the meaning and its role. Its scope can be very narrow and limited or wide and very significant. Anyhow, it is all up to us. It has nothing to do with the energy called money or anybody else except us. We create our own reality – the energy is happy to provide us whatever we wish for.

Therefore prosperity and abundance are at our reach. We can make it to happen. Actually nothing can keep as apart from it - if we only allow it ourselves. And this is the big if. It is not the circumstances or the economical situation. Not the job or anything else in our outside reality. There is no one else to deal with but us.

Can you see yourself already living in prosperity? Wait – stop for a while and really consider the previous point. This is important if you are going to make it to happen. Are you able to visualise yourself living in abundance?

The only thing that keeps us separated from abundance is our own beliefs. We don’t feel that we are worth the wealth. We undermine ourselves and simply don’t believe it is possible to realise. Maybe we have had some bad experiences in the past and thus we are reluctant to try again. It did not happen then why could this time be any different? Or we regard anything even closely related to business or money somehow unrelated or impure when talking about spirituality and higher purpose of life. We want to associate ourselves only with unselfishness and spiritually uplifting issues - not with the material reality.

What are all the above? They are our beliefs and associations that we have created ourselves. We believe so – not the wealth or the money. Nothing has any meaning except the one we create for it. Our reality is relative. This means that we can decide to use money for our own selfish purposes or use it as a tool to build a better future for all of us. Actually have you ever considered the possibility that the most spiritually evolved persons should also be the wealthiest? This is not so outstanding claim as it first might sound like. Who would be better servant for humanity than a prosperous and humble multibillionaire that uses his / her wealth for unselfish purposes? Not even talking about how these people would run their businesses…

Can you now see yourself surrounded by wealth and abundance?

Common misunderstanding about wealth is that is difficult to gain. Or that one has to work hard to earn it. Who says so? Money doesn’t care if you don’t. Actually abundance is our natural state of being. There has been previous Golden Eras when gold was widely available for everyone who needed it. Lack and limitations are our own creations. We are meant to be living among abundance if we only allow ourselves. Some of us are very harsh and hard on ourselves. Our previous hardship has taken its toll and subconsciously we blame ourselves for the difficulties. We think that we have earned to be poor and to suffer. It is a lesson that we have to learn. In another words suffering by being poor is a thing that we need. Once again – if you believe so but certainly you do not have to.

Can you see all your friends surrounded by prosperity and wealth?

Wealth is energy like anything else. If you take good care of it and let it flow it will keep coming and become stronger. But if you use it for your selfish purposes and block the sharing of wealth it will drain. Life is economical. It gives for those who appreciate and cherish it. We do not own anything, rather being only humble housekeepers that take care of the resources and gifts provided to us. In another words we must feel to be worth the wealth. Be responsible and joyous about it. We must appreciate and use it wisely.

And finally the secret of prosperity. How to become wealthy? Simply by being one. First forgive yourself. Forgive yourself any hardship or shortcomings in the past. This is important in order to clear any old luggage out of the way. Secondly, love yourself. Love yourself from all of your heart so that you fill up with unconditional love so and it starts to spill over and finally you radiate pure love. Wealth loves to be around kind and harmonious people. You feel that you’re worth the wealth and it is a natural part of your reality. Beauty and wealth are as natural for you as any other part of your reality. And then the most important issue when you have now successfully prepared the ground for your prosperity: you know that you are wealthy. You must know this deep in your mind, bottom of your heart and solid as a rock in your behaviour. You must be wealthy. How does a wealthy person think, talk and act? This is the way you manifest your reality. A wealthy person do not worry about unpaid bills or low balance in the bank account. He knows that there is nothing to worry about. He / she is wealthy and everything is going to be alright. This does not mean that one should start to spend like a millionaire and take up new loans and so on. It simply means that since we create our own reality by our own actions, talks, and thoughts and these have to be in line with the desire of prosperity. We KNOW, FEEL and ACT with confidence that the wealth is on its way. Nothing can stop as from gaining it. We are creators and thus nothing can stop our prosperity but us. Just do it – you already are.

We read many books during our life. The type of reading we
do varies with the topic, our interest in it, and the situation.
Sometime we just want to pass the time while waiting for
something else. Holiday and travel reading are just some
examples. On some occasions, we are very focused and con-
centrated on the text. The book is so good that we do not see
or hear the world around us. Time flies when we “wake up”
from the book’s fascinating world. This state of concentration
is meditating. Our mind is not wandering around but focus-
ing on the text for long periods of time.

