What is gaining mastery in your life? Everything takes discipline and practice. How does a pro ball player become a pro ball player? How does a great stock broker become a great stock broker? Everything takes persistent practice and discipline. Without discipline, you can’t stick to anything and without practice you never unlock your true potential. Gaining mastery can start with the simple affirmation, I have discipline, and I will keep my eye on the prize until my desire manifests! Danny G.
Understanding Humanity and Uniqueness
There’s a reason for every individual behaviour. You may say to yourself, he’s just arrogant and obnoxious. He’s just a mean old man with no manners. He has no social skills whatsoever. Many of these individuals whom you call mean or rude, grew up with judgemental parents or siblings, or perhaps they were extremely belittled as a child. Maybe they were never taught otherwise, so their inappropriateness seems appropriate to them.
Their behaviour shouldn’t be condoned, and we have the right to speak up for ourselves since everyone deserves respect. But what if you didn’t have the caring parents, or mentors, or the friends you have? How would you be?
The environment we have as children and teenagers has an impact on who we become as a person. Parents, siblings, friends, neighbourhoods, and teachers, all have an impact on our upbringing and growth as a person. To deny that our environment has an impact on who we become, would be saying relationships have no power in the unfolding of our life.
Almost everywhere you go and everyone you meet has different standards of what is acceptable or not. We’re just people, and everyone is struggling with something, so why put each other on a pedestal of better or worse? Everyone’s journey starts differently and is unique in one way or another, so why do we give each other labels?
Actions have consequences and we should be cautious not to hurt others, however, some people struggle with arrogance and others struggle with gossip. Is one better than the other?
If you didn’t have the caring people in your life who supported you and who were loyal to you, would you have turned out the same? People don’t understand as long as we categorize everyone, there’s always going to be someone left out. How do you truly understand someone if you haven’t walked his path?
There’s a reason for everybody’s behaviour. However, using our past history or our challenges today as a crutch to not be sympathetic or compassionate, shouldn’t be an excuse. Although we have control over the unfolding of our life, we must consider, our past is responsible for who we are today. Furthermore, our response to adversities ultimately defines who we are, and some people simply don’t know how to respond to the trials of life.
We should be more understanding that we’re not all at the same place in our lives, and we didn’t start at the same place either. We should respect everyone’s journey, and know everyone is unique in one way or another.
Simply saying I understand and I respect you is enough to show compassion, and acceptance. This approach will be much more effective at creating a peaceful world and environment for everyone involved.
Condoning the behaviour isn’t the answer, however, we should be more understanding that not everyone is as fortunate as us, and everyone reacts differently to the challenges of life. The contrast allows us to evolve as people ultimately for the expansion of humanity and the universe.
Acceptance, sympathy and compassion is much more effective at creating a peaceful world than judgment or blame.
Money and its Negative Connotations
Why do we tell ourselves wanting wealth is being greedy or superficial? Wanting wealth or financial gain isn’t being greedy, however, the only time wanting money becomes a problem is when it becomes our primary goal and need.
What truly matters in life is our relationships with ourselves, God, our family, and friends. But what is greed? God wouldn’t say money is more important than love, which is a common reason many families fall apart. Too much time at work, and not enough with family, or too many conflicts about the subject of money. Is money more important than God? When money becomes our primary aim, and only avenue for success, we lose ourselves and our integrity in the process. Would God say to never give to others when we have fortunes in the bank account? Keeping it all to ourselves is greed.
We’re all human and we’re going to make mistakes, however, contemplating our priorities can help us avoid regretful mistakes. What drives people to behave inappropriately in the name of money or power? It’s saying money or wealth is more important than loyalty. It’s disregarding the needs of others because of money. It’s keeping it all to yourself when you have plenty to give. The corruption of money, started the myth of “money is the root of all evil.”
Disregarding integrity for the sake of money is greed, and believing wealth should be our primary aim is greed. It’s this behaviour of greed and selfishness that changed the definition of seeking wealth or wealth in general.
The myth of “money is the root of all evil” lead to an epidemic of poverty among good people. These people believed the myth was true, and they deprived themselves of financial abundance because they believed wanting plenty was being greedy. They lived their lives thinking wealthy people are corrupt and wanting wealth is selfish. This lead to the religious belief that wanting money is superficial.
