Toward a Deeper Longing in 2022
There is a deeper longing that resides in each of us if we are willing to acknowledge it.
How well do you know this feeling?
The longing is sometimes an inkling, or hint, of something deeper that is stirring. It may be thrilling, or its power may scare or confuse you. Keeping busy or distracting yourself is one way to manage unwelcome emotions that may arise when you tune into your deeper longing.
When the longing rises, it is your Creator essence whispering to you. It is the same Creator essence that lives in each person. We all have it, whether we respond to its call or not. A surprising “blessing” of the pandemic is that more people are recognizing and allowing their deeper longing to emerge. The New Year is also an excellent time to be more intentional about getting to know this part of you.
There are other times in our lives that brings the longing to the forefront.
I, Donna, learned on New Year’s Day that my closest childhood friend, who was my next-door neighbor growing up, died suddenly and unexpectedly on New Year’s Eve. In good health and enjoying life, his sudden passing shocked me. My Creator essence has been whispering to me ever since, “Don’t put life off. Listen and respond to your deeper longings, now.”
The beauty of TED* (*The Empowerment Dynamic)® framework is that it reminds you of who you truly are, even though you may have had experiences that have denied or minimized your deepest longings.
The desire to dream grows from our innate Creator intelligence. Depending on your life experiences, it may be dulled, dampened, and ignored, but it cannot and should not be denied as your true essence.
The shift from Victim to Creator—the central shift in TED*—begins by taking responsibility to bring forth what is stirring inside you.
This natural longing is never that far away, but it is often obscured or bound by limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves or others, or the way the world should be. While events in your life may be painful or disturbing, they are also opportunities to clarify what you want. You can think of them as an advanced course in the college of life and you are studying for your master’s degree!
There are questions you can reflect upon that helps orient you toward your deeper longings. The central question to shift from Victim to Creator is to ask yourself, “What do I want?” This is a clear and simple question, yet often very difficult to answer because most people know what they don’t want, but seldom can articulate what they do want.
“What do you most care about?” is a question that supports many people to hold and be with their longing as it emerges and makes itself known. Others might be: “What is most important to me?” or “What do I most value?” All support deeper reflection.
You have an inner authority that is waiting to lead you on your journey to realize your deepest longings. You no longer need to look outside yourself for guidance. Your inner wisdom is waiting for you to recognize what has been there all along.
Engage now. Discover and believe that this longing arises from your wholeness, and nothing that is lacking in you.
Orienting toward your longings and what you care about evokes positive feelings, which gives you energy for forward progress. It is a powerful cycle of empowerment—which is why it is called The Empowerment Dynamic!
