EVERYBODY IS FULL OF SHIT!
Think of it. Just on the physical level, in order to live we must eat, food goes through the digestive system and becomes waste, i.e. shit. You have it in you all the time. Yes, even when you do a colon cleanse because you have to turn around and eat. Even if you fast, eventually you need your digestive system to work. So yes, you too are full of shit. Don’t worry about it. It’s called the human condition. It’s not a problem, it’s just a reality.
We all have an ego, because we need one to function in this world. Egos are not inherently bad but they are tricky because if they go unchecked they get us into trouble. If we don’t have some way to check our ego it becomes a terrible master and we become enslaved to it.
The philosopher Alan Watts said “Without a mirror, we can’t see our own eyes.” What is our mirror? Other people. Which people? Well, you need some people you can trust. You need some people who will be vulnerable with you in return. It’s called reciprocity. And it simply cannot happen instantly. You need time with people.
My hope for myself is to have friends who love me enough to tell me when I’m full of shit and the grace to listen to them. Even though I know I'm just as full of shit as anybody, I often fail to recognize my own shit. In fact, it’s rarely the times that I think I’m being full of shit that are the problem. Invariably, it’s the times I think I’m completely reasonable that the people who love me will say, “Hey you are really full of shit there.” It’s almost always surprising to me. I say things like, “really, that’s where I’m full of shit? That? I thought that was reasonable” And my friends will say, “Oh yeah, you’re totally full of shit on that!” So, I listen to them.
This might sound like a lousy deal - but it’s not. If we are able to put our egos aside enough to realize that we are human ergo full of shit, then every time we catch our own shit it's an opportunity to GROW. And growing is exhilarating! If you can do that, then you're in the growth club.
The growth club is a lot like school – only it's more like "how to live" school or "how to keep learning to be a better human" school
Think of the most loving, compassionate teacher you ever had. (I hope you had at least one.) If not a school teacher then some older, benevolent person in your life. That’s who is running the school! The lessons just keep coming back until we learn them, not to punish us but because the Universe is patient.
Here’s the other simple truth that is definitely real:
MIRACLES HAPPEN ALL THE TIME!
You don’t have to call them miracles if that word makes you uncomfortable. Use any word or words that feel right to you - synchronicities, coincidences, energetic convergences, a flash of inspiration, revelations, phenomenon, or even an opening in the portal between worlds. The astrologer and author Rob Brezsny describes it as "Pronioa or How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings." Because really, there are blessings and miracles and synchronicities all around us. If you can wake up enough to see it, the world will open up and serve up miracles in totally unexpected ways.
The catch is you have to recognize your miracles and say “yes” to them. Which means you can miss your miracles. You You can say no to your miracles. You can be too much of a chicken-shit to go with your miracle and instead stay stuck in the same repetitive lessons you've been stubbornly not learning. In fact, you can stay stuck as long as you want. I can guarantee that it's not nearly as enjoyable as saying yes to your miracles.
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If you do want to say yes to your miracles, the first step is to be awake enough to recognize them. Once you see them you still have a choice – you can say no to your miracles. But, If you want your miracles, and you are in the growth club, you will see them for what they are. Then all you have to do is say yes. This can be an exhilarating ride. Like any roller coaster your miracles may bring you many feelings. Along with the thrills can also come excitement, anxiety, fear, pure heaven or even the feeling that you're going to throw up, Here at the growth club, we think it's worth it!