About twenty five odd years ago, when I was in college, I remember having a conversation with some friends. We were asking each other, what is it that we most want? One of my friends said "I want to have lots of money." I remember my response. I said "I want to be powerful." My rationale was that if I had the power and influence over others then, I could achieve anything I wanted.

Over the years, I have most certainly tried to control people but, it has never worked. I have realised that the power that I sought was not about controlling others, it is about believing in myself and doing the right thing according to my moral/spiritual compass. The power is that I know that I can be who I want to be, that I can only control myself and that I trust that others know what to do with themselves.

I know now that I can't make people do things or that I can't solve their problems, I don't need to. Everyone has that strength within them to find their own solutions.

My role is to be a guide to those who need my support, to help when asked or simply wish them well. I cheer them as they accomplish their goals but, I also like to remind them at that point that they did it themselves. The power is within them. They are powerful beyond their imagination.

So, if I were to have that conversation again with my friends about what I want the most, I would say "I know that I can be anything I want to be. This is power and I have that."

I completed the 14 kilometre "City to Surf" fun run in Sydney on Sunday. It was an exhilarating experience as we started off at Hyde Park and wound our way through the streets of Sydney, ending at the iconic Bondi beach. I saw people who have been doing this run for over 40 years, little children running or walking with their families and seniors who were so enthusiastic and having fun participating in the run.

I prepared for the City to Surf in three ways.
1. I love to walk and I walked long distances for a few weekends to build up my stamina.
2. I paid attention to what I was eating and ensured I ate wholesome, nutritious meals.
3. I did something that is very important and dear to me - Visualisation.

Visualisation is a technique that I use in meditations and workshops. Using this technique, you can imagine anything you want to create and by investing your wonderful energies here, creation becomes simple and achievable.

I would visualise myself starting the race, fast forward to where I finished the race with a medal hanging around my neck. I would visualise how I felt when I completed the race - happy. I did this frequently and listened to my body during the weeks before the fun run.

Proof is in the pudding and I completed the run by walking and jogging the 14 kilometre route without any break. I was swept away in the enthusiasm of the participants, the volunteers and the onlookers. As I was nearing the finish line, the thought that I had was how the Universe works alongside you and carries you through when you desire something that is for your highest good with all your heart. I felt happy and elated as I went through the finish line, just as I had visualised :-)

Namaste...

I am co-teaching at a two-day Heal Your Life workshop on 26 & 27 May 2018. If you would like to know what we explore in the workshop, here is some information to get you started.

Many of you may have read Louise Hay’s “You can Heal Your Life”. Heal Your Life workshops are based on Louise Hay’s teachings from the book. The focus is always on loving ourselves. This is done through a series of exercises, meditation etc., in the workshop. Some of the beliefs that we explore in the workshop are below and I will write about them in this series.

1. Life is really very simple. What we give out, we get back.
2. The Universe totally supports us in ever thought we choose to think and believe.
3. Many of us have rigid rules about how life ought to be lived.
4. When we are very little, we learn how to feel about ourselves and about life by the reactions of the adults around us.
5. We choose our parents.
6. The point of power is always in the present moment.
7. The only thing we are ever dealing with is a thought, and a thought can be changed.
8. We can change our attitude toward the past.
9. Resentment, criticism, guilt and fear cause more problems than anything else.

As you read the above, know that whatever you are thinking is a thought and thoughts can be changed. Positive, nurturing thoughts will support you in achieving your dreams and desires.
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I leave you with some wise words from Louise Hay.
“You have the power to heal your life, and you need to know that. We think so often that we are helpless, but we’re not. We always have the power of our minds… Claim and consciously use your power.”

Many of us feel that we are working in a job where we are not appreciated. You may have heard people say “this is a thankless job”, “I am overworked and underpaid” etc. Why are we not fulfilled by what we do? Many people say they are doing their job because they have to pay their bills.

Instead of complaining, what if we start taking responsibility and tell ourselves that we chose this job and we can do our best or we can choose to leave this one and find another suitable job?

What if we consciously choose to like our job? What if we consciously make an effort to do our best at the job that we have on hand?

We will notice that as we change our attitude to a more positive one, we will start enjoying the job more. We will become happier, friendlier and feel more appreciated.

Here’s a powerful affirmation by Louise Hay that can help you create a fulfilling job. Stand in front of a mirror and say this to yourself over and over. You will see a difference.

In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect, whole, and complete.
My unique creative talents and abilities flow through me and are expressed in deeply satisfying ways.
There are people out there who are always looking for my services.
I am always in demand and can pick and choose what I do.
I earn good money doing what satisfies me.
My work is a joy and pleasure.
All is well in my world.

Namaste…

Today's blog is an excerpt from Dr. Wayne Dyer's book, Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling. I received this in the newsletter that brings to me timeless wisdom of Dr. Dyer. With gratitude to Dr. Wayne Dyer....

"A young woman complained to her mother about the hardships and difficulties in her life. She didn’t know how she was going to continue and wanted to give up. The young woman said, “I’m tired of fighting and struggling. It seems that as soon as one problem is solved, a new one appears.” In response, her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water, placing each on the stove over a high flame.

