Let It Out! 10 Tips To Give Yourself An Emotional Cleanse

What the process of emotional detoxification is about: being more compassionate and kind to you. Know that it’s easy to be compassionate when a person or animal is suffering, but much harder to do so for our self. Start by treating your self as you would your best friend. Indulge her or him. Listen. Take her shopping. Make her a favorite meal. Be a hermit together. Stay in bed all day. Become your own BFF.

:)

BY JESSICA SHEPHERD
APRIL 21, 2013 5:00 AM EDT

Many health conscious folks cleanse our bodies with detox diets. But when was the last time you thought about doing an emotional detox? After all, living in a toxic and problematic world takes an emotional toll. In varying degrees, the pain and suffering we experience can become toxic to our vital life force .... if we don’t let it out.

I felt this this past week when humanity experienced yet another horrific tragedy. Pile tragedy upon hardship and sometimes we can be strong for too long. When we endure a hardship, our physical and emotional stamina kicks into high gear. We may tell ourself keep going, push through it, yet another voice whispers a deeper truth: it’s out of control, I’m in pain. 

Do we really need to hold it together, to "be strong"? Maybe what we really need to do is fall apart, to unravel at the seams.

Here are some of my ideas for emotionally detoxing:

1. Acknowledge how painful it really is. 

The Buddha’s First Noble Truth is: Life Is Suffering. If Buddha said this was true for everyone, you certainly don’t need to downplay your own suffering.

2. Be honest with yourself and others. 

Stop sugar-coating the truth. Often, and especially when we’re dealing with a chronic or long-term stress, we think that by being honest about our difficulties we’ll be perceived as negative or burdensome by loved ones. Sometimes things are so truly painful I find I want to numb out and do anything but feel, but minimizing my emotions is a short leap from stuffing my feelings.

3. Let it out. 

Cry. Don’t hold back the tears.

4. Don’t answer emails or take calls. 

Facebook can be the ultimate distraction from your emotions, so sometimes we need to unplug to really feel.

5. Feel sorry for yourself. 

As long as we don’t get stuck here, it's okay (necessary, even!) to do this.

6. Take a break. 

Let go of anything you don’t have to do – at least for the day or week.

7. Go easy on media. 

Don’t watch or engage in any activity that makes you feel worse.

8. Surround yourself with things, people, books, pets who connect you to You. 

When you are feeling truly connected to your self, you are in spiritual connection to a source that is peaceful, healing and kind.

9. Watch any show that warms your heart. 

For me that's Ghost Whisperer, my current go-to show. It doesn't have to be yours, but be sure whatever you pick reinforces the positive face of humanity, not the negative.

10. Cultivate more compassion for yourself. 

Which is ultimately what the process of emotional detoxification is about: being more compassionate and kind to you. Know that it’s easy to be compassionate when a person or animal is suffering, but much harder to do so for our self. Start by treating your self as you would your best friend. Indulge her or him. Listen. Take her shopping. Make her a favorite meal. Be a hermit together. Stay in bed all day. Become your own BFF.

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Day 23: 31 Days of Daily Inspiration From Brilliant Women

Check it out and the a slideshow! Something to ease your day =)

Thanks Huffingtonpost!

Daily Inspiration: Day 23 of 31 Days

"The fascination of any search after truth lies not in the attainment but in the pursuit, where all the powers of the mind and character are brought into play and are absorbed by the task. One feels oneself in contact with something that is infinite." -- Florence Bascom (geologist, 1862-1945)

Do you remember the last time you immersed yourself in something so completely that you forgot to eat, so absorbing was your project that hours flew by in moments and when the time came you still didn't want to stop? For many of us, this was probably when we were children, and we have only a very vague recollection of the experience.

If this is the case, I highly recommend immersing yourself in something this weekend, whether it's a complex cake recipe, a papier-mâché project or planting a flowerbed. The point is it needs to be challenging enough to absorb your brainpower (thus temporarily halting the merry-go-round of your mind) but not too challenging that it creates any kind of stress. I find total absorption in something much easier than meditation, with the added bonus that you have something to show for it at the end. And the few hours you spent free from thought will stand you in very good stead with whatever you need to do next

Click here to view the slideshow =)

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When Good Things Happen to Other People: How to Be Luckier

Who wana be luckkkyyyyyyyyyyy

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

By Katie Whittle

“The grass is always greener where you water it.” ~Unknown

Is there really such a thing as being lucky? Are some people genuinely luckier than others, blessed with a mysterious predisposition toward regular good fortune? And what does that mean for the rest of us? Are we all doomed to face the worst possible outcome at every roll of the dice?

Alternatively, is the whole thing just an illusion born out of random circumstance? And, most tantalizingly of all, is it something we can create for ourselves?

“Why Does It Always Happen to Me?”

Growing up, I always felt as if I was in someone else’s shadow. Not merely struggling to live up to the achievements of my older siblings, but daunted by the accomplishments of my peers. My friends were more confident than me, more outgoing, and, worst of all, luckier than me.

I vividly remember one particular incident in high school. All students were required to apply for one optional course to study the following year, and like many of my closest friends I desperately wanted to study textiles and sewing.

You can probably guess what happened when the class registers were posted on the notice board before the start of term: my friends were together in textile class, and I was one of the only girls in the woodwork group.

Once again I cursed my bad luck, envious of the successes of my friends—successes that, I told myself, were made possible only by the inexplicable good fortune that so often befell them.

It wasn’t until we left school and job offers began to fall into the laps of my “lucky” friends that I questioned my perspective on life. At the time, I believed that opportunities would present themselves to me, and all I had to do was wait for them. As a result, I didn’t embrace the search for a job with any conviction.

I had none of the frenzied enthusiasm with which so many of my close friends seemed to approach their every undertaking. I occasionally sent off a CV, and meandered half-heartedly around a couple of recruitment fairs.

I was even invited to a couple of interviews, but attended them unfocused and unprepared. And naturally, I blamed my lack of success on my bad luck.

I justified my inaction with empty words, telling myself that my patience would be rewarded sooner or later with a change of luck. Only when a whole year had passed, spent largely aimless and idle, and I found myself the last of my friends to still be jobless, did I realize that the problem lay in my attitude.

Daunting as it was, I vowed to make a change. And to my surprise and delight, it took nothing more than a concerted effort to change my outlook to change my so-called luck.

The Lucky and the Unlucky

I was not alone in perceiving the occurrence of positive and negative events in series or patterns. The majority of people do this without even realizing it.

When favorable events repeatedly occur against the odds, we attribute it to good luck; likewise, when things take a turn for the worst and misfortune seems to strike us when we are least able to handle it, we curse our bad luck.

Notice that this pattern of thinking attributes our fortune and misfortune to external factors that seem beyond our control. This attitude diminishes our ability to effect true change, and alleviates us of our responsibility to take control of events.

Not once during my search for employment did I stop to question why my friends were landing their dream jobs.

In my mind, it wasn’t anything to do with their enthusiasm, or their scrupulous and dedicated approach to the hunt. It was simply blind luck, and soon enough, I told myself, it would strike me too.

While the occurrence of any event likely involves some degree of random chance, by attributing it to luck, we fail to credit ourselves for establishing the circumstances that allowed the positive event to occur in the first place.

Likewise, when we thoughtlessly curse our bad luck following an unfortunate turn of events, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to consider whether our own actions may have caused the misfortune.

Therefore, we lose the chance to bring about positive change in our lives, and cause the cycle to repeat again (the “constant bad luck” that I thought plagued me growing up).

The Illusion

Luck is an illusion. While we cannot control everything that happens, by breaking the habit of attributing things to luck, we can embrace our ability to make positive change for the future.

To start changing your outlook:

• Try to raise your awareness of new possibilities and endeavor to act upon them. Try to avoid letting opportunities pass you by.
• Expect good fortune to befall you, and remember to credit yourself when it does. Consider which actions led to your success, and plan to repeat them.
• When things don’t work out as you intended, keep positive and ask yourself: What you will do differently next time? Perhaps even consider whether the misfortune could be a blessing in disguise. As the Dalai Lama said, “Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”

Make Your Own Luck

By dismissing the illusion of luck and embracing our own ability to change our lives for the better, we are empowered to such a degree that we can be said to make our own luck.

Far from being a mystical power that is out of our control, or something that can be stored in amulets or charms, this new kind of luck comes from deep within ourselves.

It is something we have created with nothing more than a shift in perspective, a realignment of attitude—and it’s highly empowering.

Tomorrow, Be Lucky

The realization that what I called luck was something I could make for myself radically changed my life. This simple shift in attitude is all it takes to break the cycle of bad luck.

To use the example of the job hunt, a little proactivity on my part was all it took to bring about the same “luck” enjoyed by my friends.

Be fastidious, pro-active, and eager; your efforts will be rewarded, as mine were late last year when I found the job I was destined for.

Whatever you do, don’t sulk through a year-long woodwork course wishing you were studying textiles—build a beautiful chest of drawers. Rather than meekly acquiescing, and attributing your successes and misfortunes to good or bad luck, make the absolute best that you can of everything that comes your way.

I encourage you to embrace this new outlook with an open-heart and a positive attitude, free of the negativity and powerlessness associated with the cycle of luck. Challenges are unavoidable in life, but those who consider themselves makers of their own luck set themselves up for success and happiness.

Make the change, and remember: the grass is always greener where you water it.

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Motivate Yourself Without Pushing Yourself: Tips for Self-Compassion

Thank you once again Tiny Buddha :)

By Nat Smith

“Our sorrows and wounds are only healed when we touch them with compassion.” ~Buddha

I have always struggled with self-compassion. In fact, I’m not even sure I have been aware of it all that much throughout my life.

I’ve always thought the only way to truly grow was to push myself, both physically and mentally, so without even realizing it, I set myself up for that.

I would not study for my university exams until the night before. I would take it easy and not make enough money until it got to the stage that I had to almost create a miracle to pay my next credit card bill. I would push my partner until our relationship was at a breaking point so I could then save it.

It was almost like I wanted to prove to myself that I was a hero in someway. As I reflect back now, it was so strange what I was doing, but the truth was I was not even aware I was doing it.

Over the past few years I could see my patterns more and more. It shocked me that I would be that unconscious of my motivations.

But as I dived into it, I could see that I actually had a fear that I’d somehow be less if I took that pressure off myself. It was the pressure that was keeping me motivated and more importantly keeping me growing.

I wondered if I had to continue like that. What would happen if I let it go? Would I stop being as great as I could be?

Then I became aware of self-compassion. It was a foreign concept to me, and one I remember fighting against for some time. My ego did not want to just give in that easy!

At first I felt that I would become more self centered, and that was big no-no—after all, aren’t we all here to serve others, not ourselves?

But then I started see what my lack of self-compassion was really doing to me. It was, in fact, the very thing that was isolating me from the world and making me self-centered.

I was so caught up in my own struggles and issues that I had begun to feel that I was the only one on the planet going through what I was.

I had forgotten that all my friends were feeling the same way as me; they too were struggling in life, and I had not seen it. My issues were not greater than everyone else’s, after all.

As I saw this more clearly I felt myself soften to compassion for myself, and those around me. I started to “feel” compassion for the first time.

I recall pondering one day, how I would feel in a relationship if I treated my partner or child in the same way I had been treating myself? Would I really be that motivated to keep going each day?

The never-ending berating and judgments, constantly trying to fix, change, or improve myself, never being enough. How motivated can you stay under such conditions?

I would have never expected anyone to respond positively to this, but yet I expected myself to. Something was very wrong with my perception of myself.

It was at that moment that my belief structure started to collapse on itself, and I realized that I did not have to be that hard on myself for motivation. I could actually be kind and it would have an even greater effect.

Bit by bit, I felt self-acceptance, and a love came over me like waves, like it had been wanting to come through for so many years, but I had blocked it.

All I had been looking for was sweeping over me in one giant gush. It felt amazing and it felt true. I knew that I’m okay the way I am.

I suddenly felt a common bond with humanity again. Like we are all perfect in our imperfect way, and that is actually what it’s meant to be like.

I realized that I do not have to get everything right everytime. I do not have to be changed or improved; I just need to accept who I am right now.

The pain and sorrow I had been feeling my whole life rose up, and I could clearly see what I had done to myself for decades. I was sorry for this, so very sorry.

I broke down and cried and cried. I had been so mean to myself. The pain and struggles of the last few decades came pouring out of me like the dam gates had been opened.

I felt relief for the first time. I could not do this any longer; there was simply no need. I had done nothing wrong by just being me.

This was one of the most significant moments in my life—the acceptance of myself through self-compassion.

My tips to create more self-compassion include:

1. Be aware if you are being hard on yourself and recognize where this shows up for you.

It can be subtle. Look at all life areas, including your health, finances, and relationships, at work and in your family.

2. Challenge your beliefs and fears. 

Do you have a belief that if you are gentle with yourself you will somehow not be motivated enough or not all you can be? Recognize that this doesn’t have to be true. Also, notice if you feel that being compassionate toward yourself will lead you to feel self-indulgent or selfish.

3. Treat yourself kindly, without judgment.

Picture your best friend and how you treat them. Now apply this same love and kindness to yourself. You should be your own best friend after all!

4. Be mindful of when you slip out of compassion and start to treat yourself harshly again.

Forgive yourself and understand that you are human and this is part of the human game.

5. Feel the pain of others around you.

Listen to their stories and feel what it must be like to be them. This will make you automatically feel compassion and be softer on yourself as you connect with their common humanity.

We all have issues and problems that cause us pain, but suffering through them is optional. Self-compassion provides another option.

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6 Ways You Are Your Own Worst Enemy

I have had rough moments and so one of the ways of picking myself up is to read articles. And this one is one of the ones I really like. Great reminder. Often we lie in our comfort zone that isn't just about being happy but the comfort of feeling down, yet we struggle or is reluctant to step out of that comfort zone just because it is familiar although negative.

So hear Marc out and see whether you're going through the same thing for all of us will definitely come across this path :)

For the longest time I had tunnel vision and expected life to be a certain way.  I studied my failures until I lost sight of my successes.  I surrendered my dreams to feel a sense of comfort.  I crafted limiting beliefs and shielded myself from love and happiness by refusing to put myself out there.  And as I did all of this, I sat back and wondered why life was so miserable.

Obviously, I was very lost.

I began to turn things around about a decade ago when my stubborn habits led me into a chaotic argument with Angel.  As we both stared at each other through tears, she said, “Marc, you are the enemy – your enemy.  It’s your choices.  I can’t sympathize any longer.  You can choose differently if you want to, but you have to want to.  Please want to!”  And after some extensive soul-searching, lots of reading, a little sabbatical, and continuous support from a loving wife and a few close friends, I learned to choose differently and eventually found myself again.

I tell you this because I know you struggle with similar inner demons – occasionally we all do.  Sometimes our thoughts and routine choices are our biggest enemies.  Which is why I want to remind you to beware of…

1.  Your expectation of constant contentment.

Nothing in life is constant.  There is neither absolute happiness nor absolute sadness.  There are only the changes in our moods that continuously oscillate between these two extremes.

At any given moment we are comparing how we currently feel to how we felt at another time – comparing one level of our contentment to another.  In this way,those of us who have felt great sadness are best able to feel heightened feelings of happiness after we emotionally heal.  In other words, happiness and sadness need each other.  One reinforces the other.  Humans must know misery to identify times of elation.

The key is to focus on the good.  May you live each moment of your life consciously, and realize that all the happiness you seek is present if you are prepared to notice it.  If you are willing to appreciate that this moment is far better than it could have been, you will enjoy it more for what it truly is.  (Angel and I discuss this in more detail in the Happiness and Growth chapters of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

2.  Your obsession with examining personal failures.

Imagine being enrolled in five college classes in which you achieved one A, two B’s and two C’s.  Would you concentrate on the A or the C’s?  Would you berate yourself for falling short in the C classes?  Or would you capitalize on your obvious interest and aptitude in the subject matter of the A class?  I hope you realize the value of the latter.

Every morning when you wake up, think of three things that are going well in your life at the moment.  As you fall asleep every night, fill your mind with an appreciation for all the small things that went well during the day.  Examine your successes.

