Connect With Your Life Force

“May the Force be with you” is a well-recognized phrase from the epic Star Wars saga. If you’ve never heard it, bless you, young child, for you’ve arrived on planet Earth at a time when we are in dire need of understanding its meaning. Dr. Phil Stutz calls it the Life Force. This energy exists within and around every individual and goes on forever. It is the force that activates your infinite potential as a human being.

In French, the words raison d’être mean “reason for being” or “reason to be.” Your Life Force understands this. The magic is that it offers you a glimpse into the future. While it’s not a predictor or prophecy, it provides a sense of direction and purpose, guiding you toward your true calling.

You don’t need to be a Jedi Master or carry a lightsaber to harness your Life Force. In the Star Wars universe, the Force can be used equally for good or evil. In real life, we trust that our Life Force wants us to evolve and grow. It is a reciprocal relationship. The more we consider it worthy of our efforts, the more it increases our capacity to make and trust our decisions.

Consider the Life Force as the compelling drive that motivates you to work towards a goal, to parent a child with focused attention, or to plant a tree “even if you knew the world would end tomorrow,” as Martin Luther once said. This drive is an integral part of our existence, pushing us to strive, create, and connect.

We never know what’s going to happen next, but the Life Force is always at work. For instance, when you cut your finger with a sharp knife, wash it, clean it, and put a bandage on it, you notice in a few days that the cut is almost healed. This healing process is a physical sign that the Life Force is at work in your life. On a spiritual level, you can feel your Life Force at work when you achieve things you once thought impossible, surpassing your own expectations.

In the 1970s movie, the wise Yoda teaches a young Luke Skywalker to believe in himself and trust his instincts through dedicated practice, facing his fears, and relying on his companions. Similarly, our Life Force asks us to cultivate relationships with three essential aspects of our human experience: the Body, Others, and Yourself.

The first aspect, and the foundation of working on your Life Force, is the relationship you have with your body. This includes the foods you eat, the amount of sleep you get, exercise, supplements, and medications—it literally addresses our survival skills. Caring for your body is the first step in nurturing your Life Force, providing the physical energy and vitality needed to pursue your passions and dreams.  When you don’t know where to start in wanting to turn your life around, start there.  A 20 minute walk daily or a commitment to a healthier diet ignites the spark that awakens the Life Force.

The second relationship we cultivate is with “Others.” This may sound simple, but it goes beyond just maintaining connections with the people closest to us. The Life Force encourages us to reach out to those we haven’t spoken to in a while and to engage with others even when we’re uncertain of their receptiveness to a chat or coffee date. In 12-Step recovery, it is often said that connection is the opposite of addiction, not sobriety. Phil emphasizes that it is really hard to spiral into poor mental health when we are reaching out to others. This doesn’t mean you have to accept every offer of companionship that comes your way. The point is not to overextend yourself, but to shift your focus from yourself to being present for others.

The last relationship that the Life Force asks you to nurture is your relationship with yourself. This may seem like a no-brainer, but achieving harmony with our inner world can be challenging. Peeling back the layers of our habits, behaviors, and desires can seem daunting. One way to show the Life Force you’re on the job is to write. It doesn’t matter if it’s journal writing, creative writing, or taking pride in work emails or sending birthday cards. The very act of putting pen to paper or typing on a keyboard demonstrates to the universe and the Life Force that you are serious about expanding your intimacy with the world. Writing down your dreams, and possibly sharing them, is extremely beneficial.

How we talk to ourselves when we look in the mirror, experience grief, or feel we are not living up to our expectations determines our ability to harness a strong Life Force. In the next blog, we will discuss what Phil Stutz has coined as Part X: your inner enemy and how to combat it. For now, let this energy be enough to propel you forward toward a future filled with determined satisfaction. May the Life Force be with you.