We create our reality through a conscious or unconscious choice. Of course the term “unconscious choice” is just a contradiction, because how can you have a choice when you are not even conscious that you have a choice. A lot of us make an unconscious choice towards creating a life that feels very stressful and struggle-oriented owing to the conditioning we got imbued with as we grew up (in surroundings the seemed to accept stressful behavior as normal). We are tutored to become a part of the rat race right from our childhood where a competitive mindset is encouraged and honed in kids by parents/teachers who are disconnected with their own inner alignment.

It’s common to see parents discouraging their kids from being oriented with their natural ease/joy, and being forced into hard work and strain, in a bid to get them to get “good grades” or be top notch at something – the assumption is that without strident discipline and external force the kids would automatically become “slackers” and would not do anything useful of themselves – which is not the truth at all. Every being is created from an intentionality from life to express/experience itself in a specific way, and when it’s allowed free movement this expression comes forth smoothly – we don’t become slackers when we are aligned, we start manifesting our natural expression, our true potential and creativity, in an effortless and un-forced manner.

When you try to force discipline a mind you immediately disconnect it from its true creativity and also disconnect it from being aligned with the inner guidance of its life-stream, thus disturbing the harmony of its movement. An inherent, harmonious, discipline and responsibility comes of its own accord when you allow the mind to be free of imprisonments created out of “fear”. This “responsibility” does not come from a place of fear but from a place of wholeness. The mind is not a “slacker”, it enjoys activity, it enjoys creativity, it enjoys taking actions, it likes taking responsibilities and it also enjoys rest/relaxation, left on its own it finds its own harmony from a place of inner connection. The way I see it, the future schooling systems, coming from a more conscious mindset, would allow for this freedom of expression in children and they will be encouraged towards their natural interests, joy and creativity instead of being tutored in a mindset of competition, discipline and strain.

Why do we get into a rat race?

As human beings we naturally enjoy activity, and like keeping our body/mind engaged in some creative actions. We also like balancing the activity with rest and spending time where we allow the body to just enjoy a space of relaxation, what is commonly called nowadays as “chillin”. Out of the 24 hours, most of us have 17 waking hours (considering that most of us commonly sleep for 8 hours), and these hours can be used for activity and relaxation – the bottom-line is are you “enjoying” these hours or are you moving through these hours in a mindset of strain/struggle? If you are enjoying these hours, it doesn’t matter if you are busy for all the 17 hours, there is always an inherent relaxation, because your enjoyment ensures that your body is not moving in resistance.

To get into a “rat race” by its very definition is about becoming unconsciously oriented towards activity from a place of “fear” rather than from a place of joy, or inner alignment. You know if you are oriented with joy, or fear, based on how you feel when you are doing an activity. Some of us keep ourselves distracted in work in a bid to not face the conflicts within us, some of us work purely driven by fear of sustenance without getting any real joy from the work, some of us work from a place of hatred towards others in a mindset of cut-throat competition – when you try to use “activity” to conceal your inner fears/conflicts it always ends up feeling like a strain and is counter-productive. To do a work that’s not aligned with your natural make-up, or rather which is not really come from a place of inner calling, always leads to a state of constant stress owing to your resistance to your own life stream.

Alignment before action

There is a saying “Work will work when nothing else works”, though it sounds wise it points you to a state of furthering your mis-alignment. When you are not aligned within, the more work you do the more you move in opposition and it just causes more strain and wear. The foundation for activity should be inner alignment. Any activity that comes from a place of inner alignment does not cause resistance in your body, and hence it feels like a flow, moreover it’s aligned with your natural expression and hence it feels effortless.

Don’t use activity, blindly, as a means to get to your desired reality. In many cases your actions could well be resisting the very reality you desire to manifest, and what’s needed is for you to drop those actions for a while so that you can get pointed in the right direction. Life is not about shooting in the dark and hoping to hit the mark, it’s about aligning with your life-stream and getting guided towards your mark or desired reality. Your life stream is constantly moving in the direction of your inherent intention, or desired reality, and once you align with it you can tap into its full momentum and thus be effortlessly lead towards its manifestations. When you are in alignment you are in joy in the “Now”, not waiting to reach some place in the future to be happy. You enjoy your activities, actions and creations but that’s because you are already feeling whole within yourself, and are not dependent on the outside for your sense of wholeness.

Let go of the mindset of a rat race, that’s not what life is about. You did not come here to compete with others or to struggle towards an achievement. You came here to experience physicality knowing your inner wholeness/invincibility, and to express your joy/love into this reality through your actions – this is not a battle ground, but a play ground for your creative enjoyment. The realities you wish to manifest are your expression of joy, and the only vibration that can manifest them is the vibration of inner wholeness. You cannot manifest a joy based reality from a place of inner lack and struggle.