The Hawk: A Motivational Tale

On this night, he asks the universe and subconscious mind to be on the lookout for one thing, a test.  He has a habit of feeling great but then being tested by elements that are out of his control.  Once these tests arise, he fails to see the test and takes a step backwards in progression towards his goals. 

“But not this time,” he says aloud.  “Please help me be aware when a test is here.  I am ready, I need to pass it to move forward.  This test will not impact my inner speech and thoughts.” 

He then rolls to his left side, to feel the safety of facing the door and hugging a pillow tight to protect his internal organs.  Oh the struggles of a life-long insomniac.  His eyes become heavy, and he drifts away.

The next day begins like most others.  A wakeup pre-sunrise, a 20 minute meditation, and coffee is brewed.  He reflects on the tasks of the day, makes a nice vanilla late for his finance to wake up to, and gets dressed as a long 30 mile commute awaits.  Another obstacle he endures for the success that is just around the corner, approaching his conscious experience.

His profession is filled with both beauty and irony.  He is a coach, lovingly helping others achieve a wide variety of goals.  He gives them every ounce of energy he has available to give, every single day.  Some days of course amount to more than others, and this is one of those ultimate giving days.  The clients give back to him by trusting him, by returning day after day, and supporting him through spoken word and online reviews.  He is eternally grateful for his clients and even through times of exhaustion and negative energy, he would fight through to be his best self for them.  But on this day, challenges loom….the test.

After a great first 90 minutes of work, he returns to his office and awakens the PC from sleep mode to begin normal daily operations.  Troubling emails await, presenting challenges and obstacles containing him from his goals.  He gasps and feels immense tension, but then something new happens.  He takes a deep breath and his legs push off of the desk frame, rolling his office chair a foot back. 

“The test!” He exclaims. 

He immediately retreats to his car, with headphones and yoga mat in hand.  He has everything he needs to take this internal test, all that is needed is a change of location.  So off to his favorite park he goes.

The park resides a few miles across town.  It is a short drive, but requires a traverse through a steep series of hills.  He passes through the apartment complexes close to the main road, climbs through a brief period of wilderness, and slowly massive houses emerge.  Fully customized and presenting an extensive feeling of comfort within his soul.  He does not care for material things, but houses are a different story.  When he passes these residences emotions of success, achievement, comfort, and wholeness spark within his mind.  They represent a potential safe space, a place to finally learn how to relax and feel at ease.

The park is located next to a gated community, right before the front gates, available for everyone to use.  He makes the left turn into the parking lot, finds a shady spot, and begins the walk to the grassy outlook.  This park is his favorite meditative spot, not because of the houses but because of the diversity and nature.  Large boulders surround the grass as kids and adults alike begin to climb them for pleasure.  Families picnic at the tables next to the massive childrens jungle gym and friends rest on blankets in the shade.  He passes them all as he makes his way to the open sunlight in the center of the two-acre manicured grass field.

The view is incredible here.  He rolls out his yoga mat, kicks his shoes off, places his headphones on his ears, and takes a seat in the center of the mat.  High frequency vibrational tones are blasted through his headphones as he looks out into the breathtaking view.  He breathes deep as he looks for miles and miles into the stateside, viewing the gorgeous lake on his right-hand side just a few miles away at the bottom of the hill, then switches his gaze to the city quite far in the distance on his left side.  The very same city he left to pursue his dreams on this day.  He takes one last thought about the looming test, then closes his eyes and says aloud, “bring it on.”

He sits quietly and waits for the negative thoughts to cross his mind.  Almost immediately, thoughts of frustration, anger, confusion, fatigue, resentment, and angst arise.

I have been working at this for over a decade, why am I not yet where I wish to be?

Why does it feel like my brand is unnoticed? 

I don’t know how much more I can give to make these dreams a reality.

I am following manifestation laws and the laws of attraction, so where the hell is it?

I believe in myself fully, I am prepared for anything, why won’t my dreams give me a chance?

What if I never experience them?

What if I never feel the emotions I am chasing?

And the thoughts go on.  And one by one, he reflects on them, answers them, and lets go of them.  This was the test.  To not let the thoughts consume him, to not let them change his mood or inner speech, to not lose belief, and to stay in the present moment and trust the process.  What felt like hundreds of thoughts came in and were let go as this process continued for over an hour.  The whole time he continued his breath and he continued to drive his bare feet into the grass beneath, as a reminder to stay grounded and undistracted. He continues until there are no more thoughts, just the feelings residing in the moment.  The high frequency music in his headphones, the feeling of grass on his hands and feet, the awareness of his posture and relaxed shoulders, then finally, the passing of a cool breeze.

The sudden wind was an indication for him to open his eyes, a signal that he had passed the test.  He inhales deep and reaches overhead to stretch his arms and back, looking up at the fully blue sky.  He feels one with nature and decides to relax there a little longer.  Suddenly, a low flying hawk passes by.

He watches the hawk fly in circles with complete fascination, as he has never seen one in the wild in this much detail in all of his days.  The hawk circles the field at semi-height, probably no more than 80 feet above the ground.  He wonders if the hawk is looking for prey, but does not get that vibe internally.  The hawk circles for roughly three minutes before it finishes its’ final lap, then elevates in a straight line flying towards the city. Instantly, his intuition tells him something, so he reaches quickly to grab his phone.

He looks up the meaning of a hawk in symbology and throughout history.  To the Native Americans, hawks were a sign of good luck. A sign to pay attention to your internal being and reevaluate your needs.  To the Egyptians, hawks meant clarity and honoring your inner wisdom.  But what hawks had in common with every form of symbolism was to continue pursuing your dreams as they are close, as hawks are powerful and pursue what they need and want. 

He sets his phone down in silence, as tears flow down the corners of his eyes, hidden by his shaded glasses.  “I passed,”  he says aloud in a choked up tone.  Slowly, he rolls up his yoga mat, gathers his belongings, and begins the short trip back to work.

What This Means for you

This story represents all of us, no matter where you are in your lifes’ journey.  There will always be tests, challenges, and This story represents all of us, no matter where you are in your lifes’ journey.  There will always be tests, challenges, and obstacles both present and future that are keeping you from experiencing your dreams.  We must learn to see them in a positive light as they are not deterrents and reasons to give up. Instead, they are placed before us because we are not ready.  When you can take a test head on, you emerge on the other side with more knowledge, growth, appreciation, and strength.  They are here to guide us, to push us in the right direction to manifest what we really want.  On the other side, verification will emerge of your efforts and progress.  In this scenario, the challenge was to maintain the correct energy and thinking patterns through trying situations and thoughts.  Growing awareness was the key to breaking through these challenging limitations.

We challenge you to see tough situations in this light and to take steps to grow your awareness.  Awareness is knowledge of your internal being, including your subconscious thoughts, recurring thoughts, fears, and used daily language.  Awareness is also being alert to these behaviors and taking strides to change them into a positive energy that fits your goals.  Lastly, awareness includes understanding the signs of this behavior when they appear.  They can be small things such as the way people talk to you, recurring things that keep happening to trigger your negative emotions, or symbolic things, such as the hawk.