Integral Inquiry

November 21, 2007 | Filed Under Inspiring, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Read this 

These past few months represent a brief abandon from my quest for mastery…kind of. The important thing about everything is what you learn and how you choose to use the situations you’re presented with. While I did temporarily abnegate some of the praxis component of my journey, I’ve found meaning and I’m back on track.

There are three questions I have to ask myself everyday and incorporating this inquiry into my life is the major task at hand right now.

1. What do I appreciate? I’ve started asking myself this question every morning when I wake up. It helps me to start the day off with a higher energy than any other morning activity or thought process.
2. What am I learning right now? It’s a complex question, yes, but there are innumerable benefits to engaging in this inquiry. I contemplate on all the truths that are being exposed to me as a way of keeping me present and maximizing my understanding of why I’m where I am.
3. If everyone in the world did what I was doing right now, what would the world look like? “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” is almost cliche now, but yet so real.

These last few months have taken me on a journey to understand myself and my place in the world a little better. I’m learning that I’m not in control but that I do control my actions. I don’t know or understand everything, despite how quickly I might try to provide an answer. Without a doubt, I still have to humble myself–probably more often than I do–and learn to yield to the greater power.

If everyone were doing what I was doing right now, they would all be questioning and reconsidering our current systems and practices and creating new ones. People would be considering their roles in life, what they’re contributing to, what their cause is, what causes they’re supporting, minimalism, freeganism, ecoconsciousness to the n^thdegree. A new structure for the health industry would emerge as the focus would shift from treating sickness to maintaining and supporting health. Schools that taught children how to think and care for themselves would eclipse schools that taught children to pass by any means necessary while being indoctrinated with propaganda. People would just THINK and help themselves as they helped others.

Renowned life coach and author Debbie Ford has a book called The Right Questions that I found to be really helpful for evaluating courses of action, featuring questions such as:

• Will this choice propel me toward an inspiring future or will it keep me stuck in the past?
• Will this choice bring me long-term fulfillment or short-term gratification?
• Am I standing in my power or am I trying to please another?
• Will I use this situation as a catalyst to grow and evolve or will I use it to beat myself up?

The question Ford asks that echoes the theme of this blog is am I looking for what’s right or am I looking for what’s wrong?

Questions are necessary for growth. Don’t be afraid to ask them to anyone, including yourself.

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