Our reading style is different when we study. We need to
focus and concentrate in order to understand the context. It is
more of a struggle than when we read a good fiction novel.
Our mind tries to slip off from the concentration required for
learning something new; reading in this way is work, like any
other serious thinking processes.

When we study, we use the text and words as pure means
to penetrate and realize the idea and concept illustrated by the
words. We want to gain insight and learn the idea the author
is trying to present and transfer to us via words. What we
actually do is we use the text as our meditation tool. It is our
guide and map to help us to reach the concept and thinking of
the writer. Our concentration is in seeking to catch and reflect
the thought object produced by the author. Some texts are
easy for us to understand—we gain the insight and realize the
meaning. Often, we have difficulties reproducing and reflect-
ing the thinking, especially with subjects unfamiliar to us. We
need to work hard to expand our mind in order to understand
something new, unknown, to us.

We are able to learn and gain insight without firsthand
experience. However, this does not mean that we should not
actively strive forward for the insight. Pure mechanical read-
ing does not provide us with anything. We simply mimic and
repeat the mantra of the text without catching the concept
and the idea transferred by the text. In other words, we might
gain some knowledge but definitely not any wisdom. But wis-
dom can be achieved and realized from written materials.
This is an excellent way of gaining insight. It only requires
that we are open and willing to learn and are persistent: noth-
ing comes without personal responsibility and effort. The
most important component is our personal desire and humble
attitude toward learning more about ourselves. With practice,
we get better and our meditation technique improves as well.

We are used to living surrounded by information. Our schools
teach us the value of knowledge and details. TV is full of
quizzes and competitions to test for cleverness. Education is
emphasized everywhere we go. Each morning and evening,
people learn the latest news. It is important to know what’s
happening and the topics of the day. But what do we really
know?

Do we know what we know? Often we behave like we are
very knowledgeable and have all the facts. Most of us are very
keen on presenting our own points of view. We have opinions.
Seldom do we consider whose opinions we are really repeat-
ing. Have we considered the items thoroughly and find argu-
ments for and against the issue? Are we sure that our sources
of information are objective and provide the complete pic-
ture? On what grounds is our thinking based?

Usually, we come to the conclusion that the more we
investigate and study a subject, the less we know about it. Our
thinking is based on a structure that needs to categorize and
polarize items. We need straight and simple answers that are
based on comparing and contrasting. We call this “putting
things in relation to.” There is a need to prefer and value
something over something else. Otherwise we are said to be
undecided. What happens when we are urged to set things
into a relationship but we have limited knowledge and infor-
mation?

Our ignorance results from our limited perception and
understanding of issues. Also the need to value things (i.e.,
being able to “decide”) creates a lot of confusion and misinter-
pretations. Therefore, what we know is less important than
what we do not know. Unfortunately, most of the time our
knowledge does not expand enough for us to realize that we
do not know what we do not know. In other words, we may
act with the best of intentions, but what is more arrogant than
claiming to know something that we do not have a clue
about?

What can we do so that we know as much as Socrates? Be
humble. Humbleness rises from the knowledge and insight
that we are not omnipotent and, therefore, cannot know very
much of anything. We have to be sensitive and open-minded
to realize this. The greatest minds in the world have claimed
to know very little—how about us? What do we know?

Different stages,
various levels,
intercepting each other.
Same moment,
different meanings,
present in all of them.

Separate paths,
isolated ways,
interlinked only for the few.
Reaching for the next,
struggling in the past,
worrying for the future.

Gaining experience,
the hard way,
is the slow and easy,
mostly used and favored.
Converting the current,
realizing the meaning,
living the truth,
is the instant reach for the willing.

Gradual gains,
layered and stay,
remain for the next,
step for the greater,
further and brighter.
The future way,
of realization and gain,
better understood,
aligned,
without the strain.

Parallel,
here and now,
one within the other,
full of life,
isolated from each other.
All linked and acting,
planned to support,
and coach,
way to develop,
and progress,
up or down,
in or out,
heading forward,
never failing to drop out.

Reality is a subjective phenomenon. It consists of our personal
understanding of the structures around us. It is an interpreta-
tion based on inner perception and insights. Our reality is
something that we take as the ultimate truth for us, some-
thing that we cannot question and that is the basis for our
existence. It is the building block and foundation upon which
everything else is placed.

