Empowered Minds Want to Know

I believe that most people (admittedly or not) have at one time or another felt exactly the same way as you do right now. There have been times in my own life that suicide seemed an excellent option considering the alternatives. Each of my personal friends, friends I've had for 2 decades and longer, have also felt suicidal at different points in their lives. Various family members have felt like ending it as well.

That said, suicide is a contemplated option for each of us, and many people have made the ultimate decision to carry the thought of suicide to the actual carrying out of it, but even though suicide is an option, as evidenced by the thousands who make a choice to end their lives in this manner, it is an option that should be weighed out considering all the consequences that come with it, and believe me, there ARE consequences.

The greatest, and foremost consequence of all, is to yourself, because once you choose suicide over life you have relinquished all rights to experience the miracle that awaits you beyond your current circumstances. ALL STORMS NO MATTER HOW SEVERE, NO MATTER THE DURATION, NO MATTER HOW BAD, NO MATTER HOW HUMILIATING, BRUTAL, SHAMEFUL OR OTHERWISE; ALL STORMS EVENTUALLY SURRENDER TO THE REVENGE OF NEW GROWTH AND NEW OPPORTUNITY!!!!!!!!!!!!! "This too shall pass," is true regardless of the difficulty you may face today.

The second greatest consequence of suicide is that you can't take it back. When it's done ... it is done. FINAL!

The third greatest consequence of suicide is certainly the legacy you leave behind to your family, your children, grandchildren, and all future generations. I know this to be true because it is the legacy which my father has left to myself and to the rest of our family. I see no reason to elaborate on this, as you can imagine. Even though I believe we each have a choice as to when and how our lives shall end, the ramifications to the family left behind as the debris of suicidal intention carried out, is severe and brutal.

THERE IS A REASON THAT EACH OF US IS ON THIS PLANET AT THIS UNIQUE PERIOD IN TIME. THERE IS A PURPOSE TO YOUR LIFE.

Though this purpose may elude you now, and perhaps has eluded you for what seems a lifetime ... at some point it will present itself to you. It is not easy to believe an idea like this when you have absolutely no evidence that what I say is true, nonetheless, true it is. Your hopes and dreams are what make you a unique individual, and are what make you the only person on the planet that will be able to fulfill the purpose you specifically have been designed to carry out. Without your unique contribution to the lives of all the people you touch, have touched, and will touch, each of these people would not be who they are today, or who they could become due to your personal influence. YOUR LIFE HAS MEANING!

At times in the past, I pondered suicide. I wanted to end it. I wanted it over with. I didn't believe I could tolerate another moment on this planet. I felt shame, guilt, disappointment, betrayal, anger, bitterness, depressed, useless; like a scavenger lurking around for any scrap of remote happiness ... anything to hang on to, look forward to; anything to provide some glimmer of hope, something I could believe in. Had it not been for my friends, those I could speak with openly and honestly about my thoughts and feelings, those who helped me see some faint light through the darkness, well, quite frankly, I'd be dead. PERIOD.

On the other end my personal experience enduring the "dark night of the soul," I found new doors ... new purposes to dedicate my life to. On the other end, if only you hold out long enough, you will witness the storm passing, and the sun shining once more. YOU WILL. Always, always on the other end, the light surrenders to darkness.

Get over the guilt, the shame, the feelings of regret, the anger, and the frustration by sharing your thoughts with people you love AND trust. Allow others to help you walk through the tunnel of darkness and into the light that is awaiting your arrival, and KNOW: What you face today is not your tomorrow. It will pass. History IS NOT destiny. Grow as you go! Keep becoming the person you were born to be ... the perfect, unique, wonderful human being that you already are, only better. YOU are special, and there is something worth living for, even though you haven't found it yet. Hang on, and remember, when you're at the end of your rope ... THERE IS ALWAYS MORE ROPE!

Don't give up yet. You're too close to your miracle. Don't sit with thoughts of suicide. Instead of retreating into yourself, REACH OUT to others who can, and will help you!

If you don’t think you’re worth it then, guess what? No one else will either. Stop! Stop telling yourself every negative thing you’ve ever heard anyone say to you, or about you. Stop standing above yourself and dropping boulders of insults at you. Stop judging every little thing you do or don’t do, as too much or not enough. You wouldn’t beat your friend up nearly as hard as you beat yourself down. Stop allowing this type of treatment from the one person in the whole world who should love you more than any other – YOU!

Do you know the impact this behavior is causing to your already bruised self-esteem? Do you recognize that you’re treating yourself as badly as those in the past have treated you, which brought you to this state to begin with? Do you know you can stop anytime you choose to, by simply shifting your negative thoughts and judgments away from you and into the garbage, where they belong?

Begin this moment to give yourself even a small measure of the kindness you extend to others. Start believing you are better than your thoughts give you credit of being. You are an extension of the Divine, and as such, there is NOTHING wrong with you. Yes. Perhaps your thoughts need adjusting, but YOU are already perfect. You are more than your injured mind believes you to be.

In a world where one button can delete you, friends can seem enemies, lovers strike as cobras in the desert, and bullies seek randomly for the easiest target to spew forth their own misery, it is little wonder any of us have self-esteem at all. To top it off, many of us grew up in homes where our parents berated us, and grew into adulthood with siblings who discounted us. Yes … I suspect we all have reasons to turn toward ourselves in disdain with all the evidence we’ve accumulated in our lifetimes supporting our idea that we are less than.

