The key sentence for me here is "Because it's way too stressful to live an inauthentic life."...
You Are 96% Real |
 There's hardly a person on this earth more real than you are. You have no problem showing people who you are, flaws and all. For you, there couldn't be any other way. Because it's way too stressful to live an inauthentic life. You're very comfortable with yourself. And because of this, you're able to live an exciting, interesting, and challenging life. |
Thank you, Goddess! Thank you everyone who has sent me their positive wishes for finding a house!
I have found a place to live.
I'm very excited about my new home. It's not the beach house I wished for, but, as always, the Universe knows best what I need right now.
I spent the last three months responding to every suitable ad that I saw and even put a couple of my own "desperately seeking" ads. I put the word out to everyone that I knew that I was searching for accommodation. All to no avail. I never even got to the viewing stage.
Then, one day last week, I was sitting in front of my computer talking to my daughter, telling her not to worry and to trust that the Universe will provide and that I had a feeling something was going to happen today, when an email came in. It was an alert I had set for a local classifieds site. The minute I read the message, I knew this was the place for us. I phoned up immediately and we went to view the place 2 hours later.
As I walked in, I just "knew" this house was for me. The landlord walked us through the two living rooms, four huge bedrooms, an oversized kitchen with attached utility room, three bathrooms and a study, before showing us, nearly as an afterthought, what he called the children's playroom. This room is a gorgeous wood-clad attic room with skylights and just screams "meditation, sacred space, etc.". And then I knew why this house was for me.
In the previous two weeks the Universe had been shouting. I received quite a few requests for Reiki and spiritual counselling. Many people also phoned me asking if I knew of a spiritual centre in the Seychelles. There isn't anything like that here. YET.
I've also been pretty broke the last couple of years and just last week I finally sold a piece of land that has given me some financial resources, without which I would never have been able to afford this kind of house.
It's long been a dream of mine to start some sort of spiritual centre here. Long-term, I'd like to live and work in a spiritual retreat centre and have made plans for a cafe where like-minded people could meet.
For a long time now, I've been responding to people who have asked for help that I don't have the space or resources to do anything in that vein. I did help in "smaller" ways, but didn't feel ready for more. Now I have enough resources for the first step; a house where I could start up something in the spiritual area. The Universe has provided and I no longer have an excuse to avoid doing what I'm supposed to be doing...
I mentioned in a previous post that I had been through some dark nights of the soul in the last two years. This time around, when it came to trusting that I would have a roof over my head, I trusted. Completely and totally. I put myself into the hands of the powers that be and let go. When I wavered slightly (ever so slightly), I wrote a post about my worries and received so much encouragement from you. Asking for help was definitely a first for me; I have always found it easy to sense when others needed help and gave it freely. Asking for help for myself was another matter altogether; pride all too easily got in the way of that.
I am over the moon with happiness.
I am filled with joy.
I am overflowing with gratitude.
From the bottom of my heart: Thank you.
Related articles:
Trusting the Universe to Provide a Roof Over My Head
5 Steps to Surrender to Your Life Purpose
Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.
Horace
Related articles:
Living in the Moment
Get High on Life the Bollywood Way
7 Ways to Get Your Energies Flowing
The Dr. Seuss 12 Step Programme to Living Your Best Life
Are You Tired of Being Stuck in Routine? Here Are 8 Ways to Break Out
Lost in Meaningful Coincidences? Keep Track of the Power of Coincidences With a Synchronicity Journal
Take a Mini Vacation to Spark Your Creativity
Has this post added any value to your life? Or are you just in a giving mood? Improve your karma with a donation. Thank you!
I’ve moved house five times in the last two years.
My kids and I are about to embark on the sixth move.
The first time, I had to make up my mind and switch countries from Switzerland to Seychelles within three weeks. I stayed at a friend’s home for a month and then moved to my own place. This was a horrible dingy little house in the middle of the bush. After 4 months, I was given a month’s notice by my landlady and found a bedsit to share with my two teenage children just two days before I had to move. The place was small, but nonetheless a step up from the previous shack. (We had luxuries such as hot water and proper tiles.) The story repeated itself, but this time I had just one day to move out. The house was larger, but started falling apart on us due to termites attacking the wood. This enabled rats to get in and we had to move out before we all died of leptospirosis...
