TYPES OF COMPLETION:
First – clean up the past – what we did; didn’t do; should have done, did poorly or wrongly.
Confucius once said, “to be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.”
In the 12 step programs, you learn to make a list of anyone you ever harmed – & where practical make amends. This isn’t just advice for 12 steppers…it’s something we all can benefit from. I have studied with many spiritual teachers, and they almost all say some version of:
If there is a good you want to reveal in your life that seems to not be happening – first check your forgiveness…
JOKE:
The tennis courts of an Iowa high school adjoined the grounds of a church rectory. Occasionally, exuberant youngsters whammed a tennis ball over the fence onto the trim lawns. One day, a player, chasing a stray ball, came face to face with a large sign which read: NO TRESPASSING. The sign came down overnight, however, when the tennis club erected its own sign directly opposite. This one read: FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES.
In the Lord’s Prayer, right after GIVE US THIS DAY our daily bread, we find
AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.
It is recommended that you do this on a daily basis – complete each day – so you won’t ever have to go back to it.
I am coming to believe that the gift of aging, true spirituality of aging, is mostly about letting go of the past in order to live in the present more fully. If we haven’t learned that lesson through midlife, it becomes even harder as we age. Start now to let go on a daily basis, so there is no carry over as you age.
If you cannot forgive in the moment – make a practice to COMPLETE each day with forgiveness. Charles Fillmore, the founder of the Unity Movement said he did this every night of his life. I like to start my day with 5 things I am grateful for and usually can easily find 5 things at the end of the day to seek forgiveness for (mostly with myself these days!)
The SECOND set or types of COMPLETIONS are the tasks around our homes or offices –
If you have to pass an unfinished kitchen – or if you have work on your desk that needed to be done a long time ago – every time you see it – even unconsciously, it takes focus – and what we focus on increases! (EEKS, no wonder papers seem to spawn themselves in my house.) Have you ever cleared out an old pile and wondered why you kept some of those papers? Why not, complete right now. It’s not only a good business practice, it’s a great spiritual practice as well.
BE CAREFUL TO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF BLAME – CELEBRATE EVERY WIN.
Third – DO COMPLETE WORK
Start doing what is called “complete work” in your tasks, in your conversations in your actions.
Complete work means that you handle something or perform a task that will not come back to bite you for at least 5 years. If you are a cabinet maker, that means that the glue you use, the fit of the joints and the hardware would be perfect enough to last 5 years with virtually no maintenance. Of course if you make cars or houses, I hope you’ll extend that 5 years a bit!