Soon the water came to boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about 20 minutes, she turned off the burners. The mother then fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She removed the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she said, “Tell me what you see.”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the daughter replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After peeling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich flavour.

The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, Mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity, boiling water, and each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile, its thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior, but after the boiling water, its inside became hardened. But the ground coffee beans were unique—after they were in the boiling water, they’d changed the water itself."

A few years ago, science said that after childhood our brains could not change. Research now shows that this is not true – our brain cells are rearranging themselves every moment of every day. This supports us in learning at any age and in  shaping our life the way we want it to be.

What would you like to learn and how would you like to reshape your life?

Whatever your choice, there are two important considerations. Firstly, we need to have an intent to learn something. Second, we need to act on this. Intention without action will not take us anywhere.

This is true for everything we do in our lives. I can sit where I am right now and intend to drink a cup of tea but, if I don’t get up and make it, or ask somebody to, I will not be drinking any tea!!

Go on, set an intention to learn something today. And then, act on your intention. You don’t always have to enrol in a course to learn something. You can learn through listening, reading or even watching videos.

Since age is not a factor that impedes learning, what would you like to learn?

What would your answer be if I asked you “do you love yourself”? Hmm…that’s a difficult question, some of you may be thinking.

So, why is it that many of us don’t feel like we love ourselves? We don’t love ourselves because we are comparing our lives to another’s. We don’t love ourselves because we think that we can be happy and loving when we have this house or when we drive a certain car or when the bank balance reaches a particular amount. And what happens is that along the way, we forget to live gratefully, we forget to love the people who love us and find our lives are in chaos!

A great way to start loving who you are is to be grateful for your life, for everything that you already have in your life. Things may seem extremely difficult sometimes but it is important to give thanks for little miracles in your life. You could start by saying thank you to the Universe when you wake up each day because you have another chance at creating a life that you love. You can thank the person who is holding the lift for you at work. You can be grateful when somebody offers you their seat on the bus. You can smile at people you see as you go for a walk; the smile will always be returned. Give it a go and see how loving life is, how loving you can be towards yourself.

Embrace yourself – love the person that you are in this moment; a person who is filled with gratitude for everything that life brings. It does not matter what happened yesterday. Be ‘present’ in your life today; love yourself just as you are – warts and all.

I leave you with an excerpt from a beautiful song by Jai Josephs:

I love myself, the way I am, there's nothing I need to change.
I'll always be the perfect me, there's nothing to rearrange.
I'm beautiful and capable of being the best me I can.
And I love myself, just the way I am.

My first blog of the year!

I have utilised the time from when I stopped blogging late last year to focus on myself.

I had an amazing holiday with my family; and we spent most of our time amidst towering mountains, shimmering lakes and expanses of greenery in New Zealand. Time seemed to stay still as we walked near majestic mountains; saw reflections of the landscape in clear lakes and almost touched clouds. What an experience!

When I looked up at the mountains that have stood for millions of years, I saw myself as part of eternity. Similar to how water, ice and wind carve their way through the mountains; I have been shaped into who I am by Life. In this movie of the mountains, I play a fleeting part where I come and admire them and go my way. Then the next person visits and the one after her etc. The mountain however is standing still and knows that he is there forever; just as we are eternal in a non-physical sense.

Understanding that Life is eternal helps me to focus on my purpose for this lifetime and enjoy every moment. Although I may not know what the future holds, if I take that leap of faith, I know that Life will provide me with the next step and the one after that and so on.
 
 “I am worthy of the very best in Life, and I now lovingly allow myself to accept it”
~ Louise Hay

​Over seventeen years ago, I arrived in Sydney, Australia. This was the first time I was away from the country of my birth, India. My expectation was that I would find a job quickly and settle in.

I arrived just before the Sydney Olympics. While I was enjoying myself exploring Sydney and going to see an event at the Olympics, I also started applying for jobs. I met a number of agents who assured me that my skills and experience would land me a job in no time. That did not happen. A month or so after the Olympics, the job market took a down-turn. There was now a surplus of people applying for jobs that had dwindled. This did not deter me from applying for jobs, showing up and doing my best at interviews.

There were a number of times when I felt sad for myself, not to mention lost without a purpose. A few things kept me going – one of them was a daily walk in a beautiful park near our home.

At that time, I did not know anything about meditation, neither did I know much about fitness. All I knew was that I had to get out of the house every day, walk and keep myself busy i.e., not allow my mind wander away to negativity land.

Every morning, I walked for a few kilometres through the park. I would hear birds chirping, see ducks swimming in the river and take in fresh air. Little did I know that this walk itself was meditation. It kept me grounded and helped me trust life and believe that I would find a wonderful job.

To this day, I love to go out for walks – I love seeing ducks, birds and yes, lizards too; and there’s plenty of them here in Australia.

Look back in your life and see if there is something that you did during times of worry that helped you stay grounded and stay focused on what you set out to achieve.
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If you are looking for a way to stay grounded then, I heartily recommend taking a walk in a nature reserve near you. Communing with Mother Earth has this wonderful ability to calm us and keep us grounded.