Nonetheless, the truth is, we are all MORE than we can ever imagine. We are all worth seeing our dreams materialize. We’re all worth having suitable mates. We’re all worth living a life better today than yesterday, but the simple fact is, until each discounts his negative thoughts about himself, there is no turning off the damage which has been done by others, and no turning around to face a day free of self-loathing.

Take a no tolerance approach to bullying, and let this stance hold true to even yourself. Stop bullying you. Let the negative opinions of others slide over your shoulders like syrup over pancakes. Don’t attach your mind to them. The only opinions you should ever remotely consider are the opinions of those you both love AND trust. All others are just like trash that blew into your yard. Bend over, pick it up, and toss it into the trash!

When you find yourself in negative self-talk, stop immediately and remind yourself that you wouldn’t be talking to your best friend in the same way you are speaking to yourself. Change the negative talk to some positive talk by reminding yourself of all the good things you have accomplished, and use the latter as new evidence to build a case for you … yourself as a person worthy of love, and worthy of even your own love.

You can change your mind any time you choose to. Always remember that. Don’t judge, put down, berate, abuse, or mistreat yourself another day, hour, or minute. It doesn’t matter if the entire world thinks you’re not worth it, as long as you know you are. Be just a little bit sweeter, gentler, kinder, softer and more compassionate to the most important person in the world … YOU!

It is my hope that by sharing some of the experiences which have brought me to where I am today, and those that are shaping my future, I can bring awareness to the fact that a person possessing psychic intuition is no different than anyone else. It is my belief that each of us has some type of psychic capability, which I define as simply having a deep connectedness to the divine. There just happen to be those among us who bring our intuitive natures more fully to the surface, and those of us who feel compelled to use our intuitive gifts to help others more clearly define their life paths, which is what I have chosen to do.

My name is Jo, aka Psychic RadiantLight. I make my home in the Midwest, and live a life no different than any of yours. Sure, there are subtleties of uniqueness, but for the most part, the struggles and victories I face on a daily basis are the struggles and victories common to your own life.

I dedicate my life work to conducting psychic readings, facilitating trainings, speaking, and doing spiritual consulting with the desire to help others gain the empowerment they need to revolutionalize their lives. I eat, sleep, take part in my community, devote hours to my spiritual evolution, spend time with my family, enjoy the occasional glass of wine, travel, and argue with my husband, who I both adore and, at times, vigorously contest.

I never asked to be a psychic reader, nor do I believe anyone does. In fact, in my earlier years, I did everything in my power to deny to myself and to others that I possessed psychic capabilities of any sort. Instead I endured the turmoil of picking up energies involving other people and energies involving events yet to come, while questioning my own sanity and feeling possessed by demons until denial of what was, and is a part of me, turned to acceptance and ultimate surrender. Today I fully accept that I have psychic impressions, that I am of sound mind, and that the source of all psychic ability stems from the great divine.

Psychics, including me, are typically not saints, although oftentimes they are thought to be. Nor are we without experiences of weakness, fault, addiction, and otherwise less than desirable personality and character traits. As for me, I’m just a regular person who is strongly spiritually inclined, yet falls short of the mark of sainthood far more often than not. Regardless of the strength of one’s psychic ability, life still steps in to challenge.

Over the course of my life, I’ve personally suffered physical and emotional abuse, endured the loss of loved ones, overcome the emotional devastation which followed the suicides of both my father and former business partner, rose above addictions which plagued me in youth, climbed from the debris of financially debilitating circumstance, survived broken heartedness, and all other manner of dis-ease. Clearly, I am human.

Although my life has been laced with numerous uncomfortable and tragic circumstances, I’ve come to realize that without these, my belief in those things that lie outside logical and analytical pretence would not have come to fruition. Coming to terms with the gifts Universal Source has bestowed upon me, and the idea that using these gifts to help others was truly meant to be my individual purpose in life, has been the greatest gift.

Each of my life experiences were guiding me, teaching me, softening me, to reach beyond what is seen, and to explore more deeply the world of the unseen. This exploration brought me front and center to the truth. The truth that each of us has the ability to connect individually to the divine, and that not only do we possess the power to do so, it is our obligation to do so, both individually and collectively. Those who fall short of this attempt are those who contribute to the great maladies of the human race, the maladies of hopelessness, helplessness, discontent, and dissention.

My youth and past, and all it included: chaos, addiction, financial woe, emotional turmoil, and tragedy, all gave me the compassion, empathy, and the understanding necessary to help others overcome obstacles in their own lives. Without the good, the bad, and the otherwise, my soul would not have evolved and my level of consciousness would have remained stymied.

Use of the word Psychic and others words associated with it, which bear negative connotation by many, would have remained unspoken members of my vocabulary, pondered upon only as the secrets I held. Without the mishaps of my life experience and without the tragedy of loss lying outside my control, my intuitive nature might have continued to be denied, locked away forever behind the doors of, what other people think.

It is with this that I encourage each of you who have experienced great difficulties in life, to accept these experiences as rewards to the soul, and to look upon them as guides – guides that are whittling away the rough edges of your humanness and leading you to the revealing of your soul, and to the ultimate fulfillment of your personal soul purpose in this lifetime.