Give the power of your thinking to the positive influences in your life, and they will grow stronger and more influential every day.  Remind yourself often of what works well and why, and you’ll naturally find ways to make lots of other things work well too.  The most efficient way to enjoy more success in life is not to obsess yourself with what hasn’t worked in the past, but instead to extend and expand upon the success you already know.

3.  Your urge to surrender to the draw of comfort.

The most common and destructive addiction in the world is the draw of comfort.  Why pursue growth when you already have 400 television channels and a recliner?  Just pass the chip dip and lose yourself in a trance.  WRONG!  That’s not living – that’s existing.  Living is about learning and growing through excitement and discomfort.

Life is filled with questions, many of which don’t have an obvious or immediate answer.  It’s your willingness to ask these questions, and your courage to march confidently into the unknown in search of the answers, that gives life it’s meaning.

In the end, you can spend your life feeling sorry for yourself, cowering in the comfort of your routines, wondering why there are so many problems out in the real world, or you can be thankful that you are strong enough to endure them.  It just depends on you mindset.  The obvious first step, though, is convincing yourself to step out of your comfort zone.  (Read The Road Less Traveled.)

4.  Your self-limiting beliefs.

You do not suffer from your beliefs.  You suffer from your disbeliefs.  If you have no hope inside of you, it’s not because there is no hope, it’s because you don’t believe there is.

Since the mind drives the body, it’s the way you think that eventually makes the dreams you dream possible or impossible.  Your reality is simply a reflection of your thoughts and the way you routinely contemplate what you know to be true.  All too often you literally do not know any better than good enough.  Sometimes you have to try to do what you think you can’t do, so you realize that you actually CAN.

It all starts on the inside.  You control your thoughts.  The only person who can hold you down is YOU.

5.  Your resistance to being vulnerable.

Love is vulnerability.  Happiness is vulnerability.  The risk of being vulnerable is the price of opening yourself to beauty and opportunity.

Being vulnerable is not about showing the parts of you that are polished; it’s about revealing the unpolished parts you would rather keep hidden from the world.  It’s about looking out into the world with an honest, open heart and saying, “This is me.  Take me or leave me.”

It’s hard to consciously choose vulnerability.  Why?  Because the stakes are high.  If you reveal your authentic self, there is the possibility that you will be misunderstood, judged, or even rejected.  The fear of these things is so powerful that you put on an armored mask to protect yourself.  But, of course, this only perpetuates the pain you are trying to avoid.

The truth is nothing worthwhile in this world is a safe bet.  Since love and happiness are born out of your willingness to be vulnerable – to be open to something wonderful that could be taken away from you – when you hide from your vulnerability, you automatically hide from everything in life worth attaining.  (Read Daring Greatly.)

6.  Your expectations of how things are supposed to be.

There’s this fantasy in your head about how you think things are supposed to be.  This fantasy blinds you from reality and prevents you from appreciating the genuine goodness that exists in your life.

The solution?  Simple:  Drop the needless expectations.  Appreciate what is.  Hope for the best, but expect less.

You have to accept reality instead of fighting it.  Don’t let what you expected to happen blind you from all the good things that are happening.  When you stop expecting people and things to be perfectly the way you had imagined, you can enjoy them for who and what they truly are.

Your turn…

In what way are you your own worst enemy?

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17 Web Toys for Your Procrastination Pleasure

Muahaha, don't tell your bossess!! But if you really need a break from the mundane screen, try this ;)

Miss Cellania

filed under: Lists

IMAGE CREDIT: 

TOUCH EFFECTS

Sometimes you need to take a break from work and just veg out by doing something mindless and pleasant. TV or a game of solitaire is good for that, but both require a set time commitment. There are hundreds of alternatives on the internet in the form of web toys. These are sites that offer strange visuals, often interactive visuals, that require no real mental effort but might bring a smile to your face for a while.

1. SPIDER

Vector Park has some great toys and games, some of which are harder to figure out than others. Spider turns your cursor into a tiny spider, with which you can lead a fantasy animal around by his curiosity. 