Subjective reality has nothing to do with the physical
world around us. Our reality is just based on the observations
and conclusions we have drawn and understood with the best
of our perception. One way to illustrate this is to look back in
history. Not so many centuries ago people believed that the
world was flat. It was a nonquestionable fact, like the presence
of day and night or the soil underneath us. What happened
later on was that humankind made more precise observations
of the physical world and was able to adjust its understanding
and perceptions based on new evidence. Today, no one can
seriously claim that the world is a flat surface. We can take a
flight and observe it with our very eyes. Our subjective reality
is dependent on our capabilities and, therefore, it is unique to
everyone. Also, it evolves over time but the physical reality
remains the same.

We are children in a larger scale; when we grow up, our
perception and behavior change accordingly. Grown-ups do
less kids’ stuff and their understanding of the issues are altered
together with experience and better understanding.
Humankind goes through the same process, but the cycle is
naturally longer. Humankind’s progress takes generations,
whereas children expand their consciousness each year.
History demonstrates this development. The United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights was declared for all
people on earth just under sixty years ago. Physical wars and
abuse of power are less tolerated now than in the beginning of
the twentieth century. The progress has its unit in genera-
tions—not in years. All it takes is our internal reality to
develop. Each individual contributes to the process, and col-
lectively we declare who we are and what our perception of
the reality is—our truth.

Some of us choose a harder route. We want to achieve things
faster this way than it would take on the usual long and less
steep road. This means that we are put into a series of tests
that are progressive in nature. They come in different forms
and shapes. They drive us to our limits and press us hard. We
are offered the easy way out, which means failure, but the real
solutions are usually nowhere to be found and beyond our
personal comprehension. Often, all the circumstances are
against us. This is the harder way.

The rewards are high as well. Our life is very intense and
rich in experiences. Situations may even seem strange to
bystanders. Lucky coincidences and amazing turnarounds
occur. We are not that surprised if we have the inner knowl-
edge of the real issues. Anything is possible and at the end,
things turn out the good way—if we only last to the end. The
choice is ours and we can opt out. But there are a few of us
who have made it all the way—they are the hope for the rest
of us. They are very few in numbers, compared to the total
population and even to the number of people reaching for
higher grounds. But everybody is free to join—the choice is
ours.

Every one of us is here alone (but not necessarily lonely). We
live among other people and yet all the great challenges of life
we have to face alone. Our friends and people we keep close
can support and give us the courage we need in our journey.
Circumstances often take us on some rough rides but the
greatest lessons are given to us by other people. Our life is
about relationships with people. Some are strangers and just
visitors in our lives and some are here to stay longer with us.

Our life is about learning new sides to and issues about
ourselves. The things in our lives are purely about us. The
people we meet, the situations we face—they are not coinci-
dences or pure chance. They have a meaning for us and help
us to get to know ourselves better. Still, it is up to us to do the
work and learn the lessons. Often we are ignorant and seem
to repeat the same patterns. We realize this when similar
kinds of things happen to us. For example, we might get
involved with the same type of people all the time—and they
get us into trouble. Or we seem to struggle with our bosses in
each and every new job we have. These things will happen to
us until we acknowledge the pattern and learn from our
behavior and actions. Then we are up to new challenges.

Other people play an important role in our lives. They are
the mirrors for us. They interact with us and give us the test
bed for getting to know our different sides and even hidden
talents and emotions. People, through their behavior and
actions, show us who we really are—and it should not be any
big surprise that often we are the last people to see the reality.
Just check with your closest friends—they may describe your
other side if you only let them.

We get angry and frustrated with other people easily. They
are the ones to blame. Why are we agitated? Why should
their behavior concern us? Other people’s problems or bad
behavior are not our problem. So there is no reason to get
emotional. Unless there is something in us that knows that
they have revealed or awakened some hidden issues in us,
such as ego, selfishness, laziness, greed for power, hypocrisy,
and so on. Naturally we do not like to be reminded of those
darker sides of us. We cannot stand it, and we blame others.
As long as we have these issues with ourselves, we will need
other people because we are not voluntarily working with
ourselves.

Therefore, each human interaction and moment in our life
is a new opportunity for us: to learn more about ourselves and
become better human beings. Every person you meet is most
of all teaching you about yourself. You only have to be humble
and open-minded to realize the messages. Remember to
thank the people around you. You don’t have to say any-
thing—just smile and love your neighbor. He or she is your
greatest teacher.