Surrendering to your darkest hours, embracing your weaknesses, revealing your secrets, and accepting yourself despite the opinions, thoughts, and personal convictions of others are the stepping stones to pure soul expression, and it is here that one is dancing in the arms of heaven. All life experience is a soul teacher, but experiencing tragedy is to be visited by the master, and a visit from the master is oftentimes necessary for some of us; bringing us to our knees so that once standing, we stand as a soul revealed, and a soul purpose both exposed and expressed.

Your perception in any given situation is simply the way in which you are interpreting it. We all know that two people can witness the same event, yet see it in two entirely different ways. One person enduring abuse in youth becomes an adult who abuses. Another person enduring the same circumstances becomes the adult who would never abuse. Why? Each has interpreted his experience differently. One will say, “I abuse because I was abused.” Another will say, “I would never abuse because I was abused.”

Our perceptions of events are not the facts of the event. When witnessing a father who seems to be completely oblivious to what his children are doing, one may perceive him as being a neglectful parent, when in actuality, he may have just left the funeral of his wife, and the mother of his children. He may be engrossed in a painful situation, and doing the best he can do, considering.

When one experiences a difficult situation, it is quite common to think the worst. Fear sets in, and off the mind races to “worst case scenario.” Think about a time in your life when something you dreaded happened, and initially you felt like it was the end of the world, yet as time passed, you began to see it differently. You began to see it as a blessing in disguise, as you came to realize had it not happened, you wouldn’t be where you are now, and you surmise that where you are now is exactly where you want to be.

Perhaps you endured a break-up with another you loved so dearly you couldn’t imagine life without him. At the time, you couldn’t eat, sleep, think, or stop crying. You were absolutely convinced you’d never meet anyone like him again. However, as time passed, and your heart healed, you not only met someone, but someone who was better for you than he could have ever been. You met someone better than.

The situations I’ve described above will help you to understand that interpretation is everything. Every experience can be perceived as good, and every experience can be perceived as bad. The most amazing thing to recognize is that you are the person making the choice to see it as either, or. You are the one determining if your life is good, or if your life is bad. You are choosing your interpretation, and your interpretation is choosing your emotional experience.

The way in which you interpret or perceive the experiences in your life will directly impact your emotional wellbeing, or lack of. You can choose to see every experience as experience leading to the ultimate good. You can choose to see even the most difficult experiences as being experiences which are helping you to define your soul; helping guides leading you to the path you were born to take.

A life well lived will never be free of tears, difficulty, painful experience, let-downs, disappointments, or feelings of unhappiness, but a life well lived and well perceived, well interpreted, will certainly lead you to a greater sense of peace and contentment. Ultimately, you decide. I say, decide to be happy.

With over 11,700 professional individual psychic readings and spiritual consultations under my belt, I have had the unique opportunity to explore the love relationships of others with an intimate view, and I’ve discovered there are generally two main types of love expression; blind lovers, and unconditional lovers.

Unconditional love is the purest and highest form of love expression. To express your love unconditionally to another is a gift to the soul of both parties. It’s a rare miracle in one’s life to experience the profound impact of being on the receiving end of the unconditional lover.

Unconditional love is freeing. It is the breeze that blows upon the willow in the spring of leaves to come. It is the whisper which constantly brushes your ears with the silent words, you are loved. It is the unspoken freedom of being who you are, and of being fully accepted to that cause, even when that cause brings exaggerated distance between partners who once were.

It is not a love that is walked upon, taken advantage of, or tolerant of unacceptable behaviors, despite them though, it still loves. It has the capability to agree to disagree and move forward and when necessary, to close a chapter of relationship that has run beyond the possibility of growth to one or the other, and still it loves. It is a beacon of encouragement and light to the solo journey of another if need be. With or without a desired union, rather or not personal expectations have gone unmet by another the unconditional love continues, and rises above the broken heart of individual desire gone astray.

Unconditional love thus can be defined as a waltz between two people, thoroughly enjoyed and cherished, but which once comes to end continues beyond in the heart and soul, with constant regard and respect for the other. The wish that each person have the autonomy to direct his own life and the course of his life is the primary goal of the unconditional lover, and is the hallmark of an unconditional lover’s mission.

On the other hand, blind love is at a low rung on the ladder of love expression. Where unconditional love is freeing, blind love is restrictive, and imposes personal expectations upon the person on the receiving end. Additionally, there is little or no regard to the personal will, opinion, or individual needs of the other.

The blind lover loves with strong conditions, and at the pinnacle of these conditions, one must acquiesce to the ideals that the blind lover laces into her relationship model. This usually includes the relinquishing of one’s individual right to autonomy, individual opinion, and individual right to choose anything which opposes the illogical expectations of the blind lover.

The person who loves blindly loves quite deeply and intensely. Nonetheless, if you dispute her attempts to control, she has the complete and total ability to redirect her focus of attention to another – another who is more easily manipulated, and then immediately, with the precision of a surgeon, she will cut you from her heart, as though you never existed to begin with, and her love? Poof! It is gone with the wind.

She is the person that loses sight of where she ends, and another begins, and she cares little of the toxic waste she leaves behind. For the most part, she isn’t even consciously aware of what she’s doing, and unfortunately, most often (even when she’s lucky enough to recognize this character flaw in retrospect) she still lacks the humility to set right the negative impact her behavior has left in the souls of others.

