Walking in wholeness with the soul is a true demonstration of success

Success comes as the by-product of a life lived from the inside out. The key to living a successful life is grasping the awareness that you are enough. Once you understand you are enough, you create the space within your consciousness that allows you to realign harmoniously with your essential self or highest good.

Success Is Wholeness

One of the early pioneers of spiritual psychology, Carl Jung, suggested our psyche, or soul, consists of three specific parts: the persona, the ego, and the essential self. The persona is the aspect of ourselves we wish to present to the world. The ego is the “I,” or the personality. It is the aspect of ourselves we believe ourselves to be.

These two are highly powerful and can cause us to believe in the illusion of failure when they are out of alignment with the third aspect of our soul, our essential self, or “God Self.”

If we allow ourselves to be moved by the world of effects, our attention is pulled away from the true callings of our soul. And as the saying goes: Where attention goes, energy flows.

Most of us are products of a society that defines success in terms of material supply. Yet true success is demonstrated by wholeness, which is only experienced by walking in alignment with the needs of your soul.

A whole person is happy, healthy, peaceful, creative, loved, appreciated, giving, fulfilled, desired, and compassionate.

To only view success as a demonstration of a certain level of material or financial status gained through ambition is to only grasp a small portion of your soul’s potential.

For example, after a couple of internships, and an unsuccessful stint in law school, I reached a crossroads in my own personal development, which made me question my desire to practice law.

It took some time, and serious truth telling, but I soon discovered I was pushing myself toward a vision of success based on money, not wholeness. Yet in this discovery, I was able to find that education—advocacy, teaching, counseling, and researching consciousness—were subjects that fascinated me.

I devoted my full attention toward my passions, and I watched my soul blossom as a result. In fact, it’s how I met my wife, which was confirmation for me that I was on the right path.

Prosperity Isn’t a Destination

Third John 1:2 offers some insight into the theme of success. The King James Bible words the famous Scripture in this way: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Arguably one of the shortest books in the New Testament, the writer, John, begins with an opening address, but he projects an affirmation of health and wholeness toward the reader, which is very important in reference to our understanding of success and wholeness.

In fact, within the Greek translation of the Scripture, the writer does two things: He addresses the reader as a soul, instead of the usual English translation “your soul,” as if it is a tangible object that one holds in their possession.

Success is a continuum, not a destination. It is more than merely a state of being, but it is an evolving stage of consciousness.

Also, the writer suggests that a part of the continuous unfolding of our essential self, or soul, is to exist, euodousthai, or to be—being constantly in this good health or wholeness.

The word prosper in this instance in Greek is also the word euodousthai. It is a compound of eu, (to be good) and odos (a road or path). The word for good health is hugiainein, which means to be “sound,” or complete.

With the original translation taken in consideration, this text literally says prospering or prosperity means to have a “good journey.”

This helps readers to understand that success is a continuum, not a destination. It is more than merely a state of being, but it is an evolving stage of consciousness.

The action statements from this Scripture are signals from the divine spark, or cosmic consciousness, which is always seeking to express itself by means of us. In that light, this impulse is always in motion through our lives in an attempt to carry out its purpose.

Material Success Is a Side Effect

Therefore, success is not a thing, but a process demonstrated through the expression of this divine force by means of you.

Material things will be added to your life as you share your talents with the world and reveal your innermost potential. However, material gain is only a small aspect of the joy, love, creativity, compassion, and kindness that you were truly sent here in this incarnation to receive and share.

Sharing these gifts is the demonstration of a successful life. This is the awareness that helps to transform the consciousness of the planet, one life at a time.

About the Author

Rev. Jesse Herriott is the spiritual leader of Unity of Birmingham, Alabama. His current research and teaching explores the interplay of western psychotherapy with Unity teachings. Visit revjesse.com.

Headshot of Rev. Jesse Herriott

More

No Results