What did I learn today? Lessons on the Journey to Unconditional Self Love

Your sacred word(s) is your promise. It’s a vow, an oath a commitment to yourself. An agreement you go into with your own self that you will do what you say you will do. Not religious, but taken as a divine and cherished words. Maxie McCoy What are your sacred words? What's your personal vows to yourself? Do you have any? Pay attention to the words you speak, how you describe yourself, how you carry on  your inner talk. The key is paying attention And when you do you can see what you tell yourself on a regular basis How can you ever ever call yourself "stoopid" Oh I am so "stoopid" you may do stoopid things and there is a difference of doing a thing and being a thing What words do you use to describe yourself regularly? Pay attention and then decide how you want to describe yourself. What promises do you make to yourself? What commitments do you make to yourself? How do you want to be? Decide then do that Living on autopilot is giving away your p...

You cannot be healthy; you cannot be happy; you cannot be prosperous; if you have a bad disposition. If you are sulky, or surly, or cynical, or depressed, or superior, or frightened half out of your wits, your life cannot possibly be worth living. Unless you are determined to cultivate a good disposition, you may as well give up all hope of getting anything worthwhile out of life, and it is kinder to tell you very plainly that this is the case . Emmet Fox It takes me so much more effort to be grumpy and sour! Yes I get upset, and mad and want to explode but staying in that space, my word, it takes effort of my part, for me it is definitely so much easier to be chilled out and I was reminded of that today. Have you ever been in a situation where you just got mad and wanted to just stay there and cuss out everyone or tell everyone leave you alone? I was that girl today and then I realized this is taking way way too much effort and it feels so much better in my tummy to be pleasant- I ...

We miss a great deal when we only pay attention to the story that’s been handed to us and we’re not intimately connected to the deeper story of who we really are Angel Kyodo Williams Auto pilot, unconscious living! This is a side effect of  following the crowd, of not shaping your own mind, of not setting your own boundaries and rules, of playing the victim blame game. What is the story that you have accepted without questioning particularly the ones which have you stressed, unhappy, anxious , unhealthy, broke and  fed up? Ask yourself, is it worth it? Are those feelings worth it? There is an alternative - changing the story and changing the feeling, and do you know what you want to feel? Have you ever explored that?  As Chaka Khan nicely puts it- Do you love what you feel? I know I know you want to be happy News flash, happiness is never circumstance dependent. You may still complain about fear, but you nevertheless persist in making yoursel...

Don't be so caught up in your plan that you miss God's will - Jonathon Sprinkles St Vincent was lovely, absolutely lovely, the people, the fruits. I absolutely love it, today is my last day and I am so grateful to be a part of something that is so inspiring in such a beautiful setting I went into the forest yesterday, the terrain was tough and unexpected but oh boy the beauty was spectacular. Such simplicity but extraordinary! Every time I do something like this is reaffirms how much I love simplicity. So what did I learn in SVG this week 1. There is extraordinary in the ordinary 2. Start with what you have 3. Water - powerful and peaceful - water is life 4. Communities and villages have a key role to play in the growth and development of any country 5. Allow people to be- we are all different, co-existence is a great thing 6. The fruits in SVG wow! abundant and overflowing and awesome! 7. We are all one, all of us are interconnected 8. Nature is the best teache...

  When you fall in love, let it be with a person who asks nothing of you. Your existence should be enough. If they do not kiss you urgently and often, find someone who understands that lips in the presence of love should ignite passion . Natalie Patterson I have come to know myself as brave in places. In my writing, on stage, when planning my career. But when it comes to matters of the heart... my bravery is often delayed. I sit on my truth waiting for the perfect moment and even when it comes, sometimes I still wait. That is what fear feels like to me. Mouth shut with a million words swirling in my head, skin bubbling with emotion and no one knows but me.  My prayer is to love hard and in plain sight. To say the things that scare the shit out of me because the joy on the other side of truth is gorgeous. Peace!