To love another blindly puts you at risk of never experiencing true love for another, or from another. It diminishes all possibility to share a monogamous and autonomous relationship, where each person has the right to choose what is and what is not suitable to his own relationship ideal. It strips all opportunity for the development of personal identity to both the blind lover, and the other.

Blind lovers are not those who enter into relationship with another wearing the “rose colored glasses” we hear of, but instead are those who bring to relationship the handcuffs, bars, and locks of a warden, veiled as tantalizing gifts meant to lure.

If you find yourself here as the unconditional lover, you most assuredly have moved beyond the narcissistic love of a naive past, and blessings to you. If however, you find yourself identifying with the blind lover, this is a strong indication that you lack authentic love for yourself, as one can only offer unconditional love to another when complete acceptance and love is offered to the self first.

Learn to love you, to love everything about you. Love your weaknesses, your strengths, your physical appearance and your temperament. Love everything you deem you are and all that you deem you are not. For it is in this awareness and ultimate acceptance of every aspect of your being, that you can begin to make the changes necessary to evolve to the state of offering true unconditional love.

The best way to gauge if you’re on course to fulfilling your purpose is to pay attention to your behaviors. Most often, when we’re off course toward this goal, our behaviors tend to be more negative. As individuals we have a spiritual responsibility to fulfill a purpose while here on earth. When our courses are interrupted, and we are no longer seeking cues which would lead us directly to our soul’s chosen path, we become disengaged from our missions.

With disengagement, we begin to believe our greatest desires are only wishes; dreams perhaps never meant to be fulfilled. Soon to come, our behaviors begin to follow these disempowering thoughts like a dog on a leash, and manifest as discontentedness and frustration, and a hopeless attitude ensues. Essentially, we give up believing our lives are purposeful.

Dreams, wishes, and ideals are tremendous signals given us to keep us on target to the fulfillment of our soul purposes. In a sense, one can look to these as signposts along the way. Unfortunately though, when our desires are met with opposition over an extended period of time, it is only natural to doubt the eventual achievement of our goals, and to doubt also that there was ever an actual purpose for our lives to begin with.

Perhaps you have always loved to write. Even as a child, you jotted poetry, devoured books, wrote love stories, and just knew that someday you’d be a published author. As the years went by and obligations of school, extra curriculum activities, and responsibilities at home led you further away from having time to devote to your writing, you put your dreams on hold. The years went by, and a college campus became your home, and your lover, a part-time job. The dreams you had as a child became more and more like a vision through a rear view mirror, disappearing behind you.

Occasionally, you may have jotted your frustrations into a journal, or shot off a romantic poem to someone you cared for, but the only real writing you did was the occasional college essay, and even then, the topic was assigned. The treadmill of life you joined. Like a hamster on a wheel, you seemed to be running away from the visions of your youth. Later you married, had children, then launched a career you felt you’d never chosen to begin with. More and more tunnels were built with wheels at every corner, and your life became a vicious cycle of repetitive doldrums, and your childhood dreams became adult delusions, and your youthful purpose became only an imaginary friend from the past.

This is the point where behaviors can become negative even in the subtlest of ways. You may find yourself frustrated, disillusioned, bored, angry, hopeless, and searching for anything to assuage your basic discontent. You reach for food, or for the attentions of unsuitable partners. Perhaps you find yourself drinking more, or you become impatient more frequently. Maybe your life has become nothing more than a cycle of questions and directives: “What’s for supper?” “Get your baths.” Or, ”what’s on television?” Then, only in the darkest channels of your mind in still, do you hear the whispers, there has to be something more.

There is… and the whispers are your soul’s reminders that you have a specific reason for being here now. They are your soul’s subtle pricks and prods, meant to awaken you from a state of walking dead. They will begin in the softest of whisper, but will end in shouts of calamity when void of your attention. All too often I see the same scenario played out in the lives of others, and all too often it seems that until a person’s life has completely fallen apart, the purpose of it, is left unattended.

There is no reason to wait to bring your dreams to life. There is no need to bury your soul amongst the props of your existence. There is no reason to go through the motions of living, when you feel as though you’re dead. In fact, it is in the dis-ease of one’s life, that the fulfillment of dreams is ripe for exploration and eventual attainment.

When you feel as though life has no meaning, remind yourself of the divine. Remind yourself, it was in your youth you were closer to the truth of your divine nature. Remind yourself it is never too late, you’re never too old, and that you can always find time in your busy schedule to revive your intention of living a purposeful life. If you have lost your vision, remember your past, as this can be a wonderful way to awaken your passion, and it is where your passion faces that your purpose is reflected. If you have difficulty stirring the hopes and dreams of childhood, write a brief autobiography of your earlier years, with your focus toward the things that truly made you happy.

Explore your heart. Expound upon those things that show up which make you happy just thinking about them, and resolve to yourself that enough is enough. It is time for you to start listening; time for you to begin taking action; time for you to believe there is more, and time for you to take responsibility for the unfolding of the Divine plan for your life. It is time for you to fulfill your purpose!