2. STARFIELD

Ooh, cosmic! Starfield is just what it says on the tin. Pretend you are flying at warp speed through the galactic regions of the universe. Or something like that. Click your mouse button for extra effects. Take a turn and hold on!

3. STAGGERING BEAUTY

Staggering Beauty is a web page that comes with an epilepsy warning. The toy resembles the blown-air figures you see at used car lots to draw attention. But shake him vigorously and the page suddenly goes psychedelic!

4. SILK

Silk is an interactive drawing program (with music) in which you weave patterns of silky wisps of smoke across the screen to create horizontally-mirrored art. Whatever I draw, it ends up looking like a skull. Open the controls on the left to change color.

5. MANY LINES

Sometimes you'd like to draw with many lines at the same time. That's what Many Lines is about. You have the options to turn off the colors and turn down the number of lines. Your "flair" depends on the speed of your cursor.

6. THIS IS SAND

Have you ever made colored sand sculptures in a glass jar? You can do it online with no mess with This is Sand. Click and hold to drop sand, and press "c" to change colors. I didn't take the time to make anything particularly creative, but you might.

7. RBG

RGB is pretty simple. Just touch the letters. They will tell you what they are. A lovely way to annoy other people around you.

8. CAT BOUNCE

Cat Bounce shows you bouncing cats. If your cats stop bouncing, you can pick them up and drop them again. No cats were harmed in the making of this web toy.

9. KOALAS TO THE MAX

Koalas to the Max is a classic that you may have played before. All you need to do is mouseover, but you may have to reserve a bit of time because it's so hard to stop! If you are extremely busy and a bit compulsive, you might want to save this one for later. Here are some similar pictures, and instructions for making your own.

10. CHICKEN ON A RAFT

Chicken on a Raft is a classic that doesn't do anything but test your patience. Another page that's perfect for annoying your co-workers.

11. TOUCH EFFECTS

Touch Effects is a cosmic drawing toy in which you can adjust the parameters for your own enjoyment. Turn the tethers off and on for a totally different experience.

12. PROYECTO

I'm not even sure if Proyecto is the true name of this page. It's full of creepy crawlies that keep following you around. You can try to outrun them or outwit them, but they keep coming anyway.

13. FALLING DOMINOS

Falling Dominos is an ad for Coca-Cola, but it's nice to watch at least once.

14. LOLZ

LOLZ from Drawball is a face that changes depending on what you do. Take a little time to experiment with your mouse. I just like to make his eyes roll around all googly.

15. BRING IN THE CATS!

Bring in the Cats! features of course, cats. They have to load first, but it's worth the wait. May be an epilepsy trigger at times. I bet you leave this on longer than you should.

16. WINNING SOLITAIRE

Winning Solitaire is a cheat sheet for getting the payoff in online solitaire without actually having to win. Just click, and click, and click and hope someone catches you celebrating your "win." It's from Mr. Doob, who has many other things you can play with, such aspixelated paper, balls, and fire. 

17. VOXELS

Voxels, another toy from Mr. Doob, invites you to build with blocks. This one can be as artful or as aimless as you want it to be. Click on the grid to add blocks; click anywhere else to change your point of view.

Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/50399/17-web-toys-your-procrastination-pleasure#ixzz2SCaF3urM 
--brought to you by mental_floss! 

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Psychology of Color

This is so coollll

I love colours

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7 Powerful Spiritual Truths: Turn Challenges into a Reawakening

I so love this post!!! Thanks Tiny Buddha

Editor’s Note: This is a contribution by http://tinybuddha.com/author/lisa-h/Lisa H.

“Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.” ~Iyanla Vanzant

Have you ever had an experience that took you to emotional rock bottom? One that left you drained, broken, and totally numb? Your life shattered, and you scrambling to pick up the pieces and put them back together?

It might sound like a cliché, but sometimes it really is darkest just before dawn. Rock bottom can be a great place to start to rebuild yourself. Sometimes, it is the only place, as I once experienced.

My Spiritual Re-awakening

He had just broken up with me. We weren’t together for long—a few months at most—but it was still one of the most painful things I ever experienced.

I knew that my pain wasn’t because the relationship was over; it stemmed from a lack of self-worth.

