Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself
What the Mystics Can Teach Us
I make a living speaking and writing about silence. Isn't that hilarious? But the mystical path is all about paradox. The emptiness that is plenitude. The fire that is elixir. The longing that is the remedy for longing. Mystics are not interested in logical arguments to prove the existence of divine reality. They want direct experience of divine reality. They do not pay much attention to questions of morality. They want to be consumed with love. The mystic is the person who is inexorably drawn to the Great Mystery. The person who wants to drown in that Mystery, to allow…
Transformation–The Journey Toward Our Greatest Potential
Transformation arises not through ambition or self-will, but amidst our surrender to the One Who holds all things together through His Word. Generally, we don’t take steps toward growth until the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change. Only in that place does true surrender begin. Transformation begins with a decision to forgive and to extend unconditional grace, acceptance, and love to the one who did us harm. Transformation grows with our decision to believe the best about another, remembering their best qualities, and overlooking their offenses. Transformation flourishes when we acknowledge we live in the midst…
Creating Hope from Heartache
Barbara Marx Hubbard says that "Crisis is an evolutionary driver." Our world is certainly in crisis. I passionately believe the ultimate way to take part in the evolution of humankind is to wholeheartedly embrace our unique individual gifts and ferociously share them with others. The God within is calling out to all of us to contribute to each other in unconventional and profound ways. Rather than search for love, be love. Rather than wish the world would change, be the change. Honor your divinity within. Embody kindness, and let your generous spirit guide you. Cherish all your relationships, especially those…
The Two Keys To Releasing Your Pain
You may not believe it, but you hold your own transformation in your own hands. You can turn darkness into light, turn any issue you have into an asset, convert suffering into wisdom and along the way shine the light for others. You are the ultimate alchemist. Mindfulness and creativity are the two keys to releasing yourself from your own pain and transforming it into something valuable. When you stand back and get some distance from 'the story of your life' and you can then look at it differently and learn from it. Now this is when then magic starts…
The Great Importance of Perspective
Life is what you choose. Life is what it is. And life isn't what it isn't. The struggles of any life worth living require a practice of self-liberation, as documented in freedom songs or stories from here to Timbuktu. Despite having been thrown into the throws of a mysterious universe, our heroes choose love over fear, inspiration over death, freedom over enslavement. The truth is, all good stories and songs need a challenge or a conflict to keep the interest of the audience. In other words, transform your perspective and you'll see that no matter the challenge, you have the…
101 Ways to Experience Personal Growth
There are many forms of personal growth available to you at all times. Below is a list of 101 different ways that you can integrate it into your life right now. Whatever your experience is, there are several ways you can take your Personal Growth to the next level. Everything you think, feel, say and do affects you, your loved ones and the global community. The world around you will automatically transform, as you continue to positively impact your life. Enhance your Personal Growth today. Review this list and pick the top 3 choices to implement immediately. To see the…
From Tragedy To Transformation
I have experienced a life-changing event that almost killed me. I would like to share some lessons I have learned that continue to guide me on my journey through life. Overcoming Obstacles We are all presented with obstacles everyday in many different forms, some big, some small. Obstacles can test and push you and everyone around you to their absolute limit. As with any experience that you have in life, your perception can make all the difference. If you look upon the obstacle as a devastating tragedy that you will never recover from, that is exactly what it will be.…
Take A Leap For Your Passion
In today's world, so many people wake up to an alarm clock, less than thrilled to step out of bed and into the shower to prepare for a full day of work. After they brush their teeth and pour a cup of coffee to take with them on their morning commute, they ponder how many other things they could be doing over the next 10 hours that would be so much more productive than what they're about to actually do. But it doesn't have to be this way. What so many people don't realize is that you don't have to…
4 Ways to Open Yourself to Healing
I share my miraculous transformation from surviving to thriving to inspire you to do the same. After being diagnosed at age fourteen, undergoing eighteen surgeries and 40 years of a disabling neurological disease, I stepped out of the medical box and opened to the world of spirituality and alternative healing modalities. I began to trust in the unknown forces of nature, the energy field and quantum physics. I learned to allow the flow of grace to nurture and heal me. Healing was a process of releasing old messages stored in my DNA. I learned what it meant to have the…
What I Wish My Mother Had Told Me About Life and Men
We gravitate towards what we contemplate, so believe the best about everyone. Constantly extend grace, kindness and forgiveness to all mankind. Until we know who we are and why we were created, we risk the temptation of allowing other things and other people to define our worth. Feelings can keep us from accomplishing our purpose; since we can't change the way we feel, we have to learn how to change the way we think. God invites us to align our thoughts with His. One of the greatest gaps existing in life is the gap between knowing and doing. To live…
Healing Your Pain
If I only had a few shards of wisdom to leave this world, I’d go straight for the bull’s eye. What’s life about anyway? I think it’s about being happy. However, that road to happiness includes learning how to heal pain and connect to that source of healing. It’s learning how to experience your version of God (or whatever you want to call it). It all begins in the mysterious world of the subconscious mind, the place where our pain is harbored. All emotion is born to be experienced. When we experience emotion fully, it will vaporize and dissolve into…
How You Can Embrace Your Spiritual Self
One moment we're asleep... the next, we wake up. That Divine alarm clock starts buzzing and blaring, and the next thing you know it, you're having a consciousness shift, an unexpected heart opening, a knock-your-socks off wake up call - whether you're ready or not. For many of us, it's the darkest hours that lead us to the dawn. My own personal spiritual awakening was the result of some grim years indeed: a near death experience followed by PTSD, followed by the death of my father, followed by a divorce. Whew! And yet, at this very lowest point in my…
4 Essential Strategies for Changing Your Life
Be grateful. Gratitude unlocks the doors to your heart and opens your world up in ways previously unimaginable. Gratitude is the stage and the players are joy, peace, love, acceptance, belonging, and compassion. Make time to be grateful and happiness will be your reward. When you find yourself spiraling into thoughts and attitudes of scarcity, stop yourself and think of what you have to be grateful for. Stop spending time wishing things were different and focus on the good things in your life, at this very moment. It is no secret that where our thoughts go our lives go as…
Today’s Brilliance from Lisa Lockwood
People reinvent for different reasons: to get a better life, to be more respected, to make more money, to be happier, to get a stronger body, to find a better relationship, to know God, or to make life more interesting. If your ears perk up when you hear about the lawyer who gave it all up to become a fashion designer or the auditor who ditched her accounting firm to start her own pet clothing company, and you wonder how they did it - reinvention is the answer. If you are curious about what is typical and what is rare…