Live Your Purpose, Follow Your Heart

"Follow your heart, let your love lead through the darkness...Follow your dreams, be yourself an angel of kindness, there's nothing that you cannot do, I believe, I believe in you" - Il Divo & Celine Dion

I am living my purpose, I am doing what I was born to do.  It feels incredible.  I wish that everyone could know the peace that comes with knowing you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

I'm Hearing Voices

In her book 'Peace From Broken Pieces' Iyanla Vanzant recounts how she pulled herself out of welfare and worked her way through college (with three young children in tow), then went on to finish law school.  Her amazing story turns to unbelievable when she recounts how she abruptly one day walked away from her budding career as a lawyer because a voice to her to!

Iyanla is very open about her spiritual connection and her ability to clearly hear voices telling where she should or should not be.  It takes a whole lot of guts to walk away from something you've worked so hard for and head into the unknown based on these voices, or a whole lot of crazy.

I admire Iyanla immensely for her courage and the good sense she had to know that her intuition, her 'God voice" would never fail her.  Given what she has achieved so far in life I'd say she made the right decision.  Perhaps you're not as attuned as Iyanla and cannot discern your 'God voice' as clearly as she can.  I can't.  This is the rule that I use in my own life...

If the voices in your head tell you to harm yourself or others seek psychiatric help.  If the voices tell you to do good in any way, shape or form, shut up and start walking.

My Purpose Just Smacked Me In The Face

Many of the people who have done the most good in this world have experienced immense suffering in their own lives.  The paths suffering are varied but the results seem to narrow to a few shared qualities.. compassion, empathy, commitment, desire to prevent or ease the suffering of others.

Recognizing the lesson above has been tremendously healing to me.  Like many I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself and asking 'why me?'.  Then I learned that every experience in your life prepares you for your purpose.

How incredible that realization is.  You don't have to fear anything that lies ahead, because everything that lies before you is meant to take you to where you need to be.  

So instead of fearing your circumstance, instead of feeling angry, resentful or frustrated choose instead to look for the lessons in the situation.  When you have learned your lessons, your situation will change.  Many people find their purpose by walking through their deepest pain.  As they walk, they are surprised to find that a whole new road has unfolded before them.

I'm Still Searching For My Purpose, How Do I Find It?

Perhaps you don't find your purpose, perhaps you just allow it to find you.  In my book 'Embracing Prosperity By Changing Your Mind' I walk through exercises to help you identify your purpose.  In short, your deepest desires, your gifts and talents and your natural personality traits are all pointers on the road to finding your purpose.  If you look closely at these things, you just might find it. 

Many people who try to answer the question of how to find your purpose come back to this simple recommendation.  Listen.  Your heart already knows.

Maybe I Don't Have A Purpose?

In the past year I have gone around asking people 'what is your purpose in life?'.  I was very surprised that most people said they did not have one.

I struggled for quite a while to comprehend that one because the pull of my purpose has always been powerful in my life.  I have always known there is more to life than making money, buying a house, getting married, raising the kids, getting and education or a career etc.   So what if you do not have this inner conviction?

I believe that everyone has a purpose and each of our lives are preparation for our purpose.  Sometimes finding your purpose is simply about looking at your urges and desires, those thing that you keep coming back to over and over in your life.    Look at the longings that you do not fulfill but don't seem to go away, look closely, your purpose may just be calling.

Found It!  Now What Do I Do With It?

This is the easiest question I have ever answered.  If you think you know what your purpose is, go do it!

Easy To Say, Not So Easy To Do

 "Teresa pursued every avenue to follow what she "never doubted" was the direction God was pointing her. She was "to give up even Loreto where I was very happy and to go out in the streets. I heard the call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor." - americancatholic.org

OK, I concede living your purpose is not always easy, in fact it might be a daunting prospect.  I can hear the chorus already ' but I have a wife and children to take care of', 'but I'm looking after my mom who has alzheimer's', 'but I don't have any money', 'I’m not educated enough', 'I'm not smart enough', 'I'm too old', 'I'm too shy', 'I'm too sick', 'I'm too fat', 'I'm too stupid', 'I'm too insignificant' ... sigh.  Just thinking of the litany gives me a headache.

Enough already!  Write down your list of 'buts' just to get it out of your system.  Then burn it. 

