Cartoon of a woman standing on a beam trying to balance while holding a smiley face in one hand and a sad face in the other

Just like the tires of your car, your desires, actions, and beliefs need to be in alignment; anything else and you are working against yourself, akin to have one foot on the gas, the other toeing the brakes.

It is easier than you might think to find yourself out of alignment; so many of our thoughts, emotions, beliefs and even elements of our self-concept have been picked up willy-nilly along life’s way. We are constantly being bombarded by programing: buy this to feel this way, wear this to belong, get that in order to project success or be accepted. The challenge of one who seeks self-mastery is to be in the world without being of the world.

To be in alignment requires self-knowledge and awareness; it requires learning to step outside yourself and observe yourself, learning to ask yourself ‘W’ questions over and over: Why did I do that? Where did that feeling come from? What motivated that? What was I seeking? How did I feel when I got it? Was it what I expected? In the beginning the answers may be vague and shadowy but over time, like untangling yarn, clarity will emerge: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Treat yourself to regular tune-ups; alignment unleashes your fullest powers.

Closing Quotes:

“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.” – Brian Tracy, b. 1944, ‘Maximum Achievement’

“Authenticity is an alignment between your beliefs, your desires, and your choices. Desires change throughout the course of a life, but agreement between ideals, aspirations, and deeds is key to a life of peace, happiness, and success.” – David Simon, b. 1960

“Forget about willpower. It’s time for why-power. Your choices are only meaningful when you connect them to your desires and dreams. The wisest and most motivating choices are the ones aligned with that which you identify as your purpose, your core self, and your highest values. You’ve got to want something, and know why you want it, or you’ll end up giving up too easily.” – Darren Hardy, b. 1971, ‘The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success’

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier