Nine Simple Laws to Create Joy and Grace

CHAPTER FIVE: Law of Ideals At first, the quote for this law may seem like an oxymoron. Yet finding the innermost aspect of yourself is unconditional love, as we have just experienced in Chapter Three. Therefore, once you fully know that you are unconditional love, the journey is about what you choose to create with the love that you are. The Law of Ideals is at work, and you may have an unconscious purpose to your life that is contradicting your conscious mission in life. On the other hand, maybe you have never noticed that your activities and decisions cancel out what you say your goals are. Your self-talk, favorite phrases, attitudes and beliefs are telling the universe what your goals are. How you spend your time, energy and money tells the universe what you value most. Do you like where you are? Do you find yourself not achieving your goals? As an illustration of the contradiction between your life purpose and your current activities, would you take a trip across the country without any idea where you were going? If you hurry to the airport and get on the next flight out of town, you may end up in Atlanta when you intended to travel to Montreal. When taking a trip you probably look at a map and gather some directions to help you reach your destination more easily. Alternatively, if you are out on the ocean in a boat after dark, you will likely look for a lighthouse beacon to guide you to shore. Living life without clearly defined goals, or ideals, is very analogous to being adrift at sea, tossed by the waves, carried by the prevailing winds and currents. Often, being adrift and lost causes us to feel powerless and we may go into survival mode. We may feel sick and dizzy as we look down at the waves, and struggle to catch fish and obtain fresh drinking water. You would be less likely to be in the situation if you had prepared according to well-articulated ideals and goals that were in alignment with your activities. Take heart, it is not too late to sit back and observe your current situation in order to determine your short-term and long-term goals that complement each other. The first step is to look up and scan the horizon from your boat adrift at sea. Is there a body of land nearby? Is there a boat nearby? Get a sense of north, south, east and west from what you observe and know or get a map. What is your goal? Your goal is to return to shore safely and home to loved ones. Your ticket home may come in the form of realizing you are much closer to shore than you realized. Now that the rain and waves have calmed, you can get there on your own. On the other hand, you may spot a nearby boat and signal for help. What is important to realize is that by having a plan, there is no need to panic. Panic does not help your situation. In fact, it probably makes it worse. Do you really want to go home? Why? Who or what awaits you? Assuming you have a pleasant reason to get to shore, imagine yourself happy and relieved, reunited with those you love. After a pretty short time of setting your ideal and focusing on it, you are likely to find a solution or the next step toward the discovery of a solution. The Law of Ideals is also called the Law of Intention. When we have clarity of intention and work with the Law of Ideals for the highest good, it is easy to make decisions. It also invites the support of the universe via The Law of Manifestation (Attraction). For a second example, you might recognize that the water is cold and that you are far from shore. Given that your goal is to return safely to loved ones, your wise choice is to stay in the boat, create a shelter from sun and rain, and to ration your food and water supplies. You will also locate or create a receptacle to collect fresh rainwater, and create a fishing line and hook. Given your clear goal to return safely to shore, you would not likely decide to jump in the frigid water and start swimming because you know about hypothermia and exhaustion. You will take action steps that positively support your goal to reach shore safely. You are not likely to swim away from shore if your goal is to return home.