April 9th 2010 - The Clam

I'm absolutely flabbergasted that it's been over 2 months since my last post. The season in my family business was extremely busy due to the chilly and rainy weather. People came shopping. Enough with the excuses, though. On to my post.

I have not been able to get the idea of the clam in the shell out of my head for the past few days. I am not an expert on clam biology, but it seems that the clam is almost completely concealed from the light. Only a little light can penetrate the membrane that drapes between the two shell halves that house the clam. One of the biggest problems with humanity is that so many of us are like the clam. We are completely close-minded, and we won't open our shells wide enough to let in the advice or ideas of others. We stay inside our ego shells, believing that our ideas are superior, and discounting the intelligence and worthiness of others. If we are so close-minded that we never allow others' ideas to penetrate us, we are probably missing out on some good guidance.

One of my past teachers would always say that God doesn't talk to people from bushes and clouds these days. He said that God talks to people through their thoughts and intuitions, and also through the mouths of other people. From my experience, I believe this to be true. When I became more open-minded, I realized that even the simplest person will sometimes have some words of wisdom. Sometimes the greatest ideas come from the least-expected sources. Sometimes some random person I meet in some random place will say exactly what I need to hear. You have to be open-minded, alert and a patient listener to pick up on what the Universe is trying to deliver to you, in my humble opinion. Most of us, including myself, could use a little work on at least a couple of those skills.

Of course, some of us are TOO open to others' advice. Many people are easily swayed by anybody else's opinion. This can be just as much a problem, because it is symptomatic of a lack of self-trust. I, personally, err more this way.

How do you know whether to be open to the advice and ideas of others? It takes discernment, but your natural inclination is a good hint. If you tend to very quickly discount the ideas of others, you are probably losing some helpful advice. If you tend to be instantly swayed by anything another says, you probably need to practice a little more self-reliance. There's always a balance to be found. These days, though, I notice a lot of clams out there.

Sincerely,
Alan