I will try my best to be gentle with this next cycle, but it is time to finally broach this big subject. How is your faith right now? Where and in whom do you place your faith? Do you have a lot of it, or do you need to spend some time shoring it up and strengthening it well? I believe with all of my being that faith should be a critical cornerstone to a life well-lived. I know my faith has been spotty and questionable in the past, but I can also say that, at this point, my faith has never been stronger. My faith carries me through life.
Faith is the foundation on which all else rests; it is the root of all knowledge.
-Leo Tolstoy
Faith is the necessary property of the soul. Feel the essential meaninglessness of those things which are well-known to you, and the greatness of things which are unknown but important.
-Leo Tolstoy
In the past, I have felt like an island. I thought I was adrift and alone. Foolish ego had blinded and isolated me from the bigger picture. As I put in difficult yet important inner work, I begin to see that I have been my own worst enemy. Now, I possess a steadfast faith that is at peace with controlling less, trusting the naturally unfolding flow more.
Faith is unflinching trust in something divine.
-A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
There is no finish line in this life. We do not reach a point where we are done. Sure, there is death waiting for all of us, but I no longer see that as a finite end. Instead, it serves as a door to our next chapter. While I am here, I will keep strengthening my mind, body, and soul in order to be the best version of myself that I can be. I no longer cling to a fixed mindset; I will forever be a pilgrim of supreme, everlasting love for myself and all others.
Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.
-Abraham Joshua Heschel
Consider the following: would you rather have fear or faith? The answer is quite clear and easy to me. Fear often crops up as a result of the unknown. So, what is the remedy there then? Learn more, increasing what all is known to you. As a result, you can fear less while having even more faith. We will never know it all, but should that stop us from still improving and uncovering as much as we can? How will you choose to live your life?
Faith and fear both demand you believe in something you cannot see. You choose.
-Bob Proctor
Embracing my own true being has been one of the hardest yet most liberating choices of my life. I am eclectically unconventional. Therefore, I will stop trying to fit in as if I am anyone else. I am me, and I am finally at peace with accepting my full uniqueness. It can be scary and potentially isolating at times to be distinctly individuated, but I do not think there is a better way to live a truly authentic and purposeful life. I openly embrace it now.
Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.
-Bruce Lee
These writing cycles have been formative and foundational for me. If they help others, then I am even happier. However, I am already plenty happy because I can calmly and confidently confirm my calling. Starting this vulnerable work was intimidating and at least a bit terrifying for me, but my dedication and persistence have prevailed. No matter what you may call our higher power (whether it be God, Allah, Yahweh, Brahman, or Grand Architect, etc.), I possess a firm faith that will no longer be shaken or stirred.
All work that is worth anything is done in faith.
-Albert Schweitzer
I genuinely and sincerely hope that we can all honestly hold and share such a strong faith together. It is not limited or exclusive, and we will never exhaust it. We can all hold and share it if we so choose. So, will you begin to move forward with more faith in your life?
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.