What I learned from Abdullah by Dave Whitley

If you are familiar with the story of “you are IN Barbados”, you know that Abdullah instructed Neville that he was in Barbados already. Neville went to sleep in his earthly father’s house, night after night in his imagination, for a month.

Nothing happened. Neville went to visit Abdullah and voiced his doubt/concern/fear…

“….Two weeks later I was no nearer to my goal than on the day I first told him I wanted to go to Barbados. I said to him, Ab, I trust you implicitly but here is one time I cannot see how it is going to work. I have not one penny towards my journey, I began to explain.

You know what he did? He was as black as the ace of spades, my old friend Abdullah, with his turbaned head. As I sat in his living room he rose from his chair and went towards his study and slammed the door, which was not an invitation to follow him. As he went through the door he said to me, “I have said all that I have to say.”

Ultimately, it worked. Neville went to Barbados first class, despite initially being told he’d be in 3rd class, prompting Abdullah to correct Neville again in the same manner.

Obviously, this is a testament to Abdullah’s directness. But since we know it worked and it was extremely unlikely that it would, what can we learn from this?

Here’s some of my observations on it:

1) Living in the end. If you are already in Barbados, you are not concerned with how you are going to get there.

Practice getting into the feeling by thinking of something that already exists in your world. For this example, let’s assume that you have a car.

Do you wonder if your car is parked outside? No, because you put it there.

If someone came along and asked if you have a car, you’d respond with a simple yes, because you know…not believe… that it’s parked in your driveway.

If the same person question you…”are you sure? Because I don’t think you do.” How would you feel? Would you doubt the existence of your car? Of course not.

To fully live in the end, assume the same “knowing feeling” about your desired outcome as you do about possessions you know you have.

2) Naturalness. By sleeping in his father’s house, Neville constructed a scene that felt very natural to him, because of its familiarity. He lived there all of his life before leaving the tiny island for the thriving metropolis of New York City.

You can practice this skill of natural imagination by getting into a relaxed state and observing the room you are in. Take note of small details. What do you see? Can you hear the sound of traffic outside? Are there any smells? Are you in a hard chair or lying on a soft surface, like a bed or sofa?

Now close your eyes and replicate the room in your mind. This will be easy to do because it feels very natural.

Apply that same feeling of naturalness to your imaginal scene.

3) Persistence in your Mental Diet. Once you’ve decided on an aim and assumed the state of fulfilled desire, any time a thought comes into your mind that is not in line with it, turn your back on it, walk away and shut the door, the same way Abdullah did with Neville.

Conclusion:

Beyond the 3D act of exiting the room, Abdullah ended a conversation that was centered on Neville’s doubt. He literally turned his back and walked out of the room, which takes his attention away by removing it from his immediate awareness and slams the door, cutting off any opposing thought.

When a thought or feeling of doubt comes to you, turn your back, walk away and slam the door on it. On the other side of that door is a place where you can persist in living in the end and the naturalness of the ideal realized.