"You had your life focused on something that didn’t belong to you, and a path that didn’t belong to you. You locked in on something that did not belong  to you, someone that didn’t belong to you. You didn’t let go of a yesterday that didn’t belong to you. You hung on to a rage that did belong to you, and you wouldn’t let it go. You lost track of being here. To bring in your desired newness, you must first allow old parts of your life to fall away. These changes are to be celebrated, not feared. Give thanks for this shedding of the old! Embrace all of the lessons it brought, and then let it go! Be giddy with excitement at the newness of the gifts that are now being bestowed upon you, and let their magic surprise and delight you.” Carolyn Myss Carolyn Myss is one of my absolutely favorite teachers, simple and straight to the point, sometimes like a school principal to get the point across.  You lost track of being here. Where are you in the moment? Are you here? Or over ...

Leaps of faith happen as much in the small moments as they do in the large ones. Maxie Coy Small steps, one drop, slowly gets you there, you eat the elephant one bite at a time,you may have heard one of these sayings at some point haven't you? We tend to want things to happen right away, we live in the microwave instant time where we now have the luxury of instant for many things however there are some things that you absolutely cannot rush no matter what you do Does the sun rush to set? Does the moon rush to rise? Nature can teach us so much So I got to thinking about this having landed in St. Vincent yesterday, it seems the pause button was being held down from the time I landed, or maybe the place ran in slow motion and they forgot to put the sign up at the airport After about an hour I said to myself, listen make a choice to ensure you maintain some level of peace! And so I was able to enjoy this beautiful place at their own pace, I mean what is the alternat...

Are you interested, involved, invested or committed? Jonathon Sprinkles Have you made any commitments to yourself? Look yourself in the eye and make one. Go on, try it, go look in the mirror and make a commitment to yourself, look yourself in the eye and say  I commit to ___________ call your name when you do it I _________ commit to you today that I will______________ And then see what happens. When you make a COMMITMENT to yourself your whole brain and body shifts, because there is absolutely nothing worse than letting yourself down and breaking commitments to yourself, it starts the boundary breaker of other people doing the exact same thing! When you let down yourself continuously you send out a message, a red flag to others, hey, you can do it too!  When you look yourself in the eye and make a commitment and you keep it, the trust in yourself grows, you trust that you will do what you say that yo...

And what's the alternative to being authentically strong, vulnerable, powerful, tender, loving, genius, courageous, bold, and devoted? Being fake strong (weak); fake vulnerable (and that is just deceptive); being fake powerful (which would make you arrogant); fake tender (nasty); fake loving (not always a terrible thing, but still...); being fake genius (that'll get you sued); fake devoted (major soul-sucking yuck for everyone involved.) Danielle La Porte Today I embark on a new project that if you asked me last week, last year, in fact any ole time I would not even have dreamt that I would be on this road. Life is so delighted to bring the unexpected and I have learnt to be delighted to receive it, which is not to say that I am not scared shitless as I walk on this path, I have decided to feel the fear and do it anyway. And what am I scared of? My ego! Yup, the ego rearing it's head wanting to "be better than", "do better than", "act better t...

The ego focuses on error and overlooks truth. It makes real ,every mistake it perceives, and with characteristically circular reasoning concludes that because of the mistake consistent truth must be meaningless.  ACIM Are you focusing on the truth or on being right? Human beings love to defend their position and as we say here "not look bad in front of other people"  The ego thrives on a sense of separation and protecting itself, the truth however needs no protection, the truth just is.  There is nothing to defend There is nothing to protect There is nothing to hide When you are moving in truth there is absolutely nothing to defend or justify. And people will not understand if you are not reacting to certain events which to the human eyes look like provocation and bad behavior. And guess what? they don't have to understand, you know what the truth is and fueling the ego is playing into the sense of separation and according to one of m...

Do not waste your failures. (someone told me this I wrote it down but I cannot remember who did) Life for me is extraordinary and exciting, a few years ago I believed, and no one could convince me otherwise, that I failed miserably because I lost my job and man(husband) - even though they were both sucking the life out of me, anyway I digress- so that was my perception and it fed into my behavior! But now I know for sure that everything in your life is useful, and all roads lead to God, some of us take the smooth road and some take the hard road but it all leads to the same place. Do not waste your failures - use it as fuel to live your fullest life. Got rejected? GREAT! You are being taught self-approval and persistence! Got fired! Awesome! It’s a wake-up call and an opportunity to trade up to something more fulfilling! You got broken up with! Wonderful moment to learn how to open your heart even more! Out of money! YES! You are being taught that T...

