I Would

I would eliminate the words blame and fault, and use responsibility.
I would eliminate meanness and say it's ignorance that causes our stupidity.
I would eliminate helplessness and promote empowerment to the best of our ability.
I would eliminate rigidity and welcome healthy flexibility.

Private Confessions

There are particular times in life when you have so much to say, but it's either not the right time or not the right circumstance. Maybe these are the very reasons why you shouldn't speak, or might they be the excuses for you to hide and play it safe? When you really want to go through with something, the lines may somewhat blur. Vision clearing may require diligent effort.

No matter how it looks on the outside, there is one place where we should be allowed to open the curtains and let the sun shine or the rain splatter freely in our sight. Inside our own private mental chambers, we should be able to place it all on the table, look at it and play with it- make choices, dream dreams, and feel everything this leads to.

Maybe we will not know what to do with all of it right away, but one thing's for certain, self-deception will only drive us further from our truth, and from any chance of getting closer to fulfillment. Only when we get in touch with what it is that pulls us forward, can we decide whether we'll meet with this and let us get there.

Make It Mean It, Make It Worth It

There is usually a very good reason behind an ocurrence. We might not be able to decipher it at the very moment of the experience, but sooner or later, as we are walking down the path, something clicks and we begin to see beyond appearance. The puzzle pieces fall seamlessly into place without much effort. We no longer notice separate stars but one big dipper. Until that aha moment occurs though, it's all just a bunch of disconnected dots.

Whether or not we understand why something has happened, there is no reason for any experience to be useless. During friendly times or trying hardship, smooth sailing or steep rock climbing, each moment includes, at minimum, an example, a lesson, something we can learn. Those which are hard to grasp and swallow are usually the most important. Let's face it, anyone can conquer a winning title if the road is obstacle free. It is through those apparent falls and failures that our mental muscles are strengthened and we are given the opportunity to make a masterpiece out of the scattered broken pieces.

It has taken geniuses years of attempts to perfect a discipline and make a worthwhile contribution. But if someone like Thomas Edison would have given up because they simply did not understand why they did not get it right the first time, they wouldn't have discovered the key piece of information that allows your computer screen to be lit up right now.

So, what will it be? Will you passively sit and wait until everything makes sense, or will you actively get involved and make sense out of everything?

Invisible Things

Every action begins with a thought. Whether it is a scientific innovation, the planting of a tree or the creation of a film, the original seed is born inside somebody's mind before it is three-dimensionally manifested. The content of our mental stream determines what we end up doing with our reality. We can see it in our preferences. For instance, those who like sports will seek sports related activities, musicians will create and share music, surfers will follow great waves and so forth. We can see it in our career goals, which lead us from one step to the next in our endeavors. We can see it in our romantic interests and how we carry ourselves depending on how we perceive each other to be and feel about relationships.

We are not always conscious of what goes on with our thoughts. Many times we end up saying things we did not mean to or end up sabotaging our own efforts. This might be the case with those who wish to live in abundance yet resent those which flow in a river of money, instead of choosing to identify with the positive aspects of the affluent, their security and success. On one hand, apparent efforts are made to escalate in the financial ladder, yet on the other hand, the same person sets strong limits by focusing on lack, envy or criticism. Would it not be smarter to learn from those who have reached your desired goal instead? Maybe that time spent thinking goal destroying statements could be better used to network, achieve and appreciate.

Let's use our thoughts to our advantage. Becoming aware of the themes in our heads can help us decide whether that is the direction in which we wish to lead our lives.

Thoughts don't only become things. They are subtle actions, invisible things.

Seek First to Understand

Today I experienced a conflict between people in a group I frequently see. Within my personal calmness in the midst of the heat, I observed expressed indignation and thought about how much easier this situation would be if both parties would pause, step aside and see how the other is affected. If the ego would have been shushed and selfish positioning would have been exchanged, if only for a minute, with selfless reflection, I would not be writing this. The truth is most of us go into defense mode when we feel we are being attacked or threatened. It is healthy to have such protection mechanisms active and doing their job, as long as a healthy balance is included. When it comes to interpersonal matters, defense which quickly becomes offense often ceases to serve its purpose.

There is a saying in Spanish that says "cada cabeza es un mundo", which literally translated is "every head is a world". It means that every person has their own ideas, opinions and views which are likely to vary from others'; that your thoughts are not necessarily someone else's. Even though we may share similar backgrounds, concepts or preferences, our outlook and approach may come from different angles, hence why a little something called empathy comes in handy in times of disagreements.

Saint Francis of Assisi put it best, "Grant that we may not so much seek to be understood as to understand."

When you choose to build a bridge instead of raising a wall, you have greater chances of warmth and connection. You open the doors for honest communication and produce a sense of shared gratefulness. I am positive that if we were capable of easily relinquishing the fear of getting hurt, the what's-in-it-for-me mentality, the superficial notion of whether or not one would look bad, we would respond from another place entirely.  

Seek to understand first, and you will make it much easier to be understood.