I didn’t know how to have a healthy relationship with myself, let alone another person. The pain of trying to have close relationships without having the skills to successfully navigate them had caught up to me with a vengeance—vengeance that had brought me to my knees.

And so began my spiritual re-awakening and the re-emergence of these hidden truths:

1. Be open to the magnificent.

While lying on the floor, curled up in a ball, soaked in tears, I began to pray. I pleaded for help. I pleaded for my heavy spirits to be lifted. I pleaded for the sun to shine on my heart and to teach me how to feel the way I wanted to feel, live the way I wanted to live, and be loved the way I wanted to be loved.

And then it happened. In a piercing moment of clarity, wisdom, once forgotten, returned with the fierce determination of exalting me from my pain. Wisdom we all possess; wisdom present before our first cries as newborns—wisdom of the universe.

Hidden truth: You already have everything that you need to create the life you desire; you just need to tap into it.

2. Learn what you are here to learn.

The universe is always unfolding exactly as it should. Sometimes it doles out experiences in the form of peace and serenity, and other times, its gifts come in the form of challenge and strife.

Your experiences are specifically suited for your personal evolution. Whether you are having the experience of anger, resentment, joy, happiness, or love, your experiences are uniquely designed to help you become who you were meant to be.

Hidden truth: The universe is always unfolding exactly as it should. The experience you are having at the moment is the one that you need, simply because you are having it.

3. Be present for yourself and others.

Give your full attention to everything that is happening to and around you in each moment. If you are taking a shower, experience the shower. Avoid bringing thoughts about making your coffee, what you are going to wear for the day, and driving to work in with you.

Feel everything about the shower—the temperature of the water, the size of the drops, the smell of the soap, and how wonderful it is that you are able to have the experience of taking a shower.

The past is over. The future hasn’t happened yet. The only time that exists is now; experience it.

Hidden truth: When you are physically in one place but mentally in another, you are missing your life. And not just missing it, but missing it at warp speed.

4. Bring passion to all that you do.

The quest to find one’s passion seems to have become an epidemic. However, something that was never lost cannot be found.

Passion is not something that exists outside you. It is what springs forth from you. It is the enthusiasm of being alive that you bring to what you are doing and who you are with. If you don’t have passion, you must reignite it.

Hidden truth: You have to have passion in order to feel passionate.

5. Give love abundantly.

Spirituality cannot exist without love. Spirituality is love. It is love for the planet, love for ourselves, and love for our fellow sisters and brothers. It has been said there are only two feelings that exist: love and fear. And all other feelings, such as loneliness, jealousy, worry, joy, and compassion are either one or the other.

You cannot be afraid and feel love, nor can you feel love and be afraid. When you give love abundantly, it will be abundantly returned to you.

Hidden truth: If you cultivate compassion and gratitude, you will never be alone and always in love.

6. Revere life.

Reverence is a feeling of profound love, awe, and respect for another. Someone who is reverent cannot bring suffering to even those who have hurt them.

One of the most reverent individuals on this planet was Mother Theresa. She once said, “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. “

To live that way, is nothing short of amazing. How you respond to another person is always your choice.

Hidden truth: Be kind, even to those who are unkind to you.

7. Embrace connection.

We are all connected to each other. A child, a stay-at-home mother, a stay-at-home father, a CEO, and the president—we are all one. Other than our personalities and egos housed by our physical bodies, we come from the same divine source.

Hidden truth: The same pain, joy, love, and wisdom that runs through you, runs through everyone you come in contact with.

To fully understand each of these hidden truths, it is not enough to read them as words on a page; they must be experienced. For example, I could tell you in detail how honey tastes, but if you haven’t experienced honey, it would be impossible for you to fully grasp my description, no matter how hard you tried.

You are more than your body, your mind, your personality, and your ego. You are a great soul with infinite wisdom, creativity, love, and prosperity, which has access to these hidden truths whenever you need them.

And the next time life presents you with challenge, be grateful that you are able to experience it.

Be grateful that you are equipped to handle it.

Be grateful that it will move you one step closer to becoming who you were meant to be.

Be grateful for what it will reveal to you.

Photo by h.koppdelaney

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