I’ve been in this house for 10 months now, which is a pretty long time considering the track record of the last couple of years. The house is once again an improvement on the previous accommodation; we have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and unlimited hot water. Not to forget a fantastic view. My landlord now wants to tear the house down to build luxury condominiums and is going to start work on the site by the end of this month. So, once again I’m on the move.
To make matters worse, it’s becoming nearly impossible to find any kind of rental. The prices have shot up in these last few years and there is a huge shortage of accommodation even in the higher priced category.
So what do I do facing these impossible circumstances? I ask the Universe for the absolutely impossible: a house on the beach.
I’ve been yearning for a house on the beach before I even got here. Upon arrival I “realized” that there are only a handful of beach houses for rent and their prices are exorbitant, so I gave up on the idea, thinking it was impossible. Of course, with this attitude, my first home was miles away from the beach. Looking back over the last two years, each move has been an improvement and I’m getting closer to the beach as well. It no longer feels impossible.
These last couple of years have truly been an exercise in trust. I had quite a few dark nights of the soul where I lost faith and had to find a point where I regained trust despite the seemingly hopeless outlook of the situation. Each time I managed to dredge hope from the depths of my soul, the tide turned and a roof over my head was provided by the Universe.
Last month an online friend sent me a lovely link where one can wish upon a star. Without stopping to think, I spontaneously wished for a beach house. On a few blogs I visit, I stated my dream of living in a beach house and writing a novel. I’ve looked at my vision board on my desktop, built myself a beach house on Sims2 and starting visualizing.
Meanwhile, in the “real world”, I’ve placed an ad seeking accommodation, looked at a couple of places (not on the beach), but they haven’t worked out. I’ve got two weeks to go until I have to move out and I’m working on not feeling the fear and trusting that I will have a roof over my head.
I live in hope and surrender…
Related articles:
Sims2 as a Creative Visualization Tool
5 Steps to Surrender to Your Life Purpose
How To Put a Vision Board on Your Desktop
How You Can Easily Visualize Your Day Using the 5 W's
Put the Fun Back into Creative Visualization with Magic Rituals
Has this post added any value to your life? Or are you just in a giving mood? Improve your karma with a donation. Thank you!
The other day, my daughter was complaining about what she considered to be unethical behaviour by some of her friends. I responded by sarcastically suggesting that they probably hadn’t watched “Touched by an Angel” in their formative years. She figured it was probably a lack of Dr. Seuss.
And I realised that my daughter was right. Dr. Seuss subtly (or not so subtly some might say) incorporates little nuggets of wisdom into all his books for children. Read Dr. Seuss to your kids and they will be forever “programmed” to strive to be their highest selves. If you haven’t read the man yet, it’s high time to do so yourself. Now available on Gameboy Advance as well.
Here’s some wisdom from Dr. Seuss and a little translation into Personal Growth Speak (PGS).
I love smoking. And smoking loves me. I have friends who are die-hard non-smokers who have said to me that smoking "suits" me. That's how convincing a smoker I am.
After 33 years of smoking, I have no physical symptoms. My heart is fine, my arteries are clear and my children will testify to my lung power. I don't have smokers cough and my skin is still wrinkle-free. I don't live in the US or UK, where smokers are increasingly ostrasised by society. Here in the Seychelles (and in Switzerland, where I lived before), smoking is quite acceptable.
So why even bother quitting?
I want to love more.
Smoking is a heart chakra issue. I've noticed that when I don't have cigarettes I feel a yearning in the anahata chakra area, a need to breathe in more deeply. If I'm upset and don't want to cry (breaking down in public simply isn't my thing) I reach for a cigarette. If I'm angry and don't want to throttle the person near me, I reach for a cigarette. If I'm feeling insecure in a social situation, I reach for a cigarette.
The latter is the reason I started smoking in the first place. I used to be a very shy teenager and forced myself to sit in cafés nonchalantly sipping at a coffee and slowly dragging on a cigarette. I perfected the art of looking cool with a cigarette in my hand. There were different phases of coolness: the vamp in a pencil skirt wearing bright red lipstick with a cigarette holder, the existentialist dressed in black and smoking Gitanes, the patchouli-smelling hippy rolling Drums.
Those were the days! Actually, it was a lot of fun, but I've realized that I am very far from that shy teenager. I am now (and have long been) a self-confident woman who doesn't give a flying f*** what people think. "You've come a long way, baby!"
