change

You Are More Than a Survivor

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Despite everything that has happened to you in this life, including everything that you THINK you did wrong, you survived it all. Take that in and be with it. You are a survivor! Remember that truth when times feel difficult. Know that you are more than a survivor, that you can come out on the other side and thrive.

You are still here to talk about every event, at least the ones you remember. Just how many do you remember anyway? I raise this question because I guarantee that you have forgotten many more difficult times than you remember. There is value in noticing this: they are gone from your present experience and no longer disturb your state. What has power over you right now that you can see or feel in your life?

Notice that everything in personhood comes and goes. That includes the good, the bad, and yes, even what you thought was insurmountable.

The mind may keep ruminating over an issue, and I would ask, is this something that needs your attention or not? It does not matter if it happened five minutes or five decades ago, because once you identify with it in the present, it has the same power to distract you and change your state.

How much of your time is spent thinking about unnecessary things while overlooking what is necessary? You have a choice in these moments to breakdown or breakthrough! Which will you choose?

How many of your challenges can you look back at and see that they taught you something valuable? That the experience empowered you and put your life on a completely different trajectory for the better? If this did not happen, then look to see if you have an unresolved issue, or perhaps you are continuing to ruminate over something that is no longer an issue, and you need to let it go.

I repeat, know you are a powerful person. Recognize that you are a survivor, but you are more than that. Please remember that no matter what is happening in your life or how you feel about it today, it will shift, it will change, because nothing in your life of personhood lasts forever.

Humanity and Mother Earth Are One

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The whole humanity is as one single body, and all nations and communities and races as the different organs and the happiness and well-being of each of them is the happiness and well-being of the whole body. If there is one organ of the body in pain, the whole body has to sustain a share of the strain of it. That by this message mankind may begin to think that his welfare and his well-being is not in looking after himself, but it is in looking after others, and when in all there will be reciprocity, love, and goodness towards another, the better time will come.”

-Hazrat Inayat Khan

I would also say that the living organism we call home is part of the whole and perhaps the most essential organ of them all because without it surviving we will not survive. It too must be looked after, and we must recognize that our actions cause pain and suffering to our only home. If we continue as we are, it will one day run out of resources, and it seems now that too many in power around the world do not care enough to change the course, to protect Mother Earth.

We take from it, and poison its body every second of every day and just like the human body that is mistreated it will become sick and die sooner than it would with proper attention, love and care. We must be forward-thinking, open and kind to the planet if we want it to survive, and if we want future generations to survive.

With each passing year, the world becomes smaller, and humanity grows closer through our interconnectedness. Our neighbors are no longer just those people on our street or block, in our city, state or even country. This ever-widening circle is changing, and with this change, it will become increasingly harder to live as we have in the past. We want to keep what is ours, what feels comfortable, what we are used to and we are slow to adapt and to accept change. Our misguided fears tell us that what we have is in jeopardy, so we cling to what we have, and we push to get more and to keep things the way they are. However, this is happening and is inevitable through our own inventions, and we need to release our fears.

If we keep our attention solely focused on self-interest and the set boundaries of old beliefs, then we are destined for even more suffering than what we are experiencing today. Our leaders and we must understand this fact, because if we do not, then our indifference to this change will lead to greater wars, death, and destruction. This denial of the inevitable, not letting go of the past and flowing with the natural evolution of our time will cause great suffering for future generations.

We must be a part of the solution and part of creating the future that we all want. We all want a peaceful world, a loving, safe and kind world. We want to have our needs met, with food, shelter, water and a way to support our families and ourselves.

We must start today to build a strong foundation for tomorrow. If we continue to hold tightly to the past and repeating our mistakes, then we will continue to destroy faster than we can heal. Then one day we will end up on life support with no hope for humanity or the planet. However, there is hope, and there is time if we see the truth and act now.

Real Change

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The only place we can indeed change anything is within ourselves. This inner journey is the most essential part of our human experience, and yet it is rarely put at the top of our list and pursued first, if at all.

Why, because we have been socially conditioned to think that many other things in life are more important. We have become so focused on getting these things, we fail to see that as we change, the world outside us changes with us.

