You may have heard the phrases “they had it coming,” “you reap what you sow,” and “do good and good will come to you.” They all illustrate the principle of karma, which can be summed up by saying our actions today affect our world tomorrow. While the effects may not be immediate or even visible to outsiders, the consequences of the good and bad we do will always be felt.
We can use karma to answer the question of how to go about creating the life of our dreams, with joy, ease, and peace as the norm. Let’s explore some of the steps we can take to set in motion some good karma, especially when we are ready for positive change in our lives:
The playback in our minds. We all have a tape playing in our minds – a kind of inner dialogue examining what happens and how we feel about it. What is our dialogue saying? Is it positive and optimistic? Is it empowering us with reminders that we deserve the best life has to offer? Our thoughts have power and contribute to our karma; what we repeatedly think, we become. It’s time to carefully choose what we are saying to ourselves and make sure the words are uplifting and kind.
Investigating our kneejerk reactions. Our immediate reactions, especially to challenges, reveal where we really are on our journey. We may think we are patient and understanding, but how do we respond when things go wrong? Practice positive habits to bring more good karma into your life. Not sure where to start? Try being compassionate with others and yourself when things take an unexpected turn for the worse.
What we KNOW we should have. It’s important to examine our sense of entitlement, or what we feel we deserve. We do deserve good in our lives, and joy is our birthright! But do we feel above any work, pain, or setback? Do we think we are nobly fighting against unjust challenges, when we are really just fighting against necessary growing pains? Karma may be giving us a kick to move to a better path. Let’s learn to recognize what we deserve – respect, love, and good in the world – from what is helping us get there – even if it feels uncomfortable. Challenges can be karmic gifts!
By putting the best of ourselves out into the world, even when we may not have seen results yet, the ancient law of karma is bound to reward our efforts and give us a life better than we could have imagined. Be patient and pay close attention to the subtle magic that happens as you create good karma.
