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We’ve had a lot of different goals for OhMyGod Life in the eight plus years it’s been in existence.

Some are smaller goals, like making deadlines for content creation. Some are larger goals, like planning and implementing months-long tours around the country.

And then there are the meta goals. Goals that are wide and all-encompassing.

Early on in our ministry, Melissa and I, with the aid of Rev. Catherine Dollahite Pena created a sacred covenant. This covenant clarified the purpose and intention of OhMyGod Life, including five areas of focus, or meta goals.

Our goals in each of the five areas of focus – spiritual life, relationships, health, work, and finances – have been a wonderful way to stay on track with our ministry.

But somehow, in the eight years of goals and dreams and activities, I got a little lost.

I started to focus on outcomes. Indications of our success in the world.

Even though I knew that focusing on outcomes – like how many people watched our videos, or showed up for our workshops or Sunday services – was beside the point, I still got snared.

I expended energy on something, and then watched to see how the energy was received. And then, according to my perception of this reception, I either felt good or not good.

Or really not good.

I recently read the book Many Lives, Many Masters. The book is about a therapist’s work with past-life regression with one of his clients. The book was fascinating and wonderful and everything, but there was one small comment in particular that opened up a whole new world for me.

While under hypnotic regression, the client channeled spiritual masters from the other side. In one instance, these masters were talking about the benefits of the vows of obedience taken by people in religious orders. They said that these vows help people to give without asking for anything in return.

The masters then said that most of us give with expectation of a reward of some kind. And not only a reward, but a specific reward that we’ve envisioned/created in our minds.

For example, we offered a workshop. If more than 20 people showed up, I’d call the workshop a success. If fewer than 20 people showed up, I’d call the workshop a failure. Not only that, I’d tell myself that, because of the failure, I suck. And our ministry sucks. (Fun, right?)

This, said the masters, is not the way to go.

The true reward, they said, is doing without expecting anything… Doing unselfishly.

A while back, I posted about the value of Karma Yoga.

Karma Yoga is a path of action. You find your passion, your expression of your unique gifts and talents, and you share them with the world. As you give, you don’t worry about what happens with your gifts. You know that Spirit will take care of the outcome. In this process, you find your soul.

I’ve always loved this idea, and I try to keep it at the forefront of my mind in our work in the world. But, as I said, lately I was feeling a little lost.

I admire the idea of Karma Yoga, but it’s always felt a bit aspirational to me: Something that sounds great but is hard to achieve in real life.

And then the Many Lives, Many Masters folks weighed in.

Their clarification shifted things for me.

What if I make my only goal for OhMyGod Life that of doing without expecting anything?

Sure, we have daily goals, and our bigger goals, and even our meta goals, but what if I put one primary goal in front of all of those?

When I think about Karma Yoga, my focus is on putting the work in the world, doing my best, and then releasing it to Spirit.

Now, the goal is to release it as I’m doing it.

It’s a minor tweak, but one that’s changed everything for me.

I now see that the real work is learning to give without expectation.

Looking at this lifetime from the viewpoint of the spirit realm is amazingly clarifying. When I’m finished this go round, am I going to be fixated on how many people subscribed to our YouTube channel?

No!

(And if I am, I’m clearly stuck in YouTube Hell and haven’t actually crossed over to the spirit realm.)

When I do cross over, I’m going to focus on the care and quality of the love I put out into the world.

And giving without expectation of reward is the best way to get there. It serves others, but it’s also the best way to serve myself.

Bottom line, giving without continually checking for rewards feels a lot better than the alternative.

So even from a selfish, what’s-in-it-for-me standpoint, giving unselfishly is the way to go!

 

What’s your experience with giving unselfishly? Share your comments below!

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