I am a loving feeling person, who cannot watch horrible things in the news without crying. Forgiving others has always come easily to me and over the years I have learnt to forgive myself as well. I am passionate about people, causes and many things under the sun. Watching a sunset or walking in nature often moves me to tears of joy. I even get angry quite well ...
And yet I feel I am blocking my heart chakra. I fear that one day, I will no longer suppress my feelings consciously with a couple of drags on a cigarette, but that my emotions will no longer flow freely. Maybe I'm at the tipping point and, unconsciously, have realised this. Hence the urge to stop now.
I'll be working on my heart chakra in the next couple of weeks. Here's my plan:
Reiki, focussing on the heart
Deep breathing
Meditation for relaxation and centering in my sacred space
Walks along the beach to recharge my energies
Swim in the ocean to cleanse my energy field
Enjoy the moment to experience joy
Watch Bollywood movies to make my heart sing
And who knows, I might finally open myself so much to love, that my soul mate will show up and I can indulge in some loving sacred sex ...
"Ask and ye shall receive" I'm told. So here goes: if you like this article, please stumble, add to a social bookmarking site or donate. Thank you.
(click on the image for a larger view)
I used to work in a psychiatric outpatient clinic. One of the steps in treating mental health disorders is to put the patient on a schedule. This is to provide some stability in their daily lives and stop their minds from dangerously going haywire. But what if you, as a sane person, have too much stability in your life? It's boring. It's stagnating. It's debilitating. And it may lead to depression ...
So why not go a little haywire in your daily life? Living in the moment is dangerous. It can open you up to all kinds of new experiences. You never know what might happen.
Here are some ideas on how to break out of your daily routine:
I am so chuffed. Anmol Mehta has chosen to feature one of my articles in the Carnival of Meditation, Yoga and Spiritual Growth. This carnival is chock a block with brilliant articles from some of the best bloggers in the spiritual growth and personal development arena. Do go and have a read.
Here's another way to find out what you really want out of life. The questions aren't necessarily easy, so take your time.
1. If you won a $1 million, what would you do differently in life?
This is not about buying your dream house or going on a world cruise or even donating the lot to charity (because money is the root of all evil?). Think about what you would actually change, the different activities you would engage in. (Okay, maybe you do want the house, because you have a need for a secure home base to pursue your activities. Or you'll go on a world cruise, because that's where you can find the most people to start your new evangelistic religion...)
2) If you were going to die in 6 months time (and had perfect health in the meantime), how would you spend the time?
It's possible, if you are living completely on purpose, that you wouldn't change anything. There was some writer or the other, who just continued writing when he was told he only had a few months to live. He obviously felt he was living his life purpose. But are you? I can certainly think of a couple of things I'd like to squeeze in. There are still a few places I want to visit, a lot more dancing to do and so many more things to create.
3) Which one quality of your character, if you were to develop it further, would serve you the most fully in life?
This one requires some self-knowledge. How are you? Which characteristic of yours would be most useful to fulfil your dreams? Check out your other answers first, if you, like me, find this question difficult.
4) If you had a magic wand, and could grant any one skill or a ability, what would you choose?
No, I don't mean facebook inspired superhero abilities. What is it you really need to learn or do to be most in alignment with your dreams? For instance, if you want to hold workshops, learning how to teach would be useful.
5) What is it that gives you the most joy and satisfaction in life?
There are moments where you are totally in the flow and time seems to disappear. Activities can also trigger those "my cup runneth over" feelings, where you are so full of joy that you feel your heart will burst. What are you doing when you get these feelings? I can dance the night away, debate into the wee hours of the morning. Creating anything also puts me into a space time warp.
6) What legacy would you like to leave?
Imagine you were writing your obituary. What would you like to be remembered for? Try and go for more than just being a nice caring person, great parent, etc. Dream big. A guru? A media moghul? Or known for your involvement in saving the whales? Or eradicating malaria? (Even Bill Gates has his dreams he is working towards.)
7) What one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew that you could not fail?
This one is usually somehow connected to the last question. Climb Everest? (It doesn't matter if someone else has already done it. If you want to do it as well, go ahead and make it your dream.
If you're already doing all or most of these things, you are really on track with your life purpose. If you aren't, ask yourself why you aren't and then start moving in that direction.
