Ten Uncomplicated Paths to Wisdom

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.