“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” ― Winston S. Churchill.

This morning, as I was watching the Sunday morning shows on television, I heard a word launched through the airwaves in the form of a question. The word was unity. The question was (I am paraphrasing), “What does that word mean to you?  How do you want or expect to see it manifest in days to come in this country?” Many answers were given, I believe all were genuine expectations. I wonder, though, how each of us, as a spiritual being having human experiences and adventures, would think, feel, act, and create as we take the steps forward in the spirit of unity?

This word is mentioned often, especially lately. It becomes the word of choice reflecting what most of us crave to see manifest. Even though it is mentioned often by politicians, the word is not theirs. It is ours. I peeked into the cyberspace dictionary to center my mind on what the word unite means.  it says – unite means to come or bring together for a common purpose or action, to come or bring together to form a unit or whole, especially in a political context. That word does insinuate commonality. Yet what is usual, ordinary, customary, and habitual does not mean always. It has room to be uniquely different, and that difference may lie on the how — the way to bring about, to make it happen. That is, I believe, may be the source of arguments among people; the how.

I remember years ago when I was running a retail store with my husband, we had some high-school students work with us during the summer. Some were green in the area of retail, but they were eager to get some experience. I was a perfectionist back then (controlling, to be exact). There were things I expected to be followed to the T. I became a helicopter boss, watching how things were lined up and done. Feeling pressured, the employees easily made mistake. Out of impatience, I would take over, redo it, and ended up feeling overwhelmed, disgruntled, and becoming short-tempered. My husband often reminded me, in an effort to ease my mind, that it did not matter how each came to the result, as long as the outcome was what I expected.

Often times, when I seemed to be struggling to listen, accept, and be alright with an opposite idea (not in unity with) is because I was not in unity with myself. I was not in alignment with what I considered as truthful. There was lingering disagreement that I carried forward from the past. The enemy was not outside of me, it was within me, it often showed up and muddied what is in the now. It was confusing for those involved (it was for me, too). It appeared without notice when the trigger set it off. That disagreement with myself was then projected to others in the form of demand; for others to listen, accept, and step closer to where I stand.  In my case, this was (often) unintentionally expressed. It happened automatically. I snapped into the default that had been programmed into my life. It took discipline and commitment for me to live by design (instead of default), to help me stay on stream toward a better version of myself.

Yes, it is easy to share thoughts and comments and opinions. It is good and alright to do so for it helps us learn and practice sharing ideas. I am not just hopeful, but I am a believer, that we can do so when we start from a place of integrity, honesty, and truth. It is within us. That is the power we all have been given when we landed on this Earth.  We need to mindfully choose to ignite it, for the greatest good of all concerned. Tomorrow, we, in this part of the world, are welcoming a brand-new week, a brand-new and never-before-lived day, the first fresh week of our lives. What are we going to think, feel, act, and create to be in unity with ourselves? This thought will determine the outcome of our day.

Would you be willing to experiment?

Try it, even just for one day, to set an intention in regard to unity. Give it enough attention throughout the day, and willingness to take a small and simple action toward it. Revisit it at the end of the day, see how you feel. Be grateful and proud of what you have started, regardless whether the outcome is perfect. Then do it again on the following day, and the day after that.  Before you know it, you become instrumentally contributive in installing unity around you.