Living your purpose is not about you.  It's not about your limited resources and understanding and strength.  Your purpose is part of a divinely orchestrated cosmic plan for this earth.  When you align yourself with your purpose then life shifts around you, doors open, the right people come into your life, the resources you need come to you, whatever it is that is required will be provided.  Your job is simply to surrender and let the flow carry you.

Follow Your Heart

“The two most important days in life are the day you were born and the day you discover the reason why.” – Mark Twain

Follow your heart.  Step boldly forward onto the path that is right for you. Accept everything as it comes, hold on to your vision, commit, believe and enjoy the ride.

Inspiration Link 

* I am in no way affiliated with the sites that I link to here.  The messages presented are in alignment with the thoughts presented in this post and they have inspired me, I hope that they will inspire you too.

Mother Teresa to me is the epitome of a person who lived a purpose driven life.  In this concise biography the author says ...

"Until her death in 1997, Mother Teresa continued her work among the poorest of the poor, depending on God for all of her needs. Honors too numerous to mention had come her way throughout the years, as the world stood astounded by her care for those usually deemed of little value. In her own eyes she was "God's pencil—a tiny bit of pencil with which he writes what he likes."  Mother Teresa Biography - AmericanCatholic.org

May you also be inspired to be God's little pencil, so that he may write his will in this world, through you.

Author’s note

This post is inspired by Chapter Two of my book Embracing Prosperity By Changing Your Mind – Know Your Purpose.  I hope to persuade you that there is a purpose to your life and when you begin to embrace it life opens up for you and you achieve a level of fulfillment you will never experience otherwise.

In the book I walk you through specific activities around identifying and aligning with your purpose, and I also offer encouragement for sticking with it when the going gets rough.

It would be my pleasure to share a free gift with you, if you would like to receive an excerpt from my book just click here  and with subject "I want a free gift", be sure to include today's  topic.

If you liked this post I would be so appreciative if you would spread the word and like me on Facebook.  I would be happy to email this and future posts directly to you, if you're interested please subscribe to my mailing list. You may also follow me on Twitter #ProsperityIsMind.

I would also be delighted to hear your feedback so do not hesitate to leave a comment if you so desire and be sure to come back for more as I walk you through some of the lessons and exercises from my book.

I bless you, I bless your journey and I am so happy to be a part of it.  May this be the year that you begin to claim the best that life has to offer.

Living Beyond Your Limitations

"I believe I can Fly, I believe I can touch the sky" - R Kelly

As I write I am pushing through the effects Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  I had my nails done yesterday, today I suffer the consequences.  I am propped up in bed with a pillow keeping my head upright, my body does not have the energy to hold my head up this morning.

This is my life.  For a long time I thought my life was over, now I know it is just beginning...

Barriers Were Made For Busting

I struggled to work with CFS and it wasn't always pretty but I managed to pull it off for five years. Folks actually thought I was making up my illness because to them I was sharp, efficient and on the ball! 

They did not see the many days when I would prop my elbows on the desk so I could hold my head up.  Or the many times I would read and re-read an email before hitting send because CFS causes words to scramble in your head (yup, and I choose to be an author. lol).  They did not see the phase I went through where I would search for pictures on the internet to clarify what I was reading because my ability to comprehend words was severely impaired.  They could not see how I would work for one day and then be totally bedbound for three days while building up the energy to work another day.  They saw my results, they had no idea what it took to produce them.

This taught me an important lesson.  You can push through anything if you are determined to do it.  You can live beyond your limitations, no matter what they are.

You Don't Have To See the Barrier To Break It

A dear friend of mine in college was my first introduction to living beyond your limits.  He had lost his sight as a teenager.  When we chummed around in college I could never had imagined the hurdles he had crossed to get there.  He had dropped out of high school and became a poultry farmer, he had been rejected multiple times when he tried to continue his education but he refused to let his disability stop him.  He went on earn multiple degrees, he became a Minister of State and is now president of the (Jamaican) Senate and continues to be a vocal advocate for persons with disabilities.

See No Limits, Hear No Limits, Speak No Limits

Helen Keller lived in a time when women were largely viewed as powerless (1880-1968), yet she was an outspoken advocate for women's suffrage,  labor rights and socialism.  She was a prolific author and public speaker.  She was awarded the 'Presidential Medal of Freedom' and inducted into the 'National Women's Hall of Fame'.

Helen Keller was blind, deaf and dumb.