What are we paying attention to? What everybody else is doing or what is the truth? Deborah Johnson Sharing this from my girl Maxie McCoy You have bank accounts. You have social accounts. Taps on a picture. Cash in the bank. Friends. So many friends. The crew. The digital. The status on your airline. The points on your card. You’ve got a credit score. Letters by your name. You’ve got 140 character bios. And super sassy business cards. Bullets on a resume. Figures in your savings.  They’re the things you have. Things you’ve built. Things you’ve worked toward. But they aren’t your essence. Your being. Your magic. They aren’t  you . Yet, they’re the stuff you slide into measuring yourself by. It’s how you measure up. It’s your measure – the same measure that will never be enough. Who cares that they have that. Who cares what you do and they don’t. Who cares how fancy their pants, how skinny their thighs, how cool their travel, how stac...

Worry, hate and fear together with their offshoots:anxiety, bitterness,impatience,avarice,unkindness, judgementalness and condemnation - all attack the healthy body at the cellular level. It is impossible to have a healthy body under those conditions. Similarly, although to a somewhat lesser degree- conceit, self-indulgence,and greed lead to physical illness, or lack of well being All illness is created first in the mind - Neale Donald Walsh So, I haven't been able to get into the boxing ring for just over five weeks, my hand is shot! Yesterday was the first time I saw my boxing coach, a man of very little words and many riddles! "What happened to your hand" "I cannot fight" "I did not ask you that" "I injured the ligaments" "What were you thinking?" "I don't know" "Try to remember so this doesn't happen again, and don't be playing a baby either" There goes the sympathy vote! But walkin...

Love wishes to be known, completely understood and shared. It has no secrets; nothing that it would keep apart and hide. It walks in sunlight, open-eyed and calm, in smiling welcome and in sincerity so simple and so obvious it cannot be misunderstood. Love has no darkened temples where mysteries are kept obscure and hidden from the sun. It does not seek for power, but for relationships A Course in Miracles If we all attempt to do all our tasks with love and live from a place of love I guarantee that there will be a shift in the planet?   If we would show up willing to share, to understand and be understood, there will be a new day dawning, we may not achieve it the way we want to but we would have at least made an attempt to love, we would have been willing. If we were willing  to be open-eyed and calm in our approach to situations and people how much of a difference would that make? Where there is fear, there is no love. Fear shows up in so many forms - secr...

Be not afraid, therefore, for what you will be looking at is the source of fear, and you are beginning to learn that fear is not real. You are also learning that its effects can be dispelled merely by denying their reality. The next step is obviously to recognize that what has no effects does not exist. Laws do not operate in a vacuum, and what leads to nothing has not happened. If reality is recognized by its extension, what leads to nothing could not be real. Do not be afraid, then, to look upon fear, for it cannot be seen. ACIM I give thanks in advance daily to the Universe for being courageous. I do it early in the morning because the fear comes up during the day to bite me on the butt! And usually the fear stems from people's perception of me, my choices, my life! Yep, that is a confession on the journey today!!  And what I have noticed and learnt since I started affirming and asking to be courageous is that even though I feel the fear, especially when I be...

even if you are a small forest surviving off of moon alone. your light is extraordinary. — reminder. nayyirah waheed.   I finished eating the plate of posho and spinach. She asked me, “Why do you play small?”  my first reaction was that she was talking about my weight. I responded, “I play small because I work out” and I chuckled.  She gave me a blank stare! “Do you know that you have a responsibility to yourself, to your ancestors, to your spirit?” Ok now it was getting serious, now it was time for me to pay attention.  “What do you mean?”  “It is your responsibility to excel, to glow, to do what you know you can do. “It makes no sense holding it all back! What are you saving it for? Why do you give one single thought to what other people think? Those who are for you and what you stand for will remain, the rest are passing through on your journey, leave them, and continue along your path! Please, honour your responsibilities, your purpose and your...

