The Path of Least Resistance

I had a revelation on Friday. I discovered the truth about the phrase, "the path of least resistance" and learned something about myself in the process.

I returned home from work on Friday and as soon as I walked in the door, I felt all the negative thoughts, criticisms and judgments about my ability to successfully pursue my own path. I had a zillion little things to do that are all tiny steps on my path, and I made the mistake of thinking, "You'll never make any money from that, you never have." I felt that negative vortex start to pull me under and just I was about to give in (and give up), I stopped and sat down at the kitchen table.

I took a deep breath and asked, "What is going on here?" When my mind had quieted, I realized that my ego was doing its self-sabotaging dance and wanted me to be the partner. I was intimately familiar with this process, having accepted it without question for most of my life. But something inside me said, "No, let's take a look at this first."

I closed my eyes and saw two paths in front of me. The left path was difficult to see because of all the weeds growing over it. Vines hung like curtains from the trees that lined the path and I could only see a few feet ahead. The right path was clean, simple and free of debris. I could see for miles and there was noise and activity going on further down the path. I wanted to see what was happening, but realized I had to step on the right path first.

I realized that I had a choice in that moment. I could do what I had always done and go down the left side. I would become frustrated, angry, bitter and resentful because of all the obstacles in my way. I would eventually give up and decide that paths are not for everyone and then I would start over, at the beginning.

Or I could try something new and make a conscious choice to go down the right side. I am proud to say that I chose the right hand side.

My decision was based on many factors. I realized that I had never found happiness, joy or contentment by following the left path. I knew that way was not for me anymore. And I reached an important conclusion - why follow a path out of habit when it was not taking me to a better place?

After making my decision to follow a different path, my mood totally changed. I was happy again, eager to get started on my tasks. As I walked up the stairs to my office, I realized I had just stepped back from my beliefs, looked at them objectively, and discovered they no longer served me.

My Observer had finally appeared!

Many spiritual teachers talk about developing your own "Observer" to help identify the beliefs that are holding back your progress. You cannot identify those beliefs unless you step back from them and see how they impact your life. The Observer is the only way to do that.

The "path of least resistance" usually refers to someone who is trying to take a shortcut or cut corners. But on Friday, I realized that it can also mean "the path without old resistance."

Everyone on the planet is walking on their path - it may be cluttered with all kinds of resistance planted by the ego. But when you clear away your self-defeating belief patterns, your path becomes clear and open. Besides making it easier to pursue your journey, clearing the resistance also allows the Universe to supply you with the tools you need to continue.

You open your inner self to receive the flow of all good that is ever circulating around us!

So take out your inner machete and start clearing your path of resistance. Amazing things will start to happen!