Sometimes we have more than one purpose in one life. To take Bill Gates as an example again, he built up Microsoft (and whatever anybody says about the guy, he did build the company) and now he wants to eradicate malaria. As you fulfill a dream, another takes its place. Or sometimes, life purpose changes and another dream becomes your new dream. At which point, you might want to consider asking yourself these life purpose questions again.
Now, go out and do all of those things that you wrote about. Why wait until whatever? Do it now.
The only TV programme I make sure I never miss is Lost. Shah Rukh Khan could come knocking at my door and I would ask him to wait if Lost were airing right then. Perhaps I am so addicted to this programme, because my own life is so similar. I, too, am "stranded" on an island in the middle of nowhere where meaningful coincidences abound.
Part of the show's appeal is that it is so much like real life. Fiction doesn't usually like coincidences; they can't fit into a plot neatly and there are all those awful loose ends that need to be tied up. And, just as real life is full of meaningful coincidences, so is Lost, even if we, the viewers, can't make much sense out of them yet. I am confidently hoping that all will be revealed, both on screen and in my life ...
Meanwhile, I am keeping track of these synchronicities in a journal. The psychologist Carl Jung coined the term synchronicity to describe the meaningful coincidences that can serve as clues to what you should be paying attention to. Or as Deepak Chopra puts it: “A coincidence is a clue to the intention of the universal spirit, and as such it is rich with significance”.
If you pay attention to the synchronicities in your life, you will notice some kind of common thread of shared meaning or purpose. You know that you are on track with fulfilling your life purpose, when these "messages from the Universe" start multiplying. And multiply they will, the more you notice them.
Sometimes it is difficult to make any kind of sense out of these coincidences. This is where keeping a synchronicity journal is really useful. With the benefit of hindsight, you will often see the relevance of an event in our life. And, with practice, you can make the connections ahead of time.
Life has certain themes that it plays out, sometimes over and over again. Organising your journal in this manner can help you to connect the dots between these synchronicities. Look back over your life and identify certain themes that keep coming up. Or themes that you would like to come up, as in goals or wishes manifesting and start a new page for every set of significant coincidences.
My synchronicity journal has a page dedicated to India, my soulmate, my dream of a spiritual retreat centre and my spiritual development. It's full of cross-references from one area of my life to another. For instance, I grew up listening to stories about India from my mother who lived there. Often, I'll be the only non-Indian at a party full of Indians. It's the only food I can actually cook. The smaller coincidences are books that I come across "accidently" literally finding them on the street, living across the Indian Embassy, etc. The night before I "was moved" to the Seychelles by a series of coincidences, I watched a Bollywood movie which was filmed right on the beach (in the Seychelles) I was going to. Recently, I met a woman who wants to move to Goa to open a spiritual retreat centre. And last, but not least, I found a new love a couple of months ago. Indian.
These are just some of the larger themes that seem to crop up in my life. There are many smaller coincidences which confirm the direction I have taken and am going. I list mostly all in my synchronicity journal. It all helps to clarify the big picture.
Where will I flow from here, I wonder? Lost is on tonight; maybe I'll find out more about my life ...
In one of my many incarnations in this life, I was an English teacher. Usually, at some point during the year, I would ask my students to write out their ideal day using the 5 W's and How. It's an exercise I've done myself as well and find very useful as a creative visualization aid. (And as long as there's nobody around to check your grammar, writing down your ideal day is a lot of fun.)
The 5 W's are:
When? What? Who? Where? Why?
Add the How? to flesh out the details with sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
First, grab a pen and paper and make a diagram or list of sorts.
In each of the areas jot down some ideas of how you would spend your ideal day. Write down or sketch as many details as you can. You might want to break up the activities into chronological time frames as well, i.e. a separate chart for the morning, afternoon and evening.
Here are some examples:
When?: after waking up in the morning at 7 a.m.
Where?: on my wooden verandah overgrown with bouganvillea, in my cane rocking chair, overlooking the sea
What?: drinking a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and enjoying a breakfast of sweet juicy papaya and crispy toast
Who?: together with my beloved soulmate
Why? starting my day in a relaxed manner
How? contemplating the view and enjoying the intimacy of conversation
or:
When?: at 10 a.m.
Where?: in my large airy violet-walled art studio stocked with everything I could possibly need
What?: conducting a workshop on collage
Who?: together with lively creative workshop attendees
Why?: this is the course I'm currently giving
How?: with active participation, music in the background,
Spend some time imagining and filling in your diagram or list, then write down your story in the present tense as though you are living it. Fill it with details and make it vivid. Get excited about it. This is, after all, about creating your ideal future.
