Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional

We all want to be free to emotional pain and suffering, and unfortunately most of us will do anything to prevent pain from occurring in our lives.  These distractions usually turn into addictions on some level.  Anything taken to the extreme even if it's healthy isn’t good for us.  For whatever reason, this society rejects pain as being a necessary part of life.  God forbid we should say we aren’t doing well when someone asks us how we are.  Eastern religions such as Buddhism tell us to move toward our pain, to be in the moment.  This is the way we learn about ourselves and the only way we can be free.  We learn what is working in our lives, what isn’t working, who is good for us, who isn’t good for us, actions that need to be taken, boundaries that need to be set, changes that need to be made, etc.   When we don’t dive into the pain, we live with an underlying chronic discomfort, restlessness and anxiety.  It gets repressed, and eventually we get depressed if we don’t deal with it. We lose our peace, our joy.   Pain is a natural part of life.  The deeper we can be with and feel our pain, the deeper our capacity will be to feel joy.  Pain has many causes such as losing someone we love whether it be through a breakup, death, moving away, or a divorce,  getting disappointed when things don’t work out the way we would like them to, when we are fired or laid off from a job, moving out of our parent’s house, to name just a few.  Any life transition brings grief whether we are aware of it or not.   When we don’t feel the necessary feelings that life brings, they don’t go away.  They stay stuck in our bodies and actually drain our energy.  Ironically, by being present to ourselves and our lives, we move through the pain quicker.  Most people think it’s the opposite.  That if we repress or avoid our pain, it will go away.  This is what actually leads to suffering, which is long term chronic pain.  In life, pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.  I love this saying because it reminds me what is true.  We have a choice to suffer.  What a powerful statement!  If only we actually lived this truth, our lives would be so much more joyful.  Feeling our feelings is a sign of self love.  When we love ourselves enough to feel our feelings, whatever they are in the moment, we will learn our lessons quicker, and experience more joy, peace and love in our lives as well as be free of fear and trust that our lives will unfold for the highest good.  We won't die if we feel our feelings, we will truly live!  Have the strength and courage to do so.  Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.

Surrender to the Plan, but don't forget to do the footwork

Believe in your heart that your dreams can and will come true.  Don’t ever let go of the vision in your heart.  If God put it there then it will come to fruition, just not in our time or our way.  That’s the difficult part.  Let go of how it is supposed to look like.  Tune into guidance every minute of every day and take action on that guidance, no matter how silly, confusing or disjointed it may seem.  There is a Plan and know that the Plan is always in our best interests, even though it may not seem that way at the time.  We have to have faith.  Faith is blind trust.  Faith is a muscle.  Just like the muscles in our body need work to build and stay strong, faith takes practice in order to be strong.  Start small.  Put your faith in small things, then when that becomes comfortable, move on to the bigger things.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  It will all make sense later.  You don’t have to know everything now.  In fact, it is totally futile to try because there is no possible way to.  You actually don’t have much control over anything, so just let go, surrender and let God.  Every experience that we go through is ABSOLUTELY necessary in order to get to the next place on our journey.  It is ALL in perfect harmony with the Plan that God has for us.  Let your life unfold the way it’s supposed to without getting in the way.   It will only delay the inevitable.  Everything is a prerequisite for the next thing on the journey.  It’s like going up a ladder.  We can’t start on the top because if we try, we will fall all the way down.  We need to take each step at a time to get to the top.  We need the lay the groundwork, have a strong foundation to build from, otherwise we will fall all the way down and have to start all over again.  If that’s necessary, then so be it.  We will learn.  Never settle for less than what you know in your heart to be true.  Let go of what isn’t working to make room for what will, trusting that it will come in the perfect time.  Be the miracle you want to see in your life and you will see them everywhere

Make Every Day Valentine's Day

According to Western Society, the “LOVE” day in the “LOVE” month is upon us, Valentine’s Day.  A day of love is great, don’t get me wrong, but why do we set aside just one day for love, where there is an expectation to show love to those we love?  For true, spiritual love occurs moment by moment, day by day, is unconditional, non judgmental, accepting, giving, honest, serene, caring, unselfish, serving, joyful and has no expectations.  Love encompasses so much that it’s hard to put it down in words.  Love is the ultimate force in the universe.  It is the goal of which we all seek.  It is our main driving force in life.  When we love ourselves, we overflow with love for every living thing on the planet.  The internal work we do on ourselves, ridding ourselves of past feelings and behaviors that don’t work as well as knowing who we are, our likes and dislikes, gives us a sense of profound love for ourselves where genuine, pure love can be extended out to others.  We can’t give away what we don’t have.  We ooze love from every pore of our being when we love who we are at the core.  Although it can be challenging to love in a world where there is so much hate and fear, we must rise above the turmoil of the world and love anyway, without expectations.  All the goodness of life is nurtured in the soil of love, for love comforts, heals, creates, liberates, and elevates our lives in a way that nothing else can. We must each make a choice for love if we are to prosper, and we must make this choice each and every day.

The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love suggests that selfless love can increase our immunity by de-stressing us.  Love extends our life span by improving our state of mind, reducing depression by shifting our focus from ourselves to giving or helping others.

It is interesting to note that studies suggest that SHOWING support and affection for loved ones slows down the aging process even more than receiving love does.

Imagine a world where people were filled with love from the inside out.  We wouldn’t have words like hate, jealousy, envy, condemnation, negativity, unhappiness, or fear.  Let’s do our part in contributing to this type of world.  Start with yourself.  It is your responsibility to yourself and the world around you.  A little love can go a long way in healing our planet.  With devotion and discipline, you will discover the ability to give up your pride, forgive those who have hurt you, and give of yourself in pure love.  Then, you will be on the path of life and healing and every day will be Valentine’s Day.