Chapter 16: Setting Your Ideals in Accord with Spirit

After having spent the summer in Colorado I am always anxious to get some beach time.  I love the water.  BRC and I just spent some time in California visiting a friend in Ojai and family in Encinitas.  We visited a beautiful place called Meditation Mountain, but I was struck by the thought that all places are "meditation mountains" if we set our minds to be so.  It is always our choice.

The content of this chapter was a bit of a challenge for me.  I have always been more of a "go with the flow" person than a goal setter which may explain some aspects of my life.  What are my ideals?  I think of my ideals as the inner code I operate by.  I want my ideals to relate to me and my life, not be some unobtainable, unrealistic ideals, but they do need to be attuned to a higher level of consciousness.  If my ideals are too limiting I will restrict myself.  I strive to be about growth, so why should I define my ideals?  The book states your ideals are the standards by which you make your choices, like a road map to help you get to your destination; they are the attitudes by which you live; they determine the path and direction in which you are moving in consciousness; they determine what and whom you attract; and your ideals provide the balancing tie among body mind and soul.  After reading this chapter I appreciate the importance of defining my ideals.  How do I do this?

The book gives an Ideals Workshop which will be difficult to explain here.  Basically you pick an area in your life that you want to enhance such as partner, self, children, job, etc.  You then select a spiritual ideal such as love, truth, hope, patience, etc.  The third selection is of a mental idea which is a "be-attitude" such as be-loving, be-kind, be-forgiving, etc.  Step number 4 is to select a physical ideal which is what you will be "do"ing to bring into manifestation on the physical plane the spiritual and mental ideals that you have set for this area of your life such as using my ears to listen to my partner or
using my body to exercise. Every person's ideal workshop would look different, tailored to your life.

The book relates multiple benefits for setting my ideals to the highest levels which I can conceive:
   - Enable me to change my consciousness by establishing guideposts for living in accord with my Higher Self and so change my life for the better.
   -Set a definite direction for my pathway of life and provide a guide for making the best possible decisions.
    -Help in resolving the difficult areas of my life.
    -Bring me joy and contentment.
I think I have some work to do.