Only when you have found the unconditional love inside of you can you stop searching for love in all the wrong places. To begin with anywhere but inside of you is the wrong place. Once you have found the unconditional love inside of you, you can now look for someone, equally worthy, who has also found the unconditional love inside of them. Now you can have an interdependent love relationship. Not dependant, not independent but interdependent. This is my special Ed class! I will admit it! You know the class where you stay back and have to repeat the lessons? Yea this one is me. Hand held up! I keep repeating this class or being held back by the teachers. A Course in Miracles says "Seek not outside of yourself , you will fail" and this is so fitting. Start within, start from there. Seek not outside of yourself for it will fail. For all the pain comes from simply a futile search for what you want insisting that it must be found. What if it is not there? Do you pr...

Saying something that pushes another person's buttons without the motive of healing isn't honesty. Ruth Clothworthy Have you ever encountered someone who says to your face, "I am as straightforward as they come, I tell you like it is" almost in a threat! And when you see them in action they are unleashing bombs and grenades via their words? I never understood that. Why would one use the rationale of "being straightforward" to say anything to anyone at anytime?  Words have power, so how we choose to use that power is quite important! Not because we can talk we ought to say anything that comes to our mind to be funny, or to be liked or to be "straight forward"  I am one not to waste words! Say what you need to say in a way you would want to hear it - is my philosophy Is it kind? Is it healing? Is it in love? Is it empowering? Is it the truth? Is it to gain clarity?  Peace!!

A human being is a being with light in the mind . . . this light is your information, intelligence, insight, creativity, imagination and intuition. It infers a capacity beyond the response to any immediate circumstance . . . to conceptualize beyond events, and to discover a path unfettered by commonly held limits. The miracle of being human is a miracle of the space you hold in light, and the time you allow yourself to embrace the solutions contained in it. Guru Sing Yogi I was having a conversation with one of my friends earlier today, and many times I avoid these conversations when I do not want to hear the truth! Deep down I appreciate my friend so much for being so open and honest with me, so although I many times get annoyed n the end I really do keep an open mind and engage in looking into this mirror disguised as a friend that the Universe has so lovingly and graciously provided to me. The truth, wow sometimes it really gets to you doesn't it? Am I alone in feeling th...

What every human being wants the most is to keep things the same. If you could maintain life at the level you're at now, you would. Change is scary.   Whether you're fulfilled, miserable, or at rock bottom - you already know how to do it. There is no learning curve. All you have to do is keep doing what you're doing. Stagnant is effortless.   It takes a massive amount of energy to grow. You may have to break a sweat. Discomfort is guaranteed.   You can stay here, at least for a while. But life will not allow you to be stationary for very long. Choose change... it's easier that way. Stacy Herera The quickest way to turn a bad situation into a blessing is to get excited! Yup get excited I said! Excitement is the opposite of anxiety. When faced with change, the fear rises up to the surface, the what if's, the monkey mind and it chatters and makes loads of noise! But what I have learnt is that turning that anxiety into excitement ups the ante,...

Let me remind myself of this today. I am not here to make a name for myself, to make money, or to achieve the temporal and temporary things I think of as my goals. I am here to help. I am here to heal. I am here to bless. I am here to save the world. (A Course in Miracles) Today is my country's general elections, I love my country I must admit having  traveled  around the world and lived outside of my country the feeling I get when I drive out of my airport is  unparalleled , my soul leaps, I feel so peaceful and calm and I feel loved! When I go to other countries many times those same feelings are there, but I think it overflows when I hit the highway and see those hills surrounding me. My country isn't perfect but it has allowed me so many opportunities and I felt it my duty to get involved in making here a better place in my own small way, part of that is voting! Today I go out and vote, a proud moment for me! Let me do my part to ensure that those comin...

This is my best lesson this week..... I have been moaning about some of the people around me and it hit me, the penny dropped " this is a mirror, a lesson of some sort" let me pay attention. When you find yourself in a negative situation ask yourself: “What is this person reflecting back to me?” What behavior, thought or belief does this person have that I also need to heal within my own being? There are usually 3 reasons for a mirror: 1. Someone is being a mirror for you to show you how you are thinking, feeling, behaving, vibrating. They are a reflection of a lesson you need to learn. Usually both people have the same core belief or issue that needs to be healed. Both are reflections for each other. This is the mirror most commonly used! 2.  You have volunteered on a soul level to be a mirror for someone else. Through their actions, words, beliefs etc…..you have chosen to hold the space for them so they could behave or react out of alignment and  “see” a...