Category: Ask a Luminary

Ask A Luminary lets you ask a question and get an answer from one of our many Inspirational Luminaries. Think of it as an inspirational version of Ann Landers or Dear Abby!

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If you have a question for an expert in empowerment, love and relationships, business and entrepreneurship, parenting, finances, health, spirituality, meditation and prayer, or even something else, now’s the time to ask! Just submit your question and one of our Luminaries will share their answer here!

Are You Aligned with God?

"I want to be closer to God. I've tried prayer and meditation, but I'm not hearing the answers I thought I'd hear. What have you found that works in creating a closer bond with the Divine?" ~ Judy, Tallahassee, FL Dear Judy, I believe that God is with us, inside us and around us at all times, and that God works through us to expand and grow. I use a “commitment question” to connect with the Divine. I ask myself, “How may I best embody supportive love, appreciation and gratitude in every moment?” Supportive love is unconditional. God gives you…

My Fiancée Left Me. How Do I Move On?

"My fiancée recently broke up with me after a four year relationship. She said that I kept pushing her away and did not want to communicate with her about our life. I agree that I was not always approachable and at times took her for granted. Funny thing is, when she left, I realised how much I loved her (expensive lesson to learn). It’s been two months now, and see is seeing someone else, who she says is always there for her and just wants to be with her. (We stayed about an hour drive from each other and I could…

Can I Heal Myself with My Thoughts?

"I have an auto-immune disease and I'm always sick. I feel so poorly most days that it's hard to think positively. How can I possibly use my thoughts to heal myself, when I can't get out of the rut I'm in? And I beat myself up for feeling so poorly, which just makes things worse." ~ Emily, Burlingame, CA Dear Emily, Thoughts control your stress response. When your stress response is hyper-activated, the immune response is triggered to produce more inflammation. With more inflammation, your immune cells begin attacking, and in your case, they attack you. The more you beat yourself up for not…

Should I Relight This Old Flame?

"I am very confused about a man who loves me very much. We had a relationship for three years and I ended it. He was facing homelessness and so I took him in. A part of me wants the relationship and another part says don't go there. Help!" ~ Debra, Philadelphia, PA Dear Debra, You say the man loves you very much but nowhere do you say that you love him. You also say, “A part of me wants ‘the’ relationship” but we suspect it is more likely the case that you want ‘a’ relationship. Many times people settle. They…

How Can I Support My Suffering Sibling?

"My sister is going through a very difficult time in her life with her daughter who is suffering with depression and her son who has a fatal disease. She is usually a very strong character (type A personality). What kind of support or resources can I give her? We just lost our mom and I feel that she may be suffering with depression as well. Your help would be appreciated. Thanks." ~ Pauline, Canada Dear Pauline, I am so sorry that your sister is in the midst of so much grief in her life right now. I'm sure she feels…

What Do I Do If I Love a Married Man?

"For 9 years I have felt irresistibly attracted to a man who is married. This situation occupies my mind and I need him to be in my life. I tried to avoid him but we always meet again. We like each others' company. What to do to really get him spending more time with me to talk things over? Can this be a real relationship or is it meant to stay an in-between? Others think this situation is really weird, but there is special reason why we are attracted to each other to both our evolution. What is he willing…

How Can I Find My Path?

"I have listened to every episode of Inspire Me Today because I just can't resist the daily dose of optimism and inspiration. I am inspired by all that these luminaries (and you!) have accomplished. I would love to follow in their footsteps but the thing is, I don't know how. I'm going to be graduating college soon and I still only have an inkling of what I want to do with my life. I love writing, and I would love to inspire people through my writing, but I don't know how. I love helping people and animals, but I don't…

How Do I Do Better in School?

"I am preparing for my GMAT exam as it can give a great lift to my career and give me great learning opportunities. I am having a tough time studying and answering the questions. It infuses a great deal of stress and depression in me while I'm preparing for exam. I've kept a tutor as well but no matter how hard I try it seems I'm not making any progress and I'm not those gifted people who are quick with answering numbers. I have never been good at math and I'm facing math problems here. It appears that an evil…

How Can I Put the Past Behind Me?

"Dear Sara, I grew up in Canada in a dysfunctional family with alcoholism, emotional abuse and neglect, then moved with my family to New Zealand when I was a teenager. My mother was unable to show any love or affection and I have tried for many years to seek approval and my mother's love. My childhood and adolescence had a significant impact on my mental health and happiness. I thought I was a bad person until I completed a social work degree and realised that my mother was not capable of loving and learned about childhood conditioning. My sister was…

Can I Choose to Stay Positive?

"I have been having a difficult time lately with staying positive. It seems as if there is so much going on that it's difficult to try and stay positive. I used to be happier... How can I get through the day being positive?" ~ Julie Hi Julie, Thanks for your question, I get this one a lot and I want you to know that even “Mr. Positive” isn't able to “Stay Positive” all the time! Even though your life is very busy here are three things you can do in ten minutes or less to immediately to shift your attitude when you are not feeling…

How Do I Become More Productive?