Read your ideal day visualization out loud to yourself every day or week with enthusiasm. If you visualize an event in great detail and with a lot of emotion, your subconscious mind will be "conned" into believing that it’s really happening. This is important, because once your subconscious believes your visualization to be a fact, the Universe will start sending you an endless amount of ideas and opportunities to start living your ideal life.
I first came across the term creative visualization when I read the book of the same name by Shakti Gawain in the early 1980s. The term may have been new to me then, but not the concept. I had been doing magic rituals for some years before and realized that creative visualization and magic were one and the same. Dion Fortune defined magic as "the art of changing consciousness at will" and I recently came across this definition of creative visualization: "Creative visualization is not just a technique. It is a state of consciousness. It is a consciousness in which we realize that we are the continuous creator of our universe and take responsibility for it. "
The idea is that we are always creating our own reality; what we need to do is start consciously creating it. This thought has been flying around the personal development scene much more recently with all the new books and sites about manifestation, Law of Attraction, etc. I truly believe it is a good thing that more and more people are becoming aware and living more consciously. BUT ...
Where's the fun?
A lot of the information concentrates on manifesting abundance (many seem to focus on money) and is presented in a deadly serious manner. I'm not saying it's not a serious business (literally business for many!), but a little lightheartedness and humour might not be amiss. My daughter actually pointed this out to me the other day when she said she was sick of the whole spirituality shebang; it used to be much more fun when we sat in front of the altar chanting spells and dancing around standing stones. Out of the mouth of babes ...
We shouldn't just listen to our kids; we should emulate them and PLAY more. Rituals are a good way to play with your imagination. It is much more fun to dress up in red flowing clothes at the full moon and chant spells on the beach or even in front of an altar filled with visual images, candles, etc. Adding a little drama to your visualizing puts you in the mood and prepares your mind and gets those alpha brain waves going.
Once the scene is set (yes, I think of it as a play), it is so much easier to focus on the actual technicalities of creative visualization. Then you can sit down and let your imagination run wild on what you want to manifest. For instance, if you want to manifest love in your life, you might dress in red, light a candle or two, burn some rose oil in an oil burner, put on some music and then visualize your ideal relationship. The principles are the same: use all your senses in imagining you and your beloved being together. Enjoy the feeling of togetherness and love, smell your happiness, hear the violins playing ... Just engage all your senses in some way even before starting the visualization. You'll already be in "pretend mode" and visualization is all about "acting as if".
You might want to end your ritual with a statement. This one works for me:
This, or something better, now manifests for me in totally satisfying and harmonious ways, for the highest good of all concerned. So mote it be. Blessed be.
Then let go of the ritual and start enjoying the moment. Have fun!
Living near the beach in a holiday resort, I often pretend I'm a tourist and go on a mini holiday. I usually take a book with me, some sun tan oil (which I never use otherwise), a colourful pareo and go plonk myself in one of the sunloungers at a hotel. It's lovely to while away the afternoon sipping (sometimes laced) coconut water and going for occasional dips to cool off. The people I meet invariably think I'm on holiday as well and I've struck up some really good conversations and met many interesting people from all walks of life. At other times, I will go down the beach to be on my own, writing in my journal. It's amazing how a mini vacation can recharge your batteries and fire up your creativity. Try it!
Pack a big bag with:
some munchies
a journal or notebook and pen
a flask of your favourite beverage
a good book
some cash in case you feel like mixing with people in a cafe
a yoga mat or whatever you feel you might need
The key is to not plan ahead exactly when and where you plan to be. If you're going to the beach or woods, let your intuition guide you to the best spot. If you're visiting your town, be spontaneous and do exactly what you feel like doing at the moment. This might be sight-seeing, going to the museum or busking in front of a cafe. Let the day just unfold. Celebrate being. That's what you do when you're on a "proper holiday", isn't it?
Sleeping isn't the only way to recharge your batteries. I don't particularly like sleeping, so I need other ways to get my energies flowing. Here are seven ways I have found both helpful and fun. Try and make time everyday for at least half an hour to indulge in these healthy pursuits.