"Helen Keller spoke of the joy that life gave her. She was thankful for the faculties and abilities that she did possess and stated that the most productive pleasures she had were curiosity and imagination. Keller also spoke of the joy of service and the happiness that came from doing things for others . . . “ - Wikipedia

When I read her story I wondered 'how?!?'.  I can't imagine what it took to unlock the boundaries of a the cage imposed by a lack of the major senses that we use to absorb, interpret and communicate.  Much harder for me to grasp how she overcame the limitations society would have imposed based on her gender as well as her disabilities.  But I am most impressed by her message.  Joy within and despite her circumstances.  Gratitude.  Service. 

Helen Keller walked the talk against incredible odds.

You Can Stand Tall, Even If You Can't Stand

Franklin D Roosevelt (FDR) contracted polio in the prime of his life and lost the use of his legs.  He would later become one of America's most popular presidents, holding the office for a record 12 years.

"He laboriously taught himself to walk short distances while wearing iron braces on his hips and legs by swivelling his torso, supporting himself with a cane. He was careful never to be seen using his wheelchair in public, and great care was taken to prevent any portrayal in the press that would highlight his disability" - Wikipedia

What impresses me about FDR's story is his refusal to identify with his disability.  It is said he always stood upright when he appeared in public, a feat which he accomplished with the support of his aides or his sons.  He was not able to stand on his own, but he was determined to stand tall, and he did. 

FDR stood tall for over 20 years after losing the ability to stand on his own and he changed the world in the process.

Dancing With The Stars

I saw Amy Purdy's compelling story on OWN's 'Super Soul Sunday' and I was taken by the grace and beauty of this young lady, who had no legs but who chose to dance.  She has been a paralympic snowboarder, a finalist on 'Dancing With the Stars' and a speaker in Oprah's 'Life You Want' tour.

"Snowboarding and travelling the world—that's the dream Amy Purdy had always set for herself. So, at age 19, after losing both of her legs (and very nearly her life ) as the result of a severe case of bacterial meningitis, Amy refused to let new challenges and negativity get in the way of her dreams. The double amputee not only vowed to continue snowboarding but also went on to win world titles” – Oprah.com

What many young women would have taken as a crushing end to life as they knew it, this resilient young woman took as an opportunity to literally soar to new heights.

 If Your Mind Is All You Have, Use It

I have long been inspired by the story of Stephen 'Steve' Hawking who is a well know theoretical physicist.  He suffers from a rare form of Lou Gehrig's disease which has gradually paralyzed him.

At first he refused to use a wheelchair, then became known for being a wild wheelchair 'driver'.  He eventually lost the ability to operate his chair independently.  He lost his speech and learned to 'speak' through a computerized word synthesizer, which he would operate with his hand.  Then he lost the ability to use his hand, he now communicates using a single cheek muscle.

 "Hawking was, however, fiercely independent and unwilling to accept help or make concessions for his disabilities. He preferred to be regarded as "a scientist first, popular science writer second, and, in all the ways that matter, a normal human being with the same desires, drives, dreams, and ambitions as the next person." - Wikipedia

Despite his limitations Steve Hawking has earned an impressive set of accolades including being director of research in the Centre of Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, receiving the Presidential medal of freedom which is the highest civilian award in the US and authoring 'A Brief History of Time' which was on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking run of 237 weeks. Oh, and he's been married twice and fathered three children.

I have thought of Steve Hawking often as I struggled to come to terms with the limitations of my condition.  I still cannot fully comprehend the strength of spirit that it has taken to project outward from a body so totally devastated by physical disability but I am inspired by it.

Life May Break You,  But It Can't Break You

In my book I mention the story of Ramona Pierson who was hit by a drunk driver.  The car crushed her face, throat, heart, lungs and legs.  She was placed into a medically induced coma for 18-months, and was awakened by a heart-attack.  

She woke up blind and so badly mangled she was unable to walk, talk or even eat.  Doctors rebuilt her through more than 50 surgeries giving her a plastic nose, a new eye, lots of titanium for bones and some pieces taken from cadavers.  She eventually regained her sight (after eleven years of blindness).  She earned a PhD in neuroscience.    She became a world class athletic competitor.  She learned to develop software and created two amazing tech start-ups which have made her a multi-millionaire.

When I read that story I made up my mind never to complain again.  Ramona was literally broken and somehow she managed to pull the pieces of herself back together, she had to learn new ways of living and of being but she embraced her lessons and used them to effect meaningful change in the world.