We are too busy taking care of everyone else or working so hard to change everything out in the world that we neglect looking within and this is the only real way to make lasting change in our lives and in the world. Too many people never understand this until very late in life or unfortunately, not at all, and without it, we all suffer more than is necessary.

You have a tremendous opportunity if you are reading this now to wake up to this truth. To hear what I am saying and connect with that part of you that already knows and feels the trueness of it.

This is the first step, and then if you pay attention, you will be guided to the next action with minimal effort as long as you stay aware of your conditioning and let it go when it comes up.

Social conditioning is easy to identify because it will be at odds with what you feel in your body. Trust what your body is telling you because it will never lead you astray. If your thoughts are saying something different, then they are lying to you, not your body. Your conditioning, cunning and persistent will use your thoughts to trick you, keeping you stuck in life. Remember when you are in command of yourself, you are in command of your life and your happiness.

When Tragedy Strikes in America

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In America when tragedy strikes or when a large enough part of the population sees and understands that something is wrong or something needs to change, we get up and move forward making the change necessary to keep people free, to keep people safe and to do the right thing. There are always those who want things to stay the way they are out of fear, out of misguided thinking or out of ignorance. You only have to look at our history to see this fact; there are many examples like the woman’s right to vote, segregation or slavery. Holdouts never get their way because in the end what is moral, compassionate and right always wins.

Yes, they make it hard for those people who see what will be, who see what is moral, compassionate and right and needs to be done. Remember that these people are lost in the past, they want things to stay the same, they resist change in their lives and this world, and they will fight to keep the things as they are. Remember, that they need our compassion and understanding, not our anger and hate. Why, because they cannot see what the right thing to do is at this moment.

You waste your time trying to change their minds, and it is only an exercise of your ego to be right. The energy that you lose with this futile course of action could be used for creating the change you seek instead of falling into a dark hole of wasted time.

Drop down into your heart and know that if you let go of your anger, frustration, and fear that you help them heal and let go of theirs. Take action like voting, running for office, supporting a candidate or doing whatever you feel called to do that follows your passion. Through this action, you will be helping to heal yourself and everyone on this planet. The change will come because that is inevitable. Remain hopeful, confident, passionate and enthusiastic because these qualities have the power to create what you want. You will never create the future you want out of anger, fear or any emotion that does not make you feel good. When you notice upset in your body or life reach for good feelings, find your passion and let us create a peaceful world where we can coexist with all its diversity and beauty.

Healing the World

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For the world to change, we must stop seeing our differences and start seeing our sameness. We must recognize that we are more alike than different, no matter where we are from or what our beliefs. We must see that part of God that resides in all of us and we must look for it in the other person. We must embrace it in ourselves and allow it to be the greatest part of our expression while we are alive.

To do this means we have to begin to wake up. We can no longer just point to the craziness outside of ourselves and we must look at our own misguided actions, thoughts and deeds. It is here within our own being, that we will heal the world. None of our great external works can do this; if they could, things would surely be different. Wake up to this fact and then begin the journey of self-inquiry.

Judgement

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Your self- judgment will not heal you or change your life for the better. Judgment of another person does not change them or solve your problems; it roots them more deeply into our collective psyche.

The only permanent solution is inner work, for it is here that healing occurs on all levels. What we are able to uncover and release within ourselves ultimately is what changes and heals the world.

It has already been proven that a million-man march, war and other external solutions do not work. Only the final call for inner knowing has this power to heal. I know you feel this inner calling, so begin to answer it today, because your resistance will only cause you to suffer.

WARNING! Do not read this post unless…

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WarningSign

This is your first and last WARNING! Do not read this post unless you want to accelerate your awakening. The next sentence is a catalyst for change, do not go any further without the risk of never going back to the way things use to be.

“Do not hold onto your beliefs so tightly that they out live your common sense, intuition and heartfelt recognition of the truth.”

Simply put do not hold onto your beliefs without questioning them every day. Do they still hold true? Was that belief ever true? What will happen if I just let go of this one belief? Will I still be me? Will I ever be the same again? Do you want to be the same?

