DOING MY BEST?
Admit it!
You also love impulsively saying, "I'm doing my best," when someone criticizes you.
It's so human.
We all yearn for unconditional love and acceptance, and it's tough to confront our "dark" side, our shadows, flaws, and imperfections.
Many of us were physically and/or emotionally punished for our mistakes and quirks as children.
As a result, we learned that it's not okay to make mistakes and that we should always strive for perfection. This has led to developing a harsh "inner critic" that doesn't forgive us.
As a defense mechanism, we instinctively seek to justify ourselves by constantly claiming that we have "done our best," no matter the situation.
Believe me, neither you nor I always do our best.
No one always does their best. No one is perfect and has only light and love inside them, despite what the mainstream spiritual community may lead you to believe.
We are pretty comfortable and "stubborn" as a species and don't always "do our best." Period. It's actually not that hard to admit, except for our childhood experiences.
That's why I don't like this sentence. Of course, it occasionally slips out of my mouth as an initial defense mechanism, but I try to use it consciously and purposefully.
I don't always do my best and can't do that either.
I consider myself a thoughtful and loving person, and I could never consciously harm another living being. Yet, I am aware that I sometimes hurt others with my words or actions.
I have spent many years working through my childhood traumas and meditating regularly to create a safe and pleasant home within myself and to project as little as possible onto others.
However, healing and integrating our shadow parts is tricky and complex.
It's natural for us as imperfect humans to experience moments when our unconscious, shadowy aspects assert themselves, hindering our ability to do our best, like little "devils" from the underground.
Until we address and heal these subconscious influences, they will maintain power and control over our lives.
It's time to finally be honest with ourselves and face all aspects of who we are.
"We all do our best at our level of consciousness" is a slightly more nuanced but equally untrue version of this statement.
It's true that the lower the level of consciousness our mind resides in, the more unconscious our behaviors and reactions to others are.
However, we cannot and should not hide behind this.
We are at a certain level of consciousness for a reason.
Each of us bears some responsibility and accountability for our level of consciousness, at least to a certain extent.
For me, there is no doubt that we are all immortal souls on our own unique journey of experiences.
We each have individual soul missions, life tasks, and goals for personal growth.
Every new incarnation, as well as every new morning and every new moment, presents a fresh opportunity to learn, develop further, and raise our consciousness.
We must consistently choose between the opposing forces of light and darkness, love and hate.
Every decision, no matter how small, every word we say, and every action we take determines whether we become more conscious or unconscious.
Ultimately, we are not mere marionettes of our subconscious; we are endowed with free will.
When I objectively look at the world as it is right now and the everyday consciousness in which many people live, I shudder and wonder where it will all lead, although I will never stop believing in humanity.
But there is so much cruelty and absurdity in this world.
There's so much brutality, hatred, envy, ignorance, defiance, emotional numbness, pathological lying, and stupid bureaucratic madness.
If that's the best we can do as a human race, well, nice prospects!
It's not the best, of course.
We can do better - much better!
We need to confront our own and others' blind spots and stop simply pseudo-soothing each other with the "doing our best" mantra. This puts us in a trance-like and ignorant state, preventing any real and necessary change from taking place.
We must learn to hold each other accountable and set healthy and firm boundaries with as much compassion and empathy for our individual life journeys.
This is the only way to create a sustainable space for the positive, peaceful, and authentic evolution of humanity.
We must not allow our planet to be increasingly ruled by narcissistic leaders and dictators who shamelessly spread countless lies and cause great harm, all while pretending to "do their best" and serve humanity.
It has become commonplace for politicians and leaders, but also for all of us, to never admit any mistakes.
We must wake up from this terrible illusion and stop this toxic collective state of trance by starting with ourselves.
Unless we are willing to do the inner work and take responsibility for our blind spots and wounds, we will continue to overlook obvious lies and manipulations from our family members, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, bosses, and political leaders.
The notion of "doing one's best" would then become increasingly meaningless and absurd.
Individually and as a species, we have completely forgotten who we are.
The problem is that most people don't see themselves as immortal souls but merely as beings of flesh and blood, equipped with a rational mind and possibly a feeling heart, but still wholly disconnected from the magic of life and everything soulful.
Many people regularly say, "You only have this one life."
It always surprises me that these individuals typically do not live "this one life" as if it were unique or valuable in any way.
Nobody knows for sure if we have only one life or are immortal souls with many incarnations.
We can only seek information from both science and spirituality, listen to those who have had near-death experiences, and then reflect within ourselves to discover what resonates with our deepest essence.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we believe in.
We should all live as if we were immortal souls with many incarnations.
This way, we would automatically deal with this world more responsibly and consciously.
The idea of "having only one life" doesn't necessarily lead to a more creative, generous, and loving outlook.
Instead, it can promote selfishness and unconscious behavior, as individuals then seek to maximize their own benefit without regard for others.
This mindset can be summed up as "After me, the deluge!"
The global pandemic and the increasingly unstable international political situation have contributed much to this.
Our unconscious blind spots are becoming more noticeable and visible in this atmosphere of discomfort and insecurity.
Although it can be incredibly challenging, it is ultimately a necessary and unavoidable process for these shadow aspects to surface.
That is happening more and more every day all over the world.
Let's finally take responsibility for our individual level of consciousness without feeling superior or inferior because of it.
Our souls are all equally valuable and lovable.
It is not about judging each other.
It is essential to treat each other with respect and empathy while also assertively setting boundaries, acknowledging our imperfections, and establishing safe spaces for addressing and healing past traumas.
Let's bring love, understanding, and awareness to our hidden and suppressed shadow aspects, integrating them so they no longer have power over us and don't hinder us from genuinely and holistically "doing our best" - not as a platitude but as a heartfelt expression of our true self.
I feel hopeful because it seems like we have slowly reached the peak of unconsciousness, and the world is experiencing a new breath of fresh air.
It's as if a tiny seed has finally sprouted, causing more and more of us to awaken step by step and see things more clearly.
(Verena, RWYA DAILY)
