5 Choices that Will Change Your Life
We can choose to grow habits of the mind and the heart that will guide us naturally to love and service. We can blossom through presence and good mental habits to awaken our authentic spirit. Love is the common denominator. Love is the universal energy of the universe. The human condition is enduring; adversity will forever ascend. The impact of adversity can be an insidious virus or rich nourishment for our souls. We can choose to use adversity as nourishment to awaken our authentic spirit. Our authentic spirit is our love, which we are, and our service, how we act.…
Finding the Opportunity in a Stroke
I had a stroke in June 2011 and went through a complete transformation of self, learning so much from facing such a life-altering experience that almost killed me. The biggest questions in my mind became "What's really important in life?" and "How do I create a new life for myself?" We are presented with opportunities from one minute to the next throughout our lives, good and bad. When the opportunity comes in the form of a life-altering experience such as mine, our choices of how to handle it will either propel us forward on a journey of inner peace or…
Triumph Over the Toughest Challenges
I was 27 years old, at the start of my medical career and expecting my first child, when the neurologist confirmed what the first clinician had suspected - the tremor I had been experiencing over the preceding year was Young Onset Parkinson's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. The diagnosis was made and my dance with denial, fear, anger and secrecy began, one that lasted almost a decade. Thoughts of disability and helplessness eventually turned to hope and optimism but the transformation was a painful and difficult process. My story however is not unique. Each…
One Decision Can Change Everything
Your future on this earth depends on one decision. This decision shapes who you will become in the future. This decision shapes whether you will impact others positively or negatively. This one decision will determine whether you have thriving personal and business relationships or if you will drift from one bad relationship to the next. This one decision will affect everything in your life. Struggle Leads To This Question We live in a world where struggle and difficulty are simply a part of life. Some people struggle financially. Others face health issues or the loss of a loved one. Some…
The Importance of Taking It Slow
In 2008, I was like most dynamic women: running on life's treadmill, overbooking myself, pursuing all my passions at once. Ha. Trying to "live my best life" almost stole it from me. I almost died from a brain aneurysm. It turned out to be a gift: The hectic pace of my life finally caught up and it was time to make a change. My recovery was amazing, according to doctors. So what did I learn? Focus. You need to start playing the record of your life at your speed, rather than letting it play you. Stress and change played a major…
Life Secrets of the Butterfly, as told to her young
Fear and love feel the same when first you feel them. Fear is like moving from a flame, Love is like flying into it. Love will make you do things only a silly fool would do, but only if it is true love. True love may appear to hurt, but it will never injure you. It may stir the senses, but never leave you senseless. True love will call you to places that you never knew existed. True love is a stream that always runs in the driest times. Beware the spider, true but the strongest web is woven by…
The 6 Gifts of Life
Life has offered me six most valuable gifts that I carry with me wherever I go. Because of these gifts, I can say, I am proud to have lived this life and proud of everything I have accomplished. 1. Scars Every scar shows the quality of strength. When you see someone with scars, know that they have an amazing story to share. His or her strength to keep moving forward and overcome what gave them the scars is of great value to themself and to everyone he or she comes in contact with. It takes strength to know they can…
Use Your Pain to Find Awakening
The view through my lens is that we human beings, regardless of race or religion, hold a deep longing that is fundamentally one and the same. The differences we see with our body's eyes are the great humor of Life. Our deepest desire is to have a true, intimate experience of living. And we are often led to that deepest experience by some inexplicable pain. Indeed, our moments of loss and despair smooth the rough edges of ego and create an opening in the heart for growth and self-discovery, forging inner faith. In the words of Nobel Peace Prize nominee…
Guess What? You Are NOT Broken!
You're not broken. I don't care what "issues" you think you have, what "patterns" you seem to be living, what "childhood traumas" you believe are the cause of your problems. All of those are simply theories about why things are the way they are. And worse, they're not even good theories. Oh, sure, they're compelling stories -- like a good book or an engaging movie -- but that's it. Your relationship with your father causing relationship problems now? Just a theory made up by someone trying to make a name for themselves or fill up a workshop. Having relationship problems…
Staying On Target Despite Obstacles
If there is a light at the end of the tunnel, do you see it as a train getting ready to hit you, or do you see it as your ticket to a better life? If I were you, I would hop on that train. In almost every instance, it will take you to a better, happier place. If the road you are traveling is paved with a) detours, b) brick walls, c) closed doors, d) distractions, and e) personal issues, don't give up! Think of these things as speed bumps -- glitches or annoyances. Things happen for reasons you…
Turn Your Challenge into Triumph
What would you do if you came face to face with death and then received a miracle? Miracles often make themselves known when we face life's challenges. Life is a journey. Sometimes it's fast and exciting; at other times, it can be trying and painful. It is through the hard times that we grow and realize the people and causes that bring us the greatest fulfillment. It is during these times that we have an opportunity to see our life through a different lens, one that brings us closer to our true purpose and reveals different perspectives and priorities. I…
8 Lessons Learned from Adversity
I have realized that it is often through the darkest experiences where we become the most enlightened. To shun these experiences is to remain foolish. To embrace them is to quickly ascend. At the age of twenty-six, I discovered that three of my four children were profoundly disabled with Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder for which there is no cure. What followed became the darkest period of my life. Here are the lessons I have learned from the darkness. I hope they will bring you further into the light. 1. I've learned that to bear another's burdens is to…