"Do you have any suggestions of tangible steps that I can take to help me fit everything on my "to do" list into my day? I feel like I need a 30 hour day!" ~ Jeff, Chula Vista, CA Dear Jeff, Unfortunately you cannot add more hours to your day, but you can get better R.O.T.I. (return on time invested) out of your day. Take the time to break up your day to fit your and your family's needs. First, determine when the most productive part of your day is. Then, dedicate one hour of your most productive time to…

How Can I Overcome My Fears?

"From the time I was a child, I've lived my life in fear. What if I lose my job? What if I can't pay the rent? What if I never find a wife? And so on... I'd greatly appreciate any insight on how I can let go of the fear and actually LIVE my life!" ~ Tim, Minneapolis, MN Dear Tim, As humans, we all deal with fear in one form or another. However, we can only focus on one thing at a time, so chose to focus on your dreams rather than the fear. In other words, focus on what you…

How Can I Control My Emotions?

"I know that I create my own reality with my thoughts, but sometimes when I'm sad I can't seem to change my thoughts - even when I want to. How to I start to take control of my life?" ~ Evelyn, Jacksonville, FL Dear Evelyn, There was a time I felt the same way you did. But a family member I trusted "SNAPPED" me out of it. Soon I realized that the sadness I was feeling was just an emotion I was internalizing. In other words, I was investing too much time into feeling sad until I clearly saw that…

How Do You Stay Married To a Liar?

"How do you stay married to someone who lies repeatedly to you and then twists things around when confronted?" ~ Joni, Agoura Hills, CA Dear Joni, Most of us wouldn’t tolerate someone intentionally being dishonest with us, whether it’s from the person we are dating, a family member, friend, coworker or even an acquaintance as that’s usually a standard cardinal rule deal-breaker in continuing most relationships. The difficulty lies (no pun intended) when it’s with our spouse or children. If it’s our children, we would love our way through it, teaching them about consequences, character, trust, kindness, compassion and the other…

How Do I Find My Gift In Life?

"I work at a hospital and I'm not sure what my gift is in life -- I'm not sure what I like doing. Need help!" ~ Vivian, Chicago, IL Dear Vivian, I can so appreciate your question! Just a few years ago I was in the same place myself - in a job I was good at but didn’t love and feeling empty inside, like I didn’t know where I was headed. I think I can help you with this by sharing a bit of my journey with you. First, it’s important to recognize that even if we are good…

When There Aren’t Enough Hours in the Day

“When you have that feeling of there just aren’t enough hours in the day, where do you suggest one starts to relieve the stress?” ~ Diane Beaulieu, Entrée Kitchen owner and B.I.G. pod leader Great question, Diane! There are four places to find relief when you feel there are not enough hours in the day, there is too much to get done, or the stress of your workload is too much. As a recovering Type-A, I have a tendency to think that EVERYTHING needs to get done RIGHT NOW and by ME. If you have the same struggles, take a look at…

How Can I Overcome Procrastination?

"I want so much out of life, but I procrastinate. How can I overcome procrastination?" ~ Jonas, Ipswich, UK Dear Jonas, Eradicate procrastination, before it destroys you. You get more out of your day with an action-oriented, do-it-now attitude. When you complete the unpleasant or hard jobs first and act on the big tasks little bits at a time, you trim anxiety and stress while gaining self-respect and self-confidence. After you exert this type of discipline long enough, you will establish a routine and create a new habit. Behavioral studies suggest that if you do something every day for 21…

How Can I Stop Judging Myself?

"I don't know how I am ever going to do my spiritual journey when I am so stuck in judging my physical appearance." ~ Cindy, Santa Fe, NM Dear Cindy, Our bodies continue to serve us to the best of their ability, regardless of how often we have cast blame in their direction for failures in our love life, sports life and inner life. Love does not arise out of body image. But we can keep love away by continuing to deprive ourselves of self-love. It's not the size of our body parts, it’s the size of our issues that count!…

HOW Do You Find Your Passion in Life?

"HOW do you find your passion in life? I am a 54 year old single woman who has been in the nursing field for over 30 years and I am ready for a change, but unable to take the plunge, change course, and do something different. I want to try something different, but am struggling with what that is....can anyone help? Thanks!" ~ Barb, Lakefield Your passion is a story of emotional authenticity, responsibility and magic. It is a story of self-discovery and embracing the power within you. The specifics of what you are meant to do will come alive…

How Can I Fix a Friendship?

"Will a friendship I lost a year ago have a chance to be repaired?" ~ Karin, Dresser, WI Hi Karin, I’m sorry you’ve been without your friend for a year now. Whether your relationship with him/her can be repaired or not depends on each of you and your individual wishes about this. Without having details, I can only offer some general suggestions. The first thing to do is to reach out to your friend and let him/her know how much you miss your relationship and how you would like to become friends again. It’s very important when you do this…

How Can I Respond to Financial Obstacles Positively?

"My husband and I keep getting hit hard financially. One bad break after the next, I feel like I'm drowning. It has to get taken care of, so it will, but how do I go about life without feeling totally defeated?" ~ Laura, Louisville, KT Dear Laura, It is such a challenge not to say “No!” when life circumstances show up in a way that you don’t prefer. The game is to leave your history alone and move forward. When you judge yourself or others for why things are the way they are, then things get heavy and it makes…