I can tell you for sure, that once you begin to question your beliefs you will never be the same again. You will begin to connect with who you really are and not some creation of conditioning. Do not fret; the pain of change is much less arduous than staying in the same place. Staying in the hardened conventionality of our society is much more difficult, depressing, leads to anxiety and other maladies keeping you from letting go and uncovering your True-Self.

We fail to realize that we are already awakened beings. We have succumbed to our conditioning and our resistance to the truth has stopped us from seeing this in the moment. We must stop fighting life, stop fighting what is, and know that life supports us completely, all of us, not just some of us. Why do you question it at every turn? Why do you feel adrift, lost in some way, incomplete? This is not who you are, so why do you continue to hold onto the belief that there must be something more? The more that you seek is already here, already in you, already a part of you.

Here is where to begin, remember that stretching in life is about doing and letting go is about allowing. They both have purpose; however stretching can cause stress and anxiety if not approached from a centered place. Allowing on the other hand brings more peace into your life. When you allow, you are in a state of letting go and receiving. This is very different from stretching can you feel the difference?

Start to listen to your heart and intuition more than your head and conditioning. Then allow your beliefs to bubble up to the surface. Question them from a centered place; then stretch yourself a little and let go of any belief that no longer works for you. You will know because they do not feel right, the ones that you know in your heart are no longer true. Know that you will always be guided, safe and never given more than you can handle through this process and your life.

Whether you choose to do this consciously or not dictates the amount of struggle you experience from your own resistance. Therefore, do not blame God or someone else for your difficulties. Take responsibility for where you are and know that you have the power to overcome. You have the power to let go and you have the power to connect with your True-Self and begin living the life that has always been your destiny. The life of your True-Self, the one that your soul has always been guiding you towards; the one you have been resisting.

Be grateful for your life right now. Then begin living life to the fullest while you are still here, still breathing, still alive! STOP WAITING!!

Short and Sweet #184 – A More Fulfilling Life

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Life changes when we have this one important realization. Every struggle we face in life, including those with other people, begins with thinking the problem is with them or lies somewhere out in the world. Changing our perception and realizing that the problem resides within, takes us out of resistance and struggle. Changing the inner world first is ALWAYS the best option for the highest outcome for all involved. This allows the creative energy of the universe to flow smoothly again and a greater sense of peace arrives.

Moreover, when we look out into the world, it is much easier to see all the problems around us. This is because the mind loves problems and the ego always assumes that they come from somewhere else. The mind thrives on solving problems and if there aren’t any, it will create them, just so it has something to do. If you don’t believe me, then try going an hour without seeing a problem, seeing that something needs to be done, fixed or resolved. Make this challenge even more interesting by not making judgments. Are you too busy or can you commit to one hour to live a more fulfilling life. If that seems like too much, then try ten minutes. What have you go to lose?

During this hour only focus on the beauty around you, live in gratitude for what you have and for being alive. See if you can go the whole time without slipping back into thinking about your problems or what needs to be done. Yes, but I do not have time for that, I have to…

If you cannot find a way to do this, then how can you expect to enjoy life? How can you expect life to meet you fully wherever you are right now, if you are always trying to control or fix life? There is a time to create and do things. However, you will find one day that even more important than all those things is finding a way to just BE with life. To see and feel what is right in front of you. The miraculous, beautiful and magnificent world we live in and all that comes with it.

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Short and Sweet #169 – 50 Shades of Grey, Darkness and THE LIGHT

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Many of us live in the shadows of who we are the greyness, some even in the darkness. This I call the False-Self. What is the grey and the darkness? It is when you are walking down the street and you have an uneasy feeling in your body or fearful thought as someone approaches you. This uneasiness is just because of the way they look, dress or smell. It is that moment when someone says something to you and you let your eyes roll back because you do not like it. It is when you shout Continue reading →

Short and Sweet #167 – How Do You Look At Life?

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It is through changing our point of view about life that we begin to make spiritual progress. If we are continually judging others and our circumstances, we will not progress. We must realize that we have to be concerned with our own outlook on life, not with what someone else thinks. If we feel the need to judge, then Continue reading →