1. Move your body
All forms of exercise are great for relieving stress, and it works in many ways. Firstly, it releases endorphins, the body's natural pain relievers that improve your mood. It also removes the build up of adrenalin that can occur if you are stressed and relaxes your muscles by warming them up. If you're not very sporty (like me!), try dancing and going for walks.
2. Picture this
At the end of the workday, imagine your stress liquefying and running out of your body so that with each step, you leave a coloured footprint that represents your stress. Then, notice that the further you walk from work (whether in the home or outside), the fainter the footprints become - until the stress has disappeared.
3. The scented touch
A massage with essential oils is absolutely heaven! When you breathe in the oils, they send a direct message to your brain via your olfactory nerves, where they affect the endocrine and hormonal systems via the hypothalamus. Odours have an amazing effect on our emotional states, because they hook into the "emotional" or primitive parts of our brains (the limbic system, also known as the rhinencephalon - the "smell brain"!). Aromatherapv massage benefits the physical, the emotional and the psyche. Create your own massage oil by adding up to 30 drops of a blend to 30 ml of pure vegetable oil, such as grapeseed or almond. The massage oil can he used for a full massage or spot massage at pressure points for quick effect. Anyone offering?
4. In comes the good air
Babies breathe naturally, but most children learn that shallow breathing seems to reduce feelings of emotional pain. Think of the furious child who holds her breath. These emotions don't go away, though. They accumulate in the form of stress and tension in the solar plexus, where they can cause all sorts of physical ailments. Shallow breathing also depletes our intake of oxygen, which can cause anxiety.
Relearning how to breathe is an important step in releasing stress. Try practicing natural breathing for five minutes a day. Imagine your breath rising from your feet and travelling up your body to the top of your head as you inhale. On the exhale, feel your breath descending again to your feet.
Do this also whenever you feel yourself getting tense. Lean back in your chair and just breathe.
5. Sound advice
Since so many sounds can be stressful - the 3 a.m. wail of your baby, the 6 a.m. screech of your alarm clock, the 6:10 a.m. screech of your alarm clock, the 6:20 a.m. screech of your alarm clock - it's only fitting that other sounds should serve to soothe. Why not take a 20-minute "sound bath" anytime your knickers are in a twist? Put some relaxing music on your stereo, then lie down near the speakers with knees slightly bent and allow the music to wash over you. The washing imagery is important; you should feel the music rinsing away the day's stress from your tired body.
6. Laugh it off
Laughter is a very effective stress-buster. When we let out a belly laugh, our bodies let out endorphins, those painkilling darlings of the exercise set. Related to morphine, endorphins make us feel good, which in turn makes us more resistant to stress. But it's not enough to sit back and wait for a coworker to fall facefirst into a custard tart. Humour must be actively sought out. One easy way to do this is to imagine how the writers for a TV sitcom might handle your most stressful "snags."
7. Craft it
The power of creating a bedcover, a garden or a cake can't be underestimated, especially if it reflects some aspect of you. It's great when the project turns out well, but there's also value in the doing. The act of concentration can become meditative, even trance-like, and mind clearing.
You could just randomly brainstorm and write down all the things you love and bring you joy in life. A more fun way to mind map all the things you are passionate about is to make a word collage of cut-out words. Spend an hour or so browsing through magazines and cut out key words that jump out at you from the page because they resonate with your soul. Put them all into a little box or tin.
Next, try arranging them on a page in your journal or any blank piece of paper. Group them into sections that make some sense to you. Arrange them in shapes and patterns, possibly connecting them with lines.
Now you have established what you truly love, make sure to indulge in at least some of the pleasures every day. Ultimately, your goal might be to incorporate all or most into your daily life and work. Doing what you love and following your bliss is, after all, your life purpose. Keep looking at your word collage and let it carry you away into your ideal life.
Looking at my word collage, I might think of opening a craft coffeeshop that also serves as a meeting point for spiritually minded people. Or I could blog about all the subjects dear to my heart. Or I could open a spiritual retreat centre offering art and personal growth workshops. The possibilities are huge. And yes, I am working on a couple of ideas and letting the universe guide my on my path ...
There's not much purpose in just knowing your life purpose; you must live it. (In a way, it's worse knowing your mission in life and not doing anything about it. It makes you feel like a real unprincipled louse. I've been there...)
I have found the only way to really live my life purpose is to surrender myself totally to my Higher Self / God / The Universe. Mystical traditions refer to the need to die before being reborn and the way to do this is to surrender totally and put yourself in the hands of the Universe.
