The only path I can take
When I get ready in the morning, my last stop is in my bathroom for a final check to make sure there’s no lipstick on my teeth and that my hair isn’t doing anything too crazy. Once I pass final inspection, I head to my garage to get in my car. But I don’t just instantly teleport from my bathroom to my garage. I must pass through several rooms in my house in order to get there.
First, I pass from my bathroom into my bedroom. On my way through my bedroom, I make a quick stop to put on my shoes. Then from my bedroom, I go through my living room, then my dining room, and then my kitchen. I’ll probably spend a few minutes tidying the kitchen on the way out while I brew a cup of coffee and collect my things. Then, finally into the garage.
This is like a ritual I travel through each morning. Some days spending longer as I notice a sock on the living room floor, or spending less time if I don’t want coffee. But if I want to get from where I am (my house) to where I’m going (the office), I can’t skip any of the rooms. I can’t just teleport to the garage (no matter how much my son tried to figure that out when he was little). If I stay in the living room, I can’t get out.
Picture your home; imagine the path you take to move through the house to get from where you are to where you want to be. The configuration of the rooms never changes. The path you travel may have slight variations, but it never changes.
The path we take to get to where we’re going in our homes is the same path we travel to reaching any of our goals: We must start from wherever we are, and move through a series of beliefs (rooms) in order to get to where we want to be. Our goals can only manifest when we believe in them and expect them to manifest. When we are living in doubt and worry, we are not at the right energy to allow the goal to manifest. We have to allow our beliefs and expectations to rise to a level where we expect the new goal to manifest. Only then can it actually manifest in our lives. Just as we move through the rooms of our homes, we move through different emotional states in order to get from where we are now to where we want to be.
When I set a new goal for myself, I start at the beginning of the path: I want it, but I don’t yet have it, so I don’t really believe it’s possible for me. The desire is real, but my beliefs and expectations don’t support the new goal. I’m not yet ready to manifest it.
As I do my work to elevate my belief, I move into the next room: I can see this desire as a possibility in my life, but I don’t really expect it yet. The belief hasn’t really taken root yet, but I’m no longer actively doubting it and making up reasons why it won’t work for me.
I continue moving forward: I now begin to expect the goal to manifest, but I’m a bit wobbly in my new belief. I can still be easily discouraged by bumps in the road, or when the path doesn’t look the way I expected it to look.
Finally, I reach the garage: My expectations and beliefs are aligned with the new desire, which allows the desire to manifest. Once my expectations are aligned with my desires, something magical happens: I begin to get divine inspiration leading me to exactly the right next step to lead me toward my goal. The path unfolds effortlessly along the way. I release all the struggle of trying to make something happen and trust in the Divine Guidance I am receiving.
Just as when I’m getting ready in the morning, it’s up to me to determine how much time I spend as I work through each of these rooms. If it’s a particularly big goal, I may need to spend weeks or months before I can see this desire as a possibility in my life. If I’m doing my work each day to allow a strong connection with Source energy, I may move through a room in just a day or two. I may hit an unexpected roadblock, which sends me back to the beginning of the path, like if I spill coffee on myself when I’m getting in the car and need to go back to change.
Neville wrote, “All that you could ever desire is already present and only waits to be matched by your beliefs”. Our work is not to go out and create something through hard work and struggle. Our work is to match our beliefs to what we want so that we can see the path to it laid out before us. The path is already here for us, but we have to match our beliefs to our desires before we can see it. Otherwise, we are left guessing and trying to figure it out on our own, which leads to frustration and exhaustion.
Instead, when we focus on growing into our goals and aligning our beliefs to what we desire, we can see clearly where we are headed. “We, by a series of mental transformations, become aware of increasing portions of that which already is.” (Neville)