Living with Devotion

My sister and her husband brought a new life into our family ten months ago. It has been nothing but wonderful to watch my nephew blossom before my eyes. Every time I’m with him, I witness the new things he is learning and how happy he is to be a part of it all. It’s even more inspiring to see the way my sister and her husband have banded together, devoting themselves to family life. They make it look easy, but undoubtedly this kind of devotion requires consistent sacrifice of their own desires in order to serve something higher than the Self.

If you lived your life committed to something higher than yourself, what would it be?

• Peace?
• The earth?
• A partnership?
• Love?
• Freedom?
• Family?
• A higher power?

When I am conscious enough to live with devotion, my life starts making sense.  I trust more. I give up what I don’t need. I let go of my belief that I can control. I become more comfortable with what is. It’s not all on me anymore–I trust in the interconnectedness of this life.

When I live with devotion, it means that I’m willing to give up:

• Being right.
• Needing things to go my way.
• My cynicism.
• My skepticism.
• Living in my head.

What I get in return is peace of mind. Living from my heart. Trust. More love. Free-spiritedness. Spontaneity. Self-worth. I tune in to an inner wisdom that is always there and ready for me to draw from whenever I remember to. Life becomes vibrant and multi-sensory.

So, how do you practice this art of living?

• Spend time with people who live well. Their happiness is contagious. You’re likely to catch on.
• Listen to your heart every day.
• Meditate. There really is something to it.
• Get outside and feel the air on your skin.
• Trade in wishing you had someone else’s life for loving the life you have instead. Say what you’re grateful for every day.
• Give.