Ask Yourself Why

Daily Reflection
Sometimes we get very caught up in our lives without stopping to ask ourselves, "why"? Why am I working at this job? Why do I make the choices that I do? Why am I where I am today? This is a very important part of our spiritual practice. We need to know why we have chosen to do something. Knowing why can help us focus, can help us observe if we are making a choice for the right reasons, and knowing why can help us to live more harmoniously. For example, recently a student of mine failed to pass my class for a third time. I asked her to ask herself why. Why did she keep failing the class? Her response surprised her. It was her last class and she wasn't ready to graduate. She was afraid to move forward. Another student of mine moved to another state and her license to practice nursing was declined. For months, she was angry, wanted revenge, felt unworthy and felt the need to prove herself. I asked her why was she caught up in this problem when other very exciting opportunities were arising in her life. She said it was her ego. She needed this license only to satisfy her ego. She recognized that this was causing her problems and her eyes finally opened to the other possibilities available to her in her life.

In your journal today, ask yourself why. Why are you doing what you are doing? Begin at the beginning of your day and record all of the things you did and ask yourself why. For example, why do I get up at 4am and not at 6am? Why do I work in an office rather than at home? Keep going and you will discover some very important insights into who you are and what you want in your life.


Swami K