Mental Forward Bend

There are certain moments in life when a firm resolve is exactly what we need. Stability, focus and undeterred purpose become the solid rock that gets us through that especially tough time, keeping us on course. Despite obstacles and distractions, we concentrate our efforts into a single goal, emerging triumphant. Other times, however, such fixation of purpose and rigidity could be the very source of our stagnation, breakage and decay. When we refuse to change, we offer resistance, and the more resistance we offer to a circumstance, the more strength it takes on our part and the greater the force exerted against it.

Most of us are familiar with the fable of the mighty oak and the flexible reed. While the oak resisted the stormy winds, it cracked and fell, while the reed, swaying in a dance of adapting flexibility, gracefully survived. Within its intention to live, the reed found a way to bend instead of breaking. This strategy is precisely what could help us at certain times. We cannot always change external conditions, but we can control how we face them.

Certain challenges require us to grow out of our comfort zone and hopefully evolve. They provide an opportunity to explore the new, discard the old and try other ways of being. You realize that perhaps that which you were dearly clinging to was the very thing that allowed you to soar once you decided to move on. In order to be free you have to let go of whatever holds you back.

This reminds me of a thought from Deepak Chopra's The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success:

"In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty. In the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning. And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe."

Bend to move forward.

In Order to Give

In these times of information overflow, it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of worldwide events. Our planet seems smaller every day and what happens to fellow human beings in faraway countries affects us even more than it would have years ago, as sharing becomes instantaneous. There are people reporting live from catastrophes, triumphs and the mundane through various media in an endless stream of sharing. Efforts to raise awareness or gather help for groups in need have also been accelerated. Friendships are formed or maintained from a distance in a way that was not possible before. But when one looks from here to there, to comment and forward, to inform and display, where do we place ourselves?

Within the occasional chaos, are we remembering the one and only person who can be there all the time for us? Are we nourishing the body that serves as a vehicle for us to move and act? Do we take the time out to relax and provide emotional maintenance for our mental health? Are we remembering to set and honor our goals or simply even making an effort to smile?

No matter what is going on in the world around you, it is important to know that the only person you cannot live without is yourself. In order for anyone to contribute any thought or action of value to the rest of life, one must make sure that the condition to be able to do this exists. It is for this reason that it is not only a good idea to take good care of yourself, but it is necessary since we can only give from what we already have. So help yourself, and that way, when you encounter situations of interest through your interconnectedness, you know you are strong enough to give.

About Doing

Sometimes just doing things is the best way to get them done. Sounds logical and needless to say, huh? But many times we complicate ourselves over the dos and don'ts and hows and whens and ifs and shoulds and mights and woulds. So stop. Just stop.

 

In the midst of the storm, sometimes we just need to pause, to center and refocus. And then we need a jumpstart.

 

If we want to get somewhere, we need to begin by removing barriers, not erecting extras. There are enough obstacles to work around already. Simplifying is the solution.

 

Organization and planning are recommended for success, yet setting goals without action is like daydreaming and not doing anything to live the dream in reality.

 

When you want to do an activity or event that is important to you, starting is a good idea. It will get you closer to getting it done than just thinking or talking about it.

 

Of course, everything begins with a thought, which is followed up by a word, but we're talking about doing here. So begin, simplify, and do it.

--
Chelle

michers.blogspot.com

Pay Attention

Life gives you nudges and clues and colors and hues

And signs and sounds where joy's to be found.

Gives you balance and love and peace as a dove

And music and laughter showing where to go after.

Shakes your comfort and earth to bring you to birth

And strengthen your mind to connect once divine.


Whispers of wind speaking into your ear now urgently say, "Pay attention!"



--
Chelle

Crossroads...

When you have so many things from which to choose

With so much at risk and yet nothing to lose

When numerous words become one small phrase

With rainbows of feelings defining a phase

When waves of the past decide to swell up

With restructured ideals filling your cup

When sunshine is piercing through the darkest cloud

With the sound of your voice clearly over the crowd

When you finally see what's important in time

With choice making leading you over the climb

All this you love

And all you embrace

And you decide to be

Free.

--
Chelle

Discovering You

You have learned to live a certain way. You have accepted that you are that kind of person. You are accustomed to a script you bought as real... but somewhere inside you, a voice is trying to make itself heard.

Through our experiences, received feedback or drawn conclusions we might have adopted some false beliefs about who and how we are. Some of these might even be marvelous ideas and ways of being and stellar standards, just not necessarily for us. Not everyone was born to fulfill the same mission, and with each passing day there is a strengthened need for you to find yours. You feel that time is running out and you want to make sure you contribute... but to what?

After accepting that you have an urge to discover where these inner nudges are directing you, the question becomes where to connect with this deeper, underlying truth. You know it's in there somewhere, you feel a certainty beyond what your logic comprehends. You even doubt it and wonder if you're just being silly. But even as you dismiss the notion that you are part of something grander, to go on instead with mundane everyday duties, you are secretly uncapable of giving up.

