Sufi Perfection
Sep 08, 2024 3:30 am
The Sufi work teaches us to be in the moment and rely on our intuition. We learn to take action and make decisions that come from the "intelligence of the heart" not the "intellect in the head." The first is creative and true. The second is logical, rational, and devoid of spirit.
One of the most important benefits for me of the Sufi work is learning to trust my intelligence. You see, I am sometimes led astray by my desire to be perfect.
The Sufis aspire to excellence, but this is not the same as "perfect." Excellence is about being the best YOU, at any moment. It is not about fulfilling some outside set of criteria like you see in Olympic competitions. Perfection for me has always been about striving to fulfill someone else's expectations. It is a losing objective.
This past week I had a stunning reminder about how foolish perfection striving is. I tried to please an AI (Artificial Intelligence) program. The word “artificial” in AI should have alerted me to the folly of this endeavor. Artificial means fake, imitation, non-natural, like artificial sweetener.
I was struggling to write an email to my mailing list about an event I will be doing in a few week. The event is an in-person workshop on “Allowing Joy in Challenging Times.” It's my first in-person workshop in 4 years. I guess I was feeling nervous and worried. Instead of taking a pause and meditating; instead of trusting that the intelligence of the heart would eventually come to my rescue; I pushed. Yes, I did the exact opposite of what I wrote in my email last week. Maybe I should read my own emails.
In a hurry to get this task done, I used the AI -- ChatGPT-- for ideas. It was dry, boring and lifeless. Well, what did I expect from an algorithm? Finally, after two days, I managed to squeeze out some ideas for my email. Thinking it was ready, I sent it through the AI reviewer that my bulk email program uses. Its response was scathing. I got the lowest score I have ever received -- 1 out of 100. For the next day and a half, I rewrote my email fifteen times trying to raise my scores. Fifteen Times!! I only stopped because I accidentally aroused the suspicions of a security algorithm which kicked me out of the email program and banned me. I couldn't get back in. I was blacklisted. Finally, I was forced to take the pause I should have taken at the beginning.
Fortunately, I found a temporary workaround to access the email site and quickly rewrote my email. The words flowed out clear, heartful, and to the point in less than an hour. Wouldn't you know, I even got good grades from that pesky AI.
The lessons? Gwen, a wise Sufi student from years ago, said never take action until it feels right inside. Tap into Spirit, to your heart's intelligence and the way will become clear.
The Sufi practice helps us stay true to ourselves. It puts us in the moment, quiets the internal voices of doubt and judgment, and supports us with the creative brilliance of the universe.
Connect to your intelligence and creativity, at Sufi Class on Sunday, September 8, at 8:00 am PDT, and Tuesday, September 10th at 10:30 am PDT.
The Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88050735178?pwd=zkrVoc4Mtg0pSXtAAWmoCrHWQb2qb1.1
Don’t forget to use the password SUFI all in caps if you are asked for the password.
Be brilliant,
Dr. Michelle
Life Transformation Coach
Empowering Women to Reinvent Their Life After Loss
Secrets of Life and Death
