We all have desires to achieve something, and most of us want to do good things, for ourselves and others, be productive, lead a meaningful life, and accomplish our goals.
But often, or always, as soon as we start out trying to create something, whether a job, a relationship, a book, a business, obstacles crop up and sometimes stop us in our tracks.
The Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius famously wrote:
“The obstacle itself becomes the path.”
Obstacles aren’t there to prevent us from moving forward; they are there to teach us something so we can proceed in a wiser way.
This is where language comes in. There is another saying: What you think upon grows. How you deal with obstacles determines your success or failure. But how to keep going in the face of difficulties?
How can words help? Words have vibrations. All cultures and spiritual traditions use words to affirm, to pray, to transform the speaker and the listener. The words you think about, the words you dwell on, the words you use affect your nervous system and your state of mind.
The vibration of words and their impact
When we speak, our words generate sound waves that vibrate through space, affecting not only those who hear them but also ourselves. It is well known that positive words such as love, gratitude, and joy carry a high vibration, while negative words like fear, hatred, and anger lower our energetic state.
Let’s take the word faith. Faith is:
- · loyalty to a duty or person
- · sincerity of intentions, acting in good faith
- · having a firm belief in something for which there is no proof.
The word faith comes from the Latin fides, which is also the root of fidelity, meaning to have trust in something or someone and to feel we can rely on it.
What can you rely on?
When has faith pulled you through, or given you courage to proceed?
To accomplish what we set out to do, we need a stable sense of ourselves. Our nervous systems need to be in a state of safety. Trust and faith can provide a steady base from which to proceed. Memories of times when we felt this kind of steady, stable safety can help us when we are feeling insecure or worried about our future.
Choose one thing you remember trusting or having faith in one time or in a particular situation. What happened in that experience? How did it feel to trust that person, place, community, practice, or teaching?
How did you know it was trustworthy?
Where did you feel your trust? In your mind, your heart, or your body?
“I trusted…”