At this stage, you start questioning the worth of continuing to live the way you were taught to. Your focus grativates to a different set of more profound priorities. You develop a newer sense of respect for all beings. You let go of the trivial. You begin to trust life even when you don't understand it all, even if that means your concept of reality will be challenged and your world will be shaken. You feel you must be true to yourself and stop pretending. Your self acceptance gradually extends to every aspect of your existence. You start to graciously bring forth the real you.

And that... is a good thing.

--

Chelle

michers.blogspot.com

What You Fill Your Mind With Instantaneously Changes Your Life

Have you ever had a headache which you totally forgot about when something exciting really happened? And after a while, your head did not once complain until you reminded yourself of the fact that it did just some moments ago?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were feeling bad about yourself, and then you realized your position was really absurd? That when you actually made a pause and looked around, what you encountered was an endless stream of things to be grateful for? And then, at that same moment, everything changed. What was dull became golden, what was opaque now shined and sparkled.

Every single moment we are directing our attention to our selected place of focus and sculpting our reality. Whatever we bring into our awareness manifests in our lives, sooner or later. Point of view shifts not only how we view things, but how they actually play out.

Let's make a conscious effort to have our thoughts, our reality shapers, work as our allies. Let's exercise our right to freedom of thought by being smart about the things we think about, by realizing we are responsible for the lives we create.

May your thoughts contribute to your blessings.


--
Chelle

Appreciating Who You Really Are

 

I recently read a post in which someone stated, "I'd rather die than be someone else."

 

I thought it was genius. Not because of death (although the only thing that shuts down is the body, and we go on living, on and on and on.) But because of LIFE.

 

What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? To be who you are, and no other. That's why my thought reaction was that to be someone you're not would result in a wasted life.

 

Come on, you get a whole lifetime to be you, to discover and remember and polish what needs a little push and shine away. Why on Earth would you shove this down the gutter and take on someone else's role? There is already someone else for that role in existence! But only you can fulfill being you.

 

In the Baghavad Gita there's a part that says it is better to be not so good at doing your duty than excel at doing someone else's. Of couse, in other words, but you get the point. Think about it.

 

What drives you? What is important in your eyes? What do you think you're here to do? How can you add to life and the world? What are you good at?

 

Start listening to your truth. And flow with it.

 

On another note, I am ultra grateful for remembering all of this once again, and for sharing with people who are guided by their need to be who they really are.

 

Thank you for your inspiration.

 

I look forward to sharing some more. 

 

Mucho love.

--
Chelle

michers.blogspot.com

¿Cuál es el objetivo del Mantra Yoga Meditación? ¿Para qué una persona medita?

El propósito principal del Mantra Yoga Meditación (MYM) es lograr un desarrollo espiritual.

La personalidad del Hombre se compone de Cuerpo, Mente y Alma.

Es muy importante aprender a integrar estos tres aspectos de la personalidad: El Alma es la realidad. Cuando el cuerpo físico y la mente se desintoxican, se disciplinan y se purifican, el Alma manifiesta todo su poder en forma consciente, llevando al ser humano a la sabiduría.

Cuando se inicia este proceso, poco a poco se logra más paz, tranquilidad y estabilidad personal. Entonces la concentracion se desarrolla, la fuerza de voluntad aumenta, haciendo al Hombre mas seguro de sí mismo.

Las frustraciones y los complejos, así como el estrés acumulado, se disuelven en forma natural organizándose la vida del individuo.

El magnetismo personal crece, mientras la creatividad se desarrolla produciendo seres estables, maduros y capaces. Se comprende entonces que la felicidad está dentro de uno. Esta es la única forma de llegar a la iluminación o Sabiduría Espiritual. Los Centros Culturales Yoga Devanand tienen como finalidad proveerte de esas herramientas milenarias pero modernas a la vez para que puedas expandir todo ese potencial latente en espera de ser despertado.

Acércate al Centro Cultural Yoga Devanand y comienza tu entrenamiento ya.

-Swami Guru Devanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj

Do Not Hesitate to Show Love

Every single thing we do, say, or think affects more than we can consciously grasp. Think chain reaction.

Actions make a visible difference which you can observe, words not so much since it's up to another's interpretation and later use of the accepted message, and thoughts, well that's a tricky one. But if you think your thoughts happen only in your head, guess again.

Last night I was told of someone who said, "You couldn't imagine how looking at that bag felt."

This person did not have any knowledge of the contents in the bag, just the sensation produced by whatever was in it.

We all have hunches every now and then. You look at someone you've never met and you can sometimes tell whether you would get along or if something doesn't click. You've been to places where you know that walking through a certain area illogically just doesn't feel right and you choose to go another way that unexplainably feels safe. You've been faced with decision making moments when your gut clearly persuades you to elect one or the other choice.

Just as you can sometimes pick up signals from the outside, the same happens with your thoughts. You are constantly sending waves out there that are travelling unseen distances and creating ripples and unknown effects. They can be about fear, doubt, anger, despair... or they can be about compassion, connection, joy, faith, and love.

Whenever you have an opportunity to think something good, to say it, or show it, flow with it. If one little thing you think, say, or do affects the entire universe, then I hope we will all make an effort to pull our best from in here and put it out there.

Whenever you have a chance to love, do not hesitate to show it.