You Don't Need Legs To Climb Mountains

“I climbed the top knowing that I'd experienced an epiphany.. My answer lay in the man next to me at the summit. Tajiri had been a porter on the mountain before a rockslide took his leg. We bought him a light prosthesis that fit well. When he returned to the mountain he said to the other porters, ‘You never thought you'd see me here again. Well I'm back.’" - Chris Waddell

Mt Kilimanjaro at 19,340 feet high is the highest mountain in Africa.  Each year thousands of the fittest and the bravest pit themselves against the mountain in an attempt to prove their strength and fortitude.  The mountain is cruel, the air is thin, it is cold, the terrain is steep.  Many have died trying to take the mountain.

Meet Chris Wadell who not only took on the mountain and won, but he did it without legs.  Waddell was an accomplished athlete until he was paralyzed in a skiing accident.  The accident only slowed him down.

Chris is a record holding paralympic skier, an inductee into the paralympic hall of fame and a nationally acclaimed motivational speaker.  He is also the first person to climb Mt Kilimanjaro on a handcycle.

Chris's story to me is about finding a way.  Yes, doors close and sometimes you don't get to do what you want to do in the way you want to do it.  But if you are determined enough you will find a way.

Where There Is A Will, There Is A Way

All the people I have mentioned here lived 'normal' healthy lives before the course of their existence was changed by physical disability. 

The psychological trauma of having health and then losing it can be immense and to some insurmountable.  Yet these people have proven by accomplishing in their lives far more than their peers would even dream of accomplishing, that their limitations are irrelevant.  

These people have used their challenges to inform their contribution to the world, through advocacy, through books, through creation of new technologies to help those who come behind to live fuller, richer and more accomplished lives.

These people don't get to walk away from their limitations, they get to deal with them every day, they deal with the pain and frustration of working with bodies that are no longer what they used to be and still they make their mark on the world, despite their limitations.

Perhaps your limitation is not physical. Perhaps it is financial, perhaps it comes in the form of addiction, perhaps your limitation is due to culture or race or body size or gender.  Perhaps your limitation is psychological.  Does it really matter? 

Can your limitations compare to those of the people I have mentioned here, and if the can, well.. they did it, what are you waiting for?

Inspiration Links

* I am in no way affiliated with the sites that I link to here.  They have inspired me, I hope that they will inspire you too.

Man without legs climbs mountains  : http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/man-without-legs-climbs-mt-kilimanjaro/

An unexpected place of healing : http://www.ted.com/speakers/ramona_pierson

Author’s note

This post is inspired by my book Embracing Prosperity By Changing Your Mind. I hope to persuade you that you are worthy of all the blessings that you desire in life and that nothing can stop you from claiming them, if you simply change your mind.

In the book I share my own experiences and walk you through activities and exercises to help you through every phase of your journey to claim the life you desire.  It would be my pleasure to share a free gift with you, if you would like to receive an excerpt from my book just click here  and with subject "I want a free gift", be sure to include which topic is most useful to you.

If you liked this post I would be so appreciative if you would spread the word and like me on Facebook.  I would be happy to email this and future posts directly to you, if you're interested please subscribe to my mailing list. You may also follow me on Twitter #ProsperityIsMind.

I bless you, I bless your journey and I am so happy to be a part of it.  May this be the year that you begin to claim the best that life has to offer.

Hello Beautiful Me, I Love You

Justin Beiber says "if you like the way you look that much, well baby you should go and love yourself".  Well, maybe you should go and love yourself.  Do you?

I didn't ask if you're full of yourself, that's a whole other question, which ironically means that no, you're not loving yourself very much.  Insecurity might cause you to wrap yourself in an armor of brash self promotion but if like narcissus you are so taken with yourself it prevents you from seeing, hearing and appreciating others, then you should look into really learning to love yourself...

Loving Yourself Means Knowing Yourself

Do you know who you really are?  In my book Embracing Prosperity By Changing Your Mind I look at the various ways in which people mistakenly define themselves.  Sometimes we define ourselves through our jobs, sometimes it's through our friends or relatives or spouses.  Sometimes we define ourselves by the roles we play, 'wife', 'mother', 'caregiver', 'friend'.