Yes, it's frightening and it DOES mean relinquishing control and trusting that everything will work out. Changes WILL happen in big ways and you WILL have to make sacrifices in your life. There is always an element of sacrifice in surrendering, but keep in mind that the things that are sacrificed are the things that are stopping you from living your life purpose. For instance, I was "moved" halfway around the world from Switzerland to the Seychelles. This "moving" seems to be a recurring theme in my life and each time I have to give up all my worldly possessions and lose daily contact with close friends and family.
Step one: Ask and ye shall receive
With an open heart surrender yourself to the Universe. Find a quiet time and ask for help. Say a prayer, shout it to the sea, announce your intention and readiness to surrender. Do it out loud. And do it with a trusting heart and faith.
Step two: The Universe is speaking: just listen
The Universe will respond immediately (well, sort of immediately). Don't expect a voice coming out of a burning bush. But then again, you might be lucky... Trust that you will be supported, go with the flow and look for your messages. These may come in the form of a book, something someone says, a sign on the road. Messages come in all shapes and sizes, often in a humourous manner. If you are open to receiving them, you will recognise them.
Step three: When opportunity knocks, take it
The Universe will also provide you with plenty of opportunities to live your life purpose. Take them. Going with the flow does not mean not acting. Surrender does not mean you will never do anything again. Wait for your cue and then ACT with focus and intent.
Step four: Practice makes perfect
It helps to state your intention to surrender every day. Surrendering is something to be practiced continually and in all areas of your life. For instance, I recite the Gayatri mantra every morning. It is a Sanskrit prayer and it's essence is "I will to will Thy will". Find some form of this prayer that is right for you and practice every day.
Step five: When you get off track, ask again
You may be more enlightened than me and never have to ask again. Most of us, though, do get off track from time to time. Our good intentions fly out the window, when "life" interferes. When I got to the Seychelles, I got sidetracked by going to the beach all the time. A life of leisurely sun-bathing and sipping gin tonics at sundown wasn't really part of my life purpose and things soon started going wrong. (Which is a message in itself!) I had to surrender again, rededicate myself to my life purpose. And I was given (yet) another chance. God is forgiving... Just go back to step one and start again.
Every Thursday I'll be sharing blogs I enjoy reading. Please visit; it really is worth it. This week I'll be concentrating on some personal growth blogs I enjoy visiting.
The first is Whole Living Today. Tania's blog is chock-a-block full of useful and interesting articles about personal growth, spirituality and much more. Very inspiring.
Another blog I just discovered and haven't finished browsing through yet is Gratitude Magic. This blog explores the magic of gratitude (obviously) and the Law of Attraction. Also hosts a wonderful project called (again obviously) The Gratitude Project.
Zen Habits covers all the stuff you need to know about life, the universe and everything. Learn how to enhance your spiritual life, your family life, the works, in a cool calm collected, (well, Zen-like) manner.
Another site that really impressed me was Zen Chill. I just love this guy's attitude to life and his very charming lighthearted yet deep way of presenting his views and insights.
A long time favourite of mine is Deepak Chopra's IntentBlog. This is a blog with many contributers covering topics from spirituality to politic to recipes. The debates taking place there are always intellectually and spiritually stimulating.
Some years ago I was suffering from fibromyalgia and general misery, when one day my back gave way and I was confined to the bed for three days. These three days turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I was forced to take the time to rethink my life. I realized that I had been living off track for many years and SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE. Lying in bed, dosed up on painkillers, I pondered on the meaning of life, the universe and everything. I remembered that the ultimate purpose of life is to feel joy (of the “my cup runneth over type”) and I wasn't experiencing much of that. "Why not?", I asked myself and came to the conclusion that it was because I wasn't following my individual life purpose. The logic behind this is: If you follow your bliss, you will experience deep happiness and thus fulfil your divine purpose. Joy being the ultimate purpose of life as mystics of most religions point out .
My creative energy surged, as it usually does after a period of enforced inactivity and, tapping into the recesses of my brain, where a lot of self-help knowledge was stored from different sources (can't remember all the wise people who contributed, but here's a general thanks), I developed the following method of finding your life purpose in under one hour. The method involves identifying your mission and vision and forming it into a concise statement to live by. If you then live by this, happiness will be yours. I can testify to this. Halleluiah!
