The longer our to-do list becomes the smaller our worlds can get. We narrow our focus in order to attend to all the busyness of our daily lives, and can get caught up with what’s bothering us, what we’re striving towards, or what’s downright pissing us off. We circle back and go over the same territory time and again. That’s all well and good, up to a point. The basics absolutely need our attention, and we need time and space to figure things out, but life is more than just the daily fundamentals of what we do, want, and wish. There is a larger world out there, a greater community, expansive ideas, and a multitude of fresh and original ways to show up in our lives that benefit more than just ourselves. It’s important to remember we have a place in that too. Which is why it’s essential to begin thinking, living, and loving on a bigger scale.

I am not talking about curing world hunger or ending human trafficking, although be my guest if that is your calling. I’m talking about taking some smaller steps in the everyday that add up to something substantial over time. Reaching out to others with genuine support and encouragement, being fully present with what you’re doing and saying, or donating your time and energy to a cause that feels right to you are just some of the ways to begin creating an ever-widening sphere of positive influence. And strangely enough it’s in this intentional connection to the larger community that we find our most sacred inner alignment.

When we go beyond our personal world of wants, with all its limits and dead-end obsessions, we anchor into something bigger than just ourselves and this lets us see our lives from a new perspective and perhaps an unexpected angle. When our clear intentions for the good of all fuel our actions what we do reverberates out and can heal in a multitude of ways. It’s by honoring our part in the bigger picture while offering our heartfelt contribution that expands our sense of self and connects us to something larger than ourselves. This becomes the intersection point with the divine and how we align with the mystery.

We are not solitary creatures. We all need each other, and our individual actions, subtly and sometimes not so subtly, influence each other. When we act with genuine care and compassion for the greater whole our tender intentions can be felt. That’s because we are all connected, whether we like it or not, whether we fully understand it or not. When we carry a bigger dream for all of humanity, when we do our best more consciously and more often, and live life with our whole heart, we become infinitely more aligned with the divine and find our place in the collective.

Although we are an integral part of the larger picture, we sometimes have trouble seeing it that way. The good news is it doesn’t take a monumental feat to start aligning with divine. We only have to begin taking small steps that bring us closer to our authenticity and a state of active compassion. The more we honor what’s within that wants a voice outside in the world, the more we come alive.

That’s how we align with the divine one small step at a time.

kb