Ten Uncomplicated Paths to Wisdom

Ten Uncomplicated Paths to Wisdom

December 8, 2010 at 5:00 am
By Taryn Galewind

How can we acquire wisdom as we live our everyday lives? Through
wisdom, we find a way to live our lives without strife or discord. An
age-old prayer goes like this: Grant me the serenity to accept the
things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and
the wisdom to know the difference. Here are ten simple ways to smooth
your path to wisdom as you journey through our Earthly plane:

1. Live in every moment, always. Ram Dass admonished us, “Be here
now.” Every moment you live is worth your notice and worth your effort
to create success in each moment. Don’t waste your minutes.
Shakespeare tells us, “in a moment there are many days.” Your life is
made only of days.

2. Become more capable of handling change. Become aware that change is
a necessary part of personal growth. If you battle against change, or
whine and pout when things don’t remain predictable, you will deprive
yourself of food for the growth of your soul.

3. Educate your five senses. Learn why you have a sense of touch,
taste, sight, smell, and hearing. Hone all of them to their highest
levels of perception, and pay attention to what messages they give
your mind and body. Use that input to teach yourself about your life,
yourself, and your universe.

4. Keep your body, your spirit, and your mind healthy. Feed each well,
care for and nurture each. Pay attention to how you feel every day. If
something feels wrong, seek expert help. Learn to meditate, and do it,
so that you can be inside your own psyche, every day.

5. Be a life-long learner. Treasure and take advantage of every single
learning opportunity that comes your way. Seek out ways to feed your
intelligence. Read as though it’s your job, and learn the wisdom that
has come before you. Enrich your mind so that you are prepared to help
others do the same.

6. Broaden your experience. Set aside fear, and try things you have
yet to experience. Encourage yourself to reach out to people you might
not see eye-to-eye with. Approach people with a heart full of joy, an
open hand, and an open mind. Learn about diversity, and respect the
way that diversity enhances our world.

7. Listen more than you speak. Train yourself to quiet your mind so
that you can take in more than you put out in a conversation.
Encourage others to communicate with you, and express your respect for
their points-of-view.

8. Learn to give out more love than you expect to receive. When you
learn this, you will never want for love. You will never have to plead
for affection. You will seldom feel depressed, lonely, or left out.
Learning to give love unconditionally is, perhaps, the single greatest
way to wisdom.

9. Engage in noble deeds which will strongly affect your karma. When
you give of yourself, you get back tenfold. When you open your life to
giving, you will learn the lessons of the ages.

10. Learn to pray in whatever way makes you comfortable and brings you
enlightenment. Find and bind yourself to whatever iteration of a god
or goddess resonates within your spirit. Make communion with the
higher power part of each in order to create gentle harmony within
your spirit and open your heart to wisdom.

Wisdom is something we learn or attain as we travel through life, but
we may pass right through our chance to see the world wisely if we
aren’t careful. Open yourself, heart, body, mind, and spirit, to
experiencing what life has to show you.