Trust the process

"A great canyon began as a tiny cleft. A great master was born a small babe; be happy in your place, growth is inevitable. Your start and finish are the same: The journey to enlightenment begins where you are right now." —Haven Trevino

By now most of my readers know I am not a proponent of living in either the past or the future, but I want to invite you to do so just for a few minutes.

Do this visualization with me: Irrespective of what may be going on in your life today, go back in your mind to the year 1998. Get in touch with where you were spiritually and emotionally 10 years ago and imagine that you could send yourself back to that space in time, taking with you what you now know to be true about you and your life today.

Just take a few minutes to realize how far you have come. Think about how much you have grown and changed. Most likely the changes have been for the better.

If you really want to have an eye opener, do this same process again, only this time set your time machine for the year 1978 or, if you are old enough, 1958.

Imagine what wisdom you might impart to the "old you." If you could somehow magically do this, the likelihood is that you would probably be able to circumvent some of the pain and difficulties you went through on your journey.

However, the larger question is whether you would really want to change any of your experiences on the journey even if you could. The reality is that whatever it is that you have gone through and grown through has assisted you in becoming who you are today.

Now for the second part of this visualization: This time let's go forward. Given your current intention to grow and evolve, imagine where you might be spiritually and emotionally in the year 2018, or even 2028.

Yes, you may be going through something that is challenging you today, but remember it is precisely those challenges that are offering you the "growth opportunities" that will assist you to become who you will be 10 or 20 years from now— it's the same cycle and process that brought you to now from 1978.

Perspective is everything.

My point is that it can be really easy to feel overwhelmed by the immensity of what may be looming directly in front of you, and that's when it helps to remember the words of the master teacher: "This too shall pass."

In those moments when you might feel most lost or isolated, imagine standing right next to you is the "future you" who knows the truth, smiling because he or she understands that the burdens of the moment are also the blessings that will help you become who you have come here to be.

Be at peace with what is and trust the process.

Know that you are loved and supported by the presence of the Beloved on your amazing journey to the place you never left.

Dennis Merritt Jones is a local life purpose coach, spiritual mentor, keynote speaker and author of the book "The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose In Your Life." He can be contacted through www.DennisMerrittJones.com