While these are all important aspects of the tapestry we call life, none of these things really describes who we are.  Who you are comes down to a few things...
1. What are the traits that you possess that come naturally to you
2. What are the gifts that are yours to share with the world
3. What are your dreams, desires and expectations 

One of the keys to loving yourself is understanding who you were really born to be.  There is a 'you' that was created by your environment.. parents, home life, challenges, opportunities, culture etc.  Then there is the 'you' that you were born to be.  Sometimes if you look closely you will find that the two versions of you are completely different persons.  

If you are to truly love yourself it is important to be the person you were born to be.  Whenever the 'you' that is in the driver's seat is out of alignment with the 'you' that you know deep inside then it becomes almost impossible to truly love yourself.  In order to love yourself you must be true to who you are.

Loving Yourself Means Being Tolerant of Your Flaws

Is there anyone on earth who can be harder on us than we are on ourselves?  Yes, I know what it's like to be at the mercy of an abusive parent or spouse.  I know how it feels to live with someone who can see no good in you, for whom you never do anything right and I know what it's like to feel like a victim, a helpless physical and emotional punching bag.  So I say this with confidence, nobody in your life is harder on you than you are.

Listen to the way you talk to yourself.  How many times do you tell yourself that you're a screw-up, that you're not good enough, not pretty enough, not slim enough?  How many times do you tell yourself that you can't do anything right, or that other people don't like you? Or that you are somehow so broken that you are absolutely unlovable?

Do you ever tell yourself that when other people treat you badly it's your fault?  Well .. it is.  Not because there's anything wrong with you but because deep down inside you are thinking the things that they are saying and showing to you.  The way another person treats to you is a direct reflection of the way you think about yourself.

If you are to even begin to love yourself you must accept that you are simply human.  Beautifully, imperfectly human.   Yes you have flaws, like everyone else.  Yes you make mistakes and drop the ball and do some really, really stupid things sometimes.  And that is perfectly OK. 

Loving Yourself Means Wanting The Best For Yourself

The biggest disservice we can do to ourselves is believing someone else when they tell us we are not good enough.  We hate it but we love it.  We embrace it, we hold onto it, we build our lives around it.  Lies!  We build our entire lives around hurtful, damaging, debasing lies.

Loving yourself means accepting that you are as good as anyone else on this planet.  You deserve to be treated as well as anyone else.  You are as worthy of love, success and prosperity as anyone else.  You were born worthy and there is nothing you could ever do to lose that right.  You don't have to look a particular way or do anything in particular to be worthy, you just are.  Your past mistakes are just that, past.  They do not define who you are or your worthiness for the best that life has to offer.

If you want to start to love yourself, start wanting nothing but the best for yourself in every aspect of your life.  Accept nothing less, from yourself or from anyone else.

Loving Yourself Means Being Proud of Yourself

Every one of us can find a reason to proud of ourselves every single day.  Yes I know we mess up badly sometimes and perhaps right now, in this moment our lives are a total mess and it's our fault!

I'll allow you to wallow in self-pity for a moment.  OK.  Got that out of your system?  Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself “Hello my beautiful self, I Love You”.  Now tell yourself why you're proud of yourself.

It might be you're proud because you're reading this post, that means something inside you wants something good for you.  Give yourself a pat on the back.  Well done!

Perhaps you picked the kids up on time, or you made dinner.  Perhaps you had a shower and put on your makeup this morning.  Perhaps you gave an encouraging word to someone else.  Perhaps you listened while someone else cried.  Life is filled with opportunities to be proud of ourselves but we have been taught to take the good that we do for granted and focus on what we haven't done or who we are failing to be.

Find reasons to be proud of yourself and then do more things that you are proud of.  That's called loving yourself.

Loving Yourself Means Being Willing to Take Care of Yourself

You take care of home.  You take care of your spouse, your children, your family, your friends.  You take of work, you take care of strangers, of people at church.  You care for people, you give of yourself unselfishly, sometimes too much.  

How much are you giving to yourself?

Loving yourself means making time for you.  It means making sure that your spirit is nurtured and encouraged.  It means doing things you love to do and being the person you love to be.  It means surrounding yourself with people who encourage and support you.

Loving yourself means setting aside some money just for you.  It means doing your hair and wearing nice clothes and looking good when you step out into the world.  It means splurging on that facial and having yourself a spa day every now and then.  It means manicures and pedicures and treatments that allow others to take care of you.

Loving yourself means feeding your dreams and desires.  It means committing to the things that feed your soul.  It means stepping fearlessly out and claiming who you are!

