The Law of Dharma. We made it!!!

Finally! Here is it! The last of Deepak Chopra’s Spiritual Laws of success! Took long enough for me to get here. If you are a new reader, make sure to look back in the blog archives for the other six Spiritual Laws of Success:

    1. The Law of Pure Potentiality

    2. The Law of Giving  

    3.     The Law of Karma, or Cause and Effect

    4.  The Law of Least Effort

    5.  The Law of Intention and Desire

    6. The Law of Detachment

    7.  The Law of Dharma ß- Today!

The Law of Dharma tells us that everyone has his or her own unique gifts within, which come together to form our life’s purpose. According to Deepak, “when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.”

Every single one of us has our own individual talents and gifts that the world can benefit from. A great example of this for me came from my college roommates. The four of us in my house were all completely different. However, we were the same in that each of us had our own certain passion and expertise, which we planned to build our lives around. One had a crazy knowledge on all things broadcast journalism, TV production, screenwriting etc. Now she’s working for “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?”. Another was artistic, and a great graphic designer who plans to go into branding and advertising. The other is a huge advocate for global health, who will be traveling to Ecuador on a Fulbright Fellowship studying infectious disease (I think I got that right!). Then there is me, the business minded roommate with my outrageous passion for wellness and helping every person live the best quality life possible. We are all going to make a difference in this world in our own way. No one of us is superior to the other.

Putting the Law of Dharma into effect can help this process along. Deepak suggests:  

   

1.     Nurturing our own souls, paying attention to our own spirits, and awakening ourselves to the stillness in our own hearts. This can be done through meditation, deep breathing, and taking time to enjoy silence. (See The Law of Pure Potentiality for some overlapping tips)

2.  Making a list of our own unique talents, and listing all of the things we love to do while expressing these unique talents.

3.   Asking ourselves daily: How can I serve? How can I help?

By doing these things, we can begin to put our life purpose into action. If you are truly passionate about something, and want it to be your life’s work, start now! Get all of the knowledge you can about that thing, reach out to other experts in the field, join clubs and groups for that interest, start projects focusing on it, follow blogs, twitter accounts, and Facebook pages.  You never know where opportunities will arise! Ask yourself how what you are doing will benefit others, and start doing that!

In a great panel discussion from Mind Body Green that I just watched (I will post the link to that this weekend), plant-based Iron Man athlete Rich Roll emphasized the importance of acting out of service. Don’t pursue you passion solely for financial or self-serving reasons. Take into consideration Deepak’s third step of this law. How can you serve? How can you help? Bask in the joy of living your passion and sharing it with others.

For me, this blog is it. This is my passion. As I progress through my own wellness journey, I want to share the blessings of good health and a happy life with anyone who will listen. I have dreams of helping people be free of disease and emotional turmoil. Yet, I am young, with limited resources, and need to be patient. So this is my offering right now. Vitality U, my wellness organization, was my offering in college. My Zumba classes were my offerings several years ago. What can you do to start to realize your life’s purpose? No matter how small, everything counts.

Be Well.

Love, Julie 

The Alchemist and Deepak's Law of Pure Potentiality

Being able to read books I actually want to is a luxury reserved for breaks from school work. With my very open schedule, consisting mainly of working out and Christmas preparations, I searched for books that would offer me wisdom, and further my progress on my wellness journey. Lately, the average novel has not been cutting it for me. I like to spend time reading things that will provide me with knowledge, and an opportunity for growth. Truly valuing the input of Mindbodygreen.com, I used their website for inspiration.

One of the books mentioned in its archives was The Alchemist, an allegorical tale about following one’s dreams. It was amazing. The book is so beautifully and simply written. Literally every page offers some type of wisdom. The Alchemist tells the story of a shepherd boy who decides to live out his “personal legend” after a revelation in a dream. I will not even attempt to summarize all this piece teaches, but here is a quote I feel truly sums it up:

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. “

This seriously struck me. It’s so simple, and so true. How many people have true dreams and abandon them because they’re scared they won’t succeed. As a college senior, deciding my future, this message is all too relevant. In a perfect world, I would move out to California, become a health coach, workout and practice Bikram regularly, network with plant-based and raw communities, and inspire people to live healthier better quality lives every day, whether it is in my own practice, or in a corporate setting. But that takes more education, which takes money. Success is not as guaranteed in this as it would be in other careers. What do I do? How can I combine my dream life and what makes sense? Can they be the same thing? Scary…I know. This other quote gives me a little peace of mind.

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

This connects with a lot of the teachings of Deepak Chopra and his Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. The first law is the Law of Pure Potentiality, which teaches that all possibilities in the universe are infinite. By focusing and tuning into our true selves, becoming detached to and unaffected by other people, situations, and circumstances, we gain true and permanent power to achieve whatever we’d like. If we are grounded by other people, expectations, and situations, we are grounded by fear and temporary things.

Deep, I know.

Deepak suggests practicing the Law of Pure Potentiality by making an effort to tune into your truest self (each day)  spending time in complete silence (no reading or anything) and meditation, spending time communing with nature, and practicing non-judgment (just not judging every single thing that happens and going with the flow). Simple steps, yes, but challenging to make yourself do every day. Maybe these will help with my dilemma (and you with any of yours?)! Try them out yourself…and keep exploring his awesome book! There are seven laws after all, and I’ve only covered two!

Also, if you haven’t read it yet, I highly suggest picking up The Alchemist for a holiday read. I know, I’m giving a lot of book suggestions. Maybe make a list and tackle them whenever you have time! These two in particular have truly inspired me, and I believe everyone can benefit from them in their own way, no matter where one is in life. The messages are profound and a little overwhelming at times. Yet, life is a day by day journey. I truly believe with patience and good intentions, we will figure it all out eventually!

Be Well.

Love, Julie