We all hear a lot about surrendering to the forces that be, yet somehow to surrender seems to admit we have given up on our goals, or worse yet, that we have lost the will to fight for our dreams. Surrendering seems contrary to popular belief that in order to get anywhere in life, we must fight until the end, hold tooth and nail to the visions we hold regardless of the forces which seem to work against us.

Nonetheless, there are times in our lives that no matter what we do we are met with closed doors, and what seem unanswered prayers. There are times that no matter how much effort, money, time, prayer, positive affirmation, or positive thought we devote to the ultimate culmination of our set upon intention, the doors seem layered titanium, where no amount of dynamite can implode.

Common sense tells us there has to be a way. Logic reasons that with continued gallant effort we will reach success in the end. Yet when we’re faced with the reality that regardless of the actions we’ve taken, despite our devoted dedication, the dream we have held seems farther in the distance than when we began our journeys to begin with, our analytical evaluation concludes with question, “What am I doing wrong?”

In reality, this is the time for you to consider the idea that perhaps the only thing you’re doing wrong is continuing to do anything at all. This is not the time for you to stand in judgment of yourself, nor the time for you to discount all previous plans as “pie in the sky” dreams made up of faulty strategy and wasted actions. It is instead the time to rest, to reevaluate, reassess, regroup, and to ultimately surrender.

Surrendering along the way toward our dreams is a difficult task. Our natures are for doing. But doing isn’t always the answer. In fact, doing can sometimes be the very thing which causes more stress and anxiety, and can create less in the end, versus more. The time to surrender is always after we’ve done everything we know to do, after we’ve taken every action we can muster taking. It is then, when surrender becomes our friend.

It is an important distinction to understand that surrendering never means you are giving up. Though surrender can seem a lesson in futility, and seems to go against our primal instincts to forge ahead regardless of cost, surrender is nothing more than being straight with the Divine. It is the turning over of our wills to the purpose of our lives. It is the time you throw your hands in the air and declare, “Okay God. I’ve done all I can. Take it from here! Divine will, versus mine.”

You are not throwing in the towel. All you are doing is handing it over. You are not giving up, you are giving in. You’re not relinquishing your dreams, you are asking that they be better defined. You are not surrendering to failure, you are opening to success. You are not going to go to sleep, you are going to rest, and it is in resting, that the rejuvenation of our energetic fields comes about. It is in resting that new ideas come to mind. It is in resting that our purposes can become more clearly defined.

Perhaps in surrendering you will discover new paths to your goal. Perhaps you’ll discover added elements toward expanding your vision. Perhaps you’ll link up with others who will alter your course. Perhaps you will come to the recognition that the dreams you sought to fulfill weren’t worthy of your dedication after all, but either way when surrendering, when resting, a new strategy, new tactic, new course, or new vision will be found. It is the restless mind that squanders time, not the mind resting.

Surrendering is simply the act of letting go to let the Divine. It is trusting that all things come in time. It is belief that what you hold as desire needs to be defined, bettered, altered, or changed over time. It is holding faith against fear, and recommitting to your life purpose even if it differs from your current dream.

It is in surrender that ultimate empowerment evolves, and that the ultimate dreams reveal. So it is here also, the answers appear.

Surrender. Surrender always ... when all ways have failed.

No one can take from you what is meant to be yours. No one can stop you from doing what you are meant to do. No one can destroy your path to your purpose … not even you.

Though life can be filled with storms blowing emotional turmoil, anxiety, and worry through your being and to the core of your very existence, there is no storm known to man which has not ultimately run its course, and no storm known to man which is not also known to the Divine. Each storm blows into your life through Divine intention.

The storm you may be facing today is bound to meet its end, and in the eye of this storm lays a change in course toward the fulfillment of your destiny. No storm brings carnage without revenge of new growth, new constitution, new purpose, and greater discovery of your eternal spiritual place in the universe, and beyond. All storms hide the ultimate fortune you will receive behind the temporary misfortune of current circumstance.

Where you are is not a mistake. What you are facing is not a mistake. You have been created perfectly by Divine perfection. You are no less than any other. You are as deserving as any other. Only your thoughts allow you to consider otherwise, and your thoughts are not doctrine.

Thoughts have no power to bend your self-esteem beyond your allowing. Your thoughts are not facts, and are not subject to your control. They are visitors, coming and going, yet can only stay to the length of your clutching, and can only become facts about you or about your circumstances when you are in agreement.

The Divine is not punishing you for bad deeds done in the past, nor subjecting you in any way to suffering. The Divine is guiding you, shaping you, and molding you to become what you are intended to become in this life time, and to do so, it is impossible for you to carry the past with you. The past must be severed for you to enter the doorway of your future.

When you are plagued by stress, worry, and fear in your life it is vital to steer clear of reinforcing limiting beliefs about yourself, just as it is vital to view your situation from a place of compassion and non-judgment. To do this, hold the idea that the Divine is impartial. The Divine is not set on your destruction. Recognize that you are ALWAYS deserving of a peaceful life, and that despite the storm you are facing, this storm too shall pass.

Reinforce the idea that on the other side of the dissention you’re facing, there will be new energies at work in your life which will come in, catapulting you to new arenas where greater life satisfaction and the culmination of your deepest desires are joined.

There is perfect balance in the Universe. What goes up ultimately comes down. What is put asunder is rebuilt more perfect than. The lower you are, rest assured that when the energy completely shifts, the higher you will go. In this, the justice of the Divine is expressed.

