There is a story about a man who comes to King David and says, "You said that if I don’t run after respect and honor and I just do what I do now with integrity and honesty, then eventually respect and honor will follow me. Well, I’ve done that and nothing has happened. Now I’m an old man and I’m still here working away with no great honors or accolades in sight."
To this, King David responded, "While you were running away from honor, how many times did you look over your shoulder to see how far it was behind you?"
As human beings, we are conditioned to chase after things. We chase after money. We chase after respect. We chase after love. We chase after happiness. Have you ever noticed, though, that things usually work out for the best when we don’t go chasing after them? As Thoreau wrote, “Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”
Today, instead of spending your time looking to feed your ego with approval or recognition or whatever else it wants, focus on your spiritual growth and how you can care for others. In doing so, you will open yourself to the spiritual realm where nothing is impossible and there are no limitations.