Loving yourself means allowing others to take care of you.  It also means refusing to allow others to treat your poorly.  It means walking away when you need to and allowing into your life only the people who want to treat you with the kindness, respect and care that you deserve.  

Loving yourself means standing up for yourself, nurturing yourself, keeping company with yourself, friending yourself. supporting yourself, encouraging yourself, taking ownership of and for .. yourself.

Loving Yourself Means Loving Others

"No man is an island, no man stands alone;  Each man's joy is joy to me, each man's grief is my own; We need one another..."  I learned those words in a song as a child.  How true it is that we need one another.  We need loving, supportive relationships in order to grow and thrive.

Loving yourself is about accepting that you are lovely, you are lovable, you are loved.  You are love.  When you learn to embrace the concept of loving and being loved freely and without fear or reservation, giving and receiving with equal comfort then you have truly learned to love yourself.

Author’s note

This post is inspired by chapter one of my book Embracing Prosperity By Changing Your Mind – Who Am l?  I hope to persuade you that you are worthy of all the blessings that you desire in life and that it is in your power to claim them, by simply changing your mind.   

In the book I share my own experiences and walk you through activities and exercises to help you to begin to truly understand and appreciate yourself.  I speak about learning to listen to yourself, following your light, embracing your shadow and going with your gut.

It would be my pleasure to share a free gift with you, if you would like to receive an excerpt from my book just click here and mention the title of this post.


If you liked this post I would be so appreciative if you would spread the word and like me on Facebook.  I would be so happy to email this and future posts directly to you, if you're interested please subscribe to my mailing list. You may also follow me on Twitter #ProsperityIsMind.

I would also be delighted to hear your feedback so do not hesitate to leave a comment if you so desire and be sure to come back for more as I walk you through some of the lessons and exercises from my book.

I bless you, I bless your journey and I am so happy to be a part of it.  May this be the year that you begin to claim the best that life has to offer.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

 

Change Your Mind...

Everybody's unhappy!

Have you ever been in a place where you just feel like your life isn't making much sense?  

Maybe you have always dreamed of the life you want but just can't seem to grab hold of it.  Maybe you've made all the right moves, got all the right stuff and somehow you're not feeling the satisfaction you desire.

Sandy always dreamed of being married, for as long as she can remember she dreamed of being swept off her feet by her handsome prince.  She saw the beautiful dress, the gorgeous flowers and all the pomp and pageantry of the perfect wedding, she saw her happily-ever-after.  Sandy met her prince, had her dream wedding, a beautiful home and two picture perfect children.  Sandy is miserable.. somehow the reality of marital bliss is just not what she imagined.

Perhaps your desire was the dream job, or the great car or perhaps even the yacht in the marina and you have them but you're still not happy.  Why?

Perhaps you never really were driven by the material things, you just want to love and be loved but your husband is cheating, your kids are brats, the folks in your church are just plain hypocrites and your friends don't support you the way they should.  Sometimes life really just sucks!

Welcome to the wonderful world of being human.  We've all been there.  The good news is you have the power to change your experience, you just have to change your mind.  My book Embracing Prosperity By Changing Your Mind walks you through the process of claiming the life you desire, by changing your mind.  The steps are actually quite simple.

Clean Up Your House

Simple truth - the ability to claim the life you desire lies within you.  The power is yours, it has always been.  Forget the people who have victimized, back-bitten and betrayed you.  Forget the people who stand in your way, knock you over and drag you down.  Forget them.  It's not about them, it's about you.  If you wish to change reality as you know it, you have to start by changing you.  To borrow from Iyanla Vanzant "It's time to put on your big girl drawers and do your work!".

Your work starts with facing yourself.  Who are you?  Why are you here?  What value do you add to the universe?  Do you even like yourself?  If you can answer those questions then you are already on the path to making the changes that you desire.

Face Your Pain

If you are unhappy with your life right now, you're in pain and your pain is not about whatever you are facing now, you think it is but it really is not.  Your current circumstance is just your wake up call.  That's all it is .

Sounds crazy doesn't it?  After all whatever is happening in your life right now is making you so miserable.  You think your life would be perfect if you could just get past this one thing that is happening right now.  Well, if you want to get past what's happening now you have to recognize that this thing that is in front of you now is tied to something that came before.  It's been here before, probably many times and it will be here again.. and again .. and again until you get smart, stop, find the root and heal it.

What is your pain?  How long have you been carrying it?  Where did it begin?  Can you face it?