You will survive. You will come out of this on the other side. You will be different than you are now, this will be evident, but you will be better than, with more than; more equipped with, more readied for … coming face-to-face with your ultimate desires. Don't give up now, you're too close to the miracle awaiting your arrival.

Your perception in any given situation is simply the way in which you are interpreting it. We all know that two people can witness the same event, yet see it in two entirely different ways. One person enduring abuse in youth becomes an adult who abuses. Another person enduring the same circumstances becomes the adult who would never abuse. Why? Each has interpreted his experience differently. One will say, “I abuse because I was abused.” Another will say, “I would never abuse because I was abused.”

Our perceptions of events are not the facts of the event. When witnessing a father who seems to be completely oblivious to what his children are doing, one may perceive him as being a neglectful parent, when in actuality, he may have just left the funeral of his wife, and the mother of his children. He may be engrossed in a painful situation, and doing the best he can do, considering.

When one experiences a difficult situation, it is quite common to think the worst. Fear sets in, and off the mind races to “worst case scenario.” Think about a time in your life when something you dreaded happened, and initially you felt like it was the end of the world, yet as time passed, you began to see it differently. You began to see it as a blessing in disguise, as you came to realize had it not happened, you wouldn’t be where you are now, and you surmise that where you are now is exactly where you want to be.

Perhaps you endured a break-up with another you loved so dearly you couldn’t imagine life without him. At the time, you couldn’t eat, sleep, think, or stop crying. You were absolutely convinced you’d never meet anyone like him again. However, as time passed, and your heart healed, you not only met someone, but someone who was better for you than he could have ever been. You met someone better than.

The situations I’ve described above will help you to understand that interpretation is everything. Every experience can be perceived as good, and every experience can be perceived as bad. The most amazing thing to recognize is that you are the person making the choice to see it as either, or. You are the one determining if your life is good, or if your life is bad. You are choosing your interpretation, and your interpretation is choosing your emotional experience.

The way in which you interpret or perceive the experiences in your life will directly impact your emotional wellbeing, or lack of. You can choose to see every experience as experience leading to the ultimate good. You can choose to see even the most difficult experiences as being experiences which are helping you to define your soul; helping guides leading you to the path you were born to take.

A life well lived will never be free of tears, difficulty, painful experience, let-downs, disappointments, or feelings of unhappiness, but a life well lived and well perceived, well interpreted, will certainly lead you to a greater sense of peace and contentment. Ultimately, you decide. I say, decide to be happy.

Start your day with the question, “How may I serve?”

Expect the unexpected.

Say, “I can.”

Say, “Yes!”

Say, “I will.”

Do what you can, then stop doing.

To fear: Today I will practice faith.

To insult: Thank you. I will consider that.

To sadness: I will smile despite it.

Don’t give up.

Cry if you have to.

Move on.

Do one thing differently.

Start with the most tedious.

Lend a hand.

Trust you are where you need to be.

“Not now,” does not mean, “No.”

Your dreams can come true.

You are not alone.

You are deserving.

You are not being punished.

You are not bad.

All storms ultimately surrender to the sun.

Your situation is temporary.

Today is a new day.

End each day on a good note ... and they are ALL good notes.

One of the hardest days to face is the day faced when fear clutches. Fear is one of the most debilitating emotions one can endure. It takes on a life of its own, bearing down on our psyches until it forms a lump in our throats, a burning in our stomachs, and a sense of hopelessness in our souls. It is an emotion which can become all encompassing, disabling the ablest, and tearing down the bravest among us.

No one is immune to the sensation of fear. It visits when we face futures unknown, while bearing lives of uncertainty. The instability we’re being impacted by today with loss of jobs, economic struggle, homes lost to foreclosure, past securities devastated by natural disasters, and political environments laced with ambiguities are certainly reason enough to cause society to operate from the basis of fear, yet when operating from fear-based thought mind, fear becomes substantiated, and instead of lessoning, it grows.

Masses have surrendered to hopelessness in the face of seemingly unalterable fates, and in doing so have closed off their spiritual natures, thus denying them access to the very thing that would set them free. Facing one of the most difficult periods in recent history, the majority have lost their personal connectedness to the Divine, and have also lost the vision of their spiritual paths. Where in the past faith led the troubled through the debris of human life, fear has replaced it as leader, and the ramifications of this are clearly evident.

Though immunity from fear is impossible, fear does not have to be allowed to envelop your entire being. No one ever has to allow fear access to his home. Instead, a simple act of defying every fear you have with its faithful opposite can set you free from the anxiety of fear’s presence. To bring about change, we must begin (one person at a time) to relinquish fear’s grasp upon us, and to do this the only requirement is to rely upon the Divine in faithful presence. Essentially, faith is the antidote to fear.

Faith is the only way out, and the only way through. In the absence of faith, individuals become transfixed upon the expectation of further misery and pain, thereby calling to them the very thing which they hope to repel. The more people who join in this constant deliberation of fear will ultimately create a society immobile, and an immobilized society numbs to atrocities, and what we are numb to, we shall succumb to.