Identify your mission
Your mission is your raison d'etre, the "Why am I here?" A mission statement covers your personal life, your work life, your social life and your spiritual life. It is the “what and who am I” statement.
Take ten minutes to chose three of actions from the following list that are what you enjoy doing most. I know, it's hard to pick only three, but it is possible.
accomplish, achieve, acquire, adopt, advance, affect, affirm, alleviate, amplify, appreciate, assist, associate, believe, brighten, build, call, cause, change, choose, claim, collect, combine, command, communicate, compel, compete, complete, compliment, compose, conceive, confirm, connect, consider, construct, continue, counsel, create, decide, defend, delight, deliver, demonstrate, design, devise, direct, discover, discuss, distribute, draft, dream, drive, educate, elect, embrace, encourage, endow, engage, enhance, enlighten, enlist, enliven, entertain, enthuse, evaluate, excite, expand, explore, express, extend, facilitate, finance, forgive, foster, further, gather, generate, give, grant, heal, hold, host, identify, illuminate, implement, improve, improvise, increase, influence, inspire, integrate, introduce, invent, involve, keep, know, labour, launch, lead, live, love, make, maintain, manifest, master, mature, maximise, measure, mediate, mold, motivate, move, navigate, negotiate, nurture, open, organize, originate, participate, perform, persuade, plan, play, possess, practice, praise, prepare, present, produce, progress, promote, provide, pursue, realise, receive, reclaim, reduce, refine, reflect, reform, relate, relax, release, rely, remember, renew, resonate, respect, restore, return, revise, sacrifice, safeguard, satisfy, save, sell, serve, share, speak, stand, summon, support, surrender, sustain, take, teach, touch, trade, transform, translate, travel, understand, unify, use, utilise, validate, value, venture, verbalise, volunteer, work, worship, write
Now take ten minutes to choose three values that are core to your being.
achievement, altruism, charity, cooperation, creativity, dignity, economic security, emotional well-being, equality, excellence, fame, faith, family, freedom, friendship, generosity, happiness, health, honesty, honour, hope, humility, independence, individuality, inner peace, integrity, joy, justice, kindness, knowledge, love, loyalty, nobility, pleasure, positive attitude, power, recognition, relationships, respect, safety, self-worth, service, simplicity, trust, truth, wealth, wholeness, wisdom
Take your three actions (and another ten minutes) and form them into sentences with your core values.
For example, my words are: communicate, inspire, create and joy, wisdom, transformation. The sentences I made are: I communicate wisdom. I inspire transformation. I create transformation. I inspire joy. I communicate about transformation. Or, all in one: I communicate, inspire and create joy, wisdom and transformation. Ultimately, I got to: My purpose is to creatively transform beings and objects and to inspire others to find joy and wisdom.
Play around with the sentences and see what feels right to you. You might need to consult a thesaurus to get the exact word you need for your statement. Ask yourself if this statement can be applied to every area of your life.
The sentence you feel most comfortable with and which resonates to the core of your being is your mission statement.
Identify your vision
Your vision statement is the unique way in which you accomplish your purpose. It states how and in what areas you carry out your mission.
Take ten minutes to choose three causes / fields from the following list that you care most about.
addiction, environment, family issues, education, health care, elderly, children, the poor, the homeless, immigration, energy, agriculture, the justice system, veterans, nutrition, law, politics, government, news, journalism, performing arts, visual arts, literature, crafts, gender issues, music, design, sports, food, computers, printing, publishing, religion, community, reproductive issues, science, women, gardening, media, youth, churches, spirituality, the disabled, public safety, consumer issues, human development, personal growth, infants, childcare, child safety, healthcare, tourism, defence, space exploration, animal rights, animal care, literacy, civil rights, counselling
I had to "cheat" by combining a couple of similar areas to get down to three.
There are many other issues in the world; if you find what you care about most is not listed, just add it to your list.
Take your mission statement (and yet another ten minutes) and combine it with your chosen fields and form it into a sentence.
For example, I chose publishing, arts and crafts, human development / spirituality and got to this statement. I accomplish my mission by communicating my ideas through writing, art and counselling others on their personal growth and spirituality.
Your mission and vision statements have to "ring right" to you. They must inspire and excite you. Play around until you get the wording exactly right for you and you alone. It is, after all, YOUR purpose and YOUR statement to "do or die" by.
As the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote: "The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wants me to do; the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live or die."