Let Go Of Your Baggage

Staring your pain in the face, admitting what it is and what it does to you takes strength.  It takes even more strength to let go of it.  We all get a kick out of being martyrs.  We love to wallow in our pain.  We love to pick at it and relive it and dress it up and parade it for the world to see.

Some are more private, they keep their pain covered but in their most secret places they sneak in to worship at its feet laying down their life, their health, their success, their happiness before it, giving it power to destroy everything that they hold dear.

It's time to let it go.  

It’s time to forgive.  It's time to move forward and stop looking behind.  It's over and you're still standing, you’re past it, now you need to make it irrelevant.  When you learn to take the lessons from past pain and to let go of the misery of it, your current circumstances start to change.

Quit Complaining

Yes, I know life sucks, we've been over that.  Do you want to stay in that place?  If you're ready to leave that behind and step into something new the first thing you need to do is stop complaining about it.  Don't say it.  Not one word, ever again.

Cancer sucks and you've lost all your hair and chemo makes you feel like sh!@!  Yes, we get it.  We get heartache, we get pain, we get betrayal, we get financial hardship.  We get depression, we get hopelessness, we get ill health, we get accidents and tragedies.  We get that life comes with pain and heartbreak and unpredictable crap that just knocks you off your feet and leaves you feeling like you’ve been run over by a Mack truck.

Now if you're done wallowing quit griping and let's see what you can do about moving onward and upward.  You have a choice every day to suffer or to thrive no matter what is happening in your life.  Which path do you choose?

Build Your Strength

Sometimes you get so worn out by life that the idea of strength seems a long way away.  The good news is reinforcements are always waiting in the wings.

We live in a wonderfully supportive and loving universe and we are all connected to source energy which dwells within us, around us and between us.  So when you get to feeling incredibly alone, misunderstood, isolated and absolutely powerless you just have to reach within and connect to the source of unbounded strength, courage and grace.  It is within you, I promise.

There are also tangible things you can do to build your strength.  First and foremost you must control your thoughts.  Make it a daily practice to monitor what you take in, what you focus on and what you put out.

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil in your life or in the lives of others.  Be vigilant over the workings of your mind, choose to focus on the good, choose to shut down the negative chatter.  My book speaks to many techniques for literally rewiring your mind and transmuting your negative thought patterns into positives.

As a bodybuilder has to keep working out and challenging his body to grow bigger and stronger, so you must challenge your spirit with consistency and with confidence.  You may get knocked down a time or two but if you just keep getting up, you get up stronger every time.

Embrace Your Blessings

Every one of us is blessed to have at least one or two people in our lives who care about us.  It may be family, it may be friends, it might be a stranger, a teacher or the nice lady down the street.  Open your eyes to the people in your life who are just waiting to love you and to be loved by you, embrace them, you need them and they need you.

Get into the habit of counting your blessings.  Dig them up, lay them out and give thanks for them over and over.  An attitude of gratitude does a lot to heal a wounded spirit.

Claim Your Best Life

Know what you want.  Know that you are worth it and that you deserve every healthy desire of your heart.  Know that you have the strength within you to do what you need to do to become the person your heart knows you to be.

Do you have to leave a bad marriage? step into a new job? change how you allow the people around you to treat you?  Do you need the courage to start a business or go back to school or just step out of the shadows and say “Hello world, this is who I am.”

Know that you have what it takes.  Know that you are not alone.  Know that you can do it!  Now go claim your life.

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” – Barack Obama

Author's Note

This post is the first in a series based on my book Embracing Prosperity By Changing Your Mind where I present a practical roadmap for claiming the life you desire by literally changing your mind.   In the book I share my own experiences and walk you through activities and exercises to help you through every phase of your journey to claim the life you desire.

Would you like to learn how to forgive?  How about finding yourself?  Want to learn how to embrace your blessings and to start creating more positive outcomes in your life?

It would be my pleasure to share a free gift with you, if you would like to receive an excerpt from my book just click here  and let me know which section above is most relevant to you.

If you liked this post I would be so appreciative if you would spread the word.  I would be so happy to email this and future posts directly to you, if you're interested please subscribe to my mailing list.

I would also be delighted to hear your feedback so do not hesitate to leave a comment if you so desire and be sure to come back for more as I walk you through some of the lessons and exercises from my book.

I bless you, I bless your journey and I am so happy to be a part of it.  May this be the year that you begin to claim the best that life has to offer.