You do not have to join the troops who are living in fear, fighting a war which cannot be won. You do not have to accept fear as your General. You do not have to believe that the worst will happen. You do not have to accept the unacceptable. All you must do if you wish to abolish fear from your life is to accept that above it all, above every difficulty you face, above all adversity in your life, above all sickness, and all hatred, all loss, and all dissention, there is a miracle brewing. Through these beliefs, you will be led to the door of faith.

Each of us can begin converting our souls to faith, to believing that change will not only come, but that we can effectively bring it about. We can extend our arms to that which is greater than doubt, and greater than fear ... to that which is Divine. We can individually denounce fear by staking claim to living our lives with faith as our companions. When fear knocks at our doors, we can answer with a greeting of faith, and answer without quiver.

It is true that where fear stands faith cannot reside, but is also true of the opposite. Where there is faith fear surrenders, shivering in its wake. Faith has the power to transmute the impossible to possible, and to cultivate a future ripe with opportunity. Faith is the truth while fear is the lie, and it is the lie which must be abolished for serenity in faith to be secured. It is not complex. It is not impossible.

Choose to believe in the greatness of the Divine. Choose to allow fear to visit, but NEVER to allow her a place to reside. Choose to feel the fear but damn her anyway! Choose to believe that you have the power to change your life. Choose faith as your partner, the Divine as your guide, and bring your spiritual nature back to living a purposeful life. Abolish fear by becoming a warrior for faith instead.

If you don’t think you’re worth it then, guess what? No one else will either. Stop! Stop telling yourself every negative thing you’ve ever heard anyone say to you, or about you. Stop standing above yourself and dropping boulders of insults at you. Stop judging every little thing you do or don’t do, as too much or not enough. You wouldn’t beat your friend up nearly as hard as you beat yourself down. Stop allowing this type of treatment from the one person in the whole world who should love you more than any other – YOU!

Do you know the impact this behavior is causing to your already bruised self-esteem? Do you recognize that you’re treating yourself as badly as those in the past have treated you, which brought you to this state to begin with? Do you know you can stop anytime you choose to, by simply shifting your negative thoughts and judgments away from you and into the garbage, where they belong?

Begin this moment to give yourself even a small measure of the kindness you extend to others. Start believing you are better than your thoughts give you credit of being. You are an extension of the Divine, and as such, there is NOTHING wrong with you. Yes. Perhaps your thoughts need adjusting, but YOU are already perfect. You are more than your injured mind believes you to be.

In a world where one button can delete you, friends can seem enemies, lovers strike as cobras in the desert, and bullies seek randomly for the easiest target to spew forth their own misery, it is little wonder any of us have self-esteem at all. To top it off, many of us grew up in homes where our parents berated us, and grew into adulthood with siblings who discounted us. Yes … I suspect we all have reasons to turn toward ourselves in disdain with all the evidence we’ve accumulated in our lifetimes supporting our idea that we are less than.

Nonetheless, the truth is, we are all MORE than we can ever imagine. We are all worth seeing our dreams materialize. We’re all worth having suitable mates. We’re all worth living a life better today than yesterday, but the simple fact is, until each discounts his negative thoughts about himself, there is no turning off the damage which has been done by others, and no turning around to face a day free of self-loathing.

Take a no tolerance approach to bullying, and let this stance hold true to even yourself. Stop bullying you. Let the negative opinions of others slide over your shoulders like syrup over pancakes. Don’t attach your mind to them. The only opinions you should ever remotely consider are the opinions of those you both love AND trust. All others are just like trash that blew into your yard. Bend over, pick it up, and toss it into the trash!

When you find yourself in negative self-talk, stop immediately and remind yourself that you wouldn’t be talking to your best friend in the same way you are speaking to yourself. Change the negative talk to some positive talk by reminding yourself of all the good things you have accomplished, and use the latter as new evidence to build a case for you … yourself as a person worthy of love, and worthy of even your own love.

You can change your mind any time you choose to. Always remember that. Don’t judge, put down, berate, abuse, or mistreat yourself another day, hour, or minute. It doesn’t matter if the entire world thinks you’re not worth it, as long as you know you are. Be just a little bit sweeter, gentler, kinder, softer and more compassionate to the most important person in the world … YOU!

Love toward self, when expressed with respect, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness will encompass ALL that you are, without judgment. This includes loving your body despite the flaws you perceive it as having. It means giving yourself a break, even when everyone else in your life seems to be hell bent on breaking you. It means being the first to forgive yourself for whatever you’ve done, and whatever you do. Essentially, it means accepting that the Divine made no mistake in the perfect creation of you.

Struggles with placing ourselves above our own thoughts of our personal inadequacies are certainly difficult to overcome. None of us are perfect … and each has his own flaws to be challenged, beaten, and ultimately laid to rest. Nonetheless, our thoughts about ourselves tend to be little liars; the tattletales of deceit and deceptions, and these should never be allowed jurisdiction over our opinions of self.

Poor behaviors are never who we are. Our behaviors are separate from the preceding. One may behave quite poorly, yet still be one of the better persons around. It is always in the heart that counts. Our bodies may have flaws, our behaviors may be less than desirable at times, we may have missed the mark somewhere along the way and acted in a way we would change, if only we could. But the truth is, we can’t, and belaboring past behaviors is like carrying all your worst yesterday’s with you into the future.

There is never a time or place, or a situation where withholding love for self should be tolerated, because when we take love from ourselves, it ends up being delivered by our souls to the Divine, and the Divine listens then interprets the message, “I am not good enough the way you made me, therefore I am a mistake, and you made a mistake in your creation of me.”

I suspect the Divine is far above taking insult, yet energetically you’ve inadvertently sent a message to the Universe that you’re not worthy of having love, keeping love, getting love, or giving love to any great degree, because you see, one can only extend a thing that he holds. One can only give the degree of love that he is capable of first extending toward himself.

There are all kinds of ways in which we find excuses to withhold love from ourselves, and all kinds of reasons we can conjure up to do it, but there is never a good enough excuse, and never a good enough reason to be as hard on ourselves as most of us are.

If you’re having difficulty loving yourself wholly, then start by loving yourself a little more each day. Give yourself credit for all the things you’ve done that were right, instead of focusing on all the things you’ve done wrong. Talk to friends whom you trust, and get some feedback on all the great qualities you have when finding them on your own seems impossible.

Believe you are perfectly designed, and remember that your behaviors are not who you are. Your behaviors are simply the ways in which you respond, good or bad. The bad ones can be changed, and the good ones can be enhanced upon. You are a good person who behaves poorly, at times. Even the worst behaviors clothe beneath, a child of the Divine, and no matter how bad you may find yourself, always remember no one can be bad ALL the time. Not even YOU can do that.

Are you a preferred buyer of the negative opinions of others? Do you hold the record number in purchases from disgruntled, disenchanted, and disillusioned people who are lifetime agents for selling their negativity to anyone who will buy it? Do you bite every time someone tells you that what you want is impossible?

I’ve discovered ninety percent of the time, what holds one back from chasing his dreams, is that somewhere along the way he's been convinced that his dreams were unattainable, and worse than that? Somewhere along the way he's come to believe a naysayer as a speaker of absolute truth, and before he’s even poked his foot out the door, he’s sealed his fate to failure.

Most often those who tell you that it can’t be done, haven’t done a thing, and their opinions are really their own projections. They are essentially foretelling their own futures based upon their personal histories. Well … guess what? Their histories are not your destiny. In fact, YOUR history is not your destiny. Your destiny sleeps as one with the dreams you hold sacredly in your heart.

How many dreams have you had that were stolen by a thief of dreams? How many times have you felt certain you could achieve something miraculous, only to discover that after you shared your hopes with others, the “wind beneath your wings” suddenly shifted directions, leaving you to pummel heart first to the ground?

Don’t be convinced that just because it hasn’t been done is evidence that you can’t do it. Don’t be sold a bill of goods that warrants your failure, based upon only the experience of someone who has failed himself. God designed you precisely and perfectly to fulfill your purpose in this lifetime, and all the naysayers in the world haven’t the power to stop you … Only you can do that.

Don’t be stopped. Take your sacred dreams and place them confidently into a plan of action. When you hit a snag, don’t give up – keep going with faith as your partner, and success as your mission. If a door closes, open another. When the path disappears, make a new one. Forge to go where the Divine leads, your heart sings, and your convictions call to you.

Last but not least, make a decision to pass by the people who attempt to hold you back, or you’ll be lured into pulling out your credit card of doubt. Give them a good hearted invitation to follow you instead, and keep on walking toward the stars. And to the naysayers along the way? Let your actions and success prove them wrong ... Rock on!

Are you a preferred buyer of the negative opinions of others? Do you hold the record number in purchases from disgruntled, disenchanted, and disillusioned people who are lifetime agents for selling their negativity to anyone who will buy it? Do you bite every time someone tells you that what you want is impossible?

I’ve discovered ninety percent of the time, what holds one back from chasing his dreams, is that somewhere along the way he's been convinced that his dreams were unattainable, and worse than that? Somewhere along the way he's come to believe a naysayer as a speaker of absolute truth, and before he’s even poked his foot out the door, he’s sealed his fate to failure.

Most often those who tell you that it can’t be done, haven’t done a thing, and their opinions are really their own projections. They are essentially foretelling their own futures based upon their personal histories. Well … guess what? Their histories are not your destiny. In fact, YOUR history is not your destiny. Your destiny sleeps as one with the dreams you hold sacredly in your heart.

How many dreams have you had that were stolen by a thief of dreams? How many times have you felt certain you could achieve something miraculous, only to discover that after you shared your hopes with others, the “wind beneath your wings” suddenly shifted directions, leaving you to pummel heart first to the ground?

Don’t be convinced that just because it hasn’t been done is evidence that you can’t do it. Don’t be sold a bill of goods that warrants your failure, based upon only the experience of someone who has failed himself. God designed you precisely and perfectly to fulfill your purpose in this lifetime, and all the naysayers in the world haven’t the power to stop you … Only you can do that.

Don’t be stopped. Take your sacred dreams and place them confidently into a plan of action. When you hit a snag, don’t give up – keep going with faith as your partner, and success as your mission. If a door closes, open another. When the path disappears, make a new one. Forge to go where the Divine leads, your heart sings, and your convictions call to you.

Last but not least, make a decision to pass by the people who attempt to hold you back, or you’ll be lured into pulling out your credit card of doubt. Give them a good hearted invitation to follow you instead, and keep on walking toward the stars. And to the naysayers along the way? Let your actions and success prove them wrong ... Rock on!