The chain was passed down from generation to generation saying “money is the root to all evil.” The belief that we shouldn’t want financial prosperity deprives us of the joy of having prosperity. Would you tell yourself I don’t deserve to enjoy a vacation when you love to travel? Would you tell yourself vacations aren’t necessary because they cost money, even if you would love to travel?
Life is meant to be enjoyed on all levels including financial prosperity, and it shouldn’t be only work and no play. Ask yourself, can you be more of assistance by giving a homeless man 5 dollars or 500 dollars if you had the 500 dollars to give? Can you teach prosperity by being poor or can you teach prosperity by being prosperous?
If you were prosperous and you had plenty to give, while being appreciative of the universe that freely gave to you, you would happily give out of love and appreciation.
Don’t condemn what brings joy and don’t condemn prosperity because of a misleading world message. Prosperity is meant to be enjoyed on all levels including money, so we can embrace the things that bring us joy and so we can embrace giving out of gratitude and appreciation.
Create Your Own Label
If a homeless man was to teach you about love or faith when you felt completely alone and fearful, would he not be considered a teacher to you? Would you obliterate his words because he is a homeless man? Would you believe a world-renowned guru more than the homeless man even if his words were exactly the same as the guru? Often times we don’t take a person seriously because of his status or appearance, yet if someone had a suit and tie and he was recognized, we’d give him more credibility.
We don’t need a position of prestige to be assigned the label of a teacher or saviour. An individual teaches because he has an insightful message to share with others. An individual is a saviour if he saves someone from destruction or death, not because some outside source assigned him the label.
Does God’s spirit only dwell in the masters of this planet, or does he dwell in all his people? If God lives in all of us, then we can do great things such as the world’s greatest teachers. Jesus said in the scripture that with faith we would be able to do great things as he has done. That means we’re not limited by status, or a label.
Everyone who is spiritual or religious would say it’s the spirit of God which allows our heart to beat. If God allows our heart to beat, we know we would die if his spirit would leave us, therefore, we know he lives in us indefinitely.
We’ve all heard the Christian saying, I’m so filled with the holy spirit. Can’t we all access this holy spirit if we’re all made of the same stuff that creates worlds? The only limit is our thinking.
Being filled with the holy spirit only means being connected to our soul, and God. We connect to our soul by focusing on love which is God. We can’t help but to lead and teach by the clarity of our example, because who we truly are is meant to uplift.
How can we not teach something we are genuinely living ourselves? We don’t need labels to teach love or faith. We don’t need the label of a world-renowned guru to help others and humanity? Some people can hear the world’s famous Guru and not relate, but they can hear what a homeless man has to say, and be forever changed and enlightened.
Do we need a source outside of ourselves giving us a label, or can we create our own label and help others in which ever way we choose?
Don’t Conform Just Create
Why do we feel a need to follow the conventional or traditional lifestyle of our culture? Everyone has a different opinion of what is considered appropriate or right, so why do we feel a need to conform to their expectations?
There’s no right or wrong approach or choice, the only wrong choice would be to override your intuition and not take action when you feel peace about it. This applies to careers, health and relationships.
Perhaps you want to start a career that isn’t your subject of expertise, or start a business with very little funds. Maybe you want to explore alternative medicine, and naturopathy. Or maybe the marriage you’re planning to have isn’t conventional or traditional in your culture.
We allow people to convince us there are appropriate actions given the circumstances or there are traditional practices we must obey. Is there any obligation in life other than the obligations we impose on ourselves?
We allow people to convince us we are to conform to their expectations of normalcy. Then we do and we’re miserable because we’re living someone else’s life, and we’re not pursuing our desires and listening to our intuition.
Reality is always changing, and the trend today is always amending according to the world and every individual on this planet. What was considered ok a few centuries ago is not ok today, and what is ok in one part of the world today is not ok in our part of the world.
Seven billion people on this planet have their own version of what is considered appropriate action or normal. If you want something in life that doesn’t conform to the norm of today’s day and age or your culture, don’t feel the need to meet others’ expectations.
We all have free will to choose the life we want and we’re using our free will to please others. Does conforming to others’ expectations bring joy and fulfillment?
We’re on this planet for our spiritual evolution and the evolution of our planet, and whatever desire we have is there for a reason for our own expansion and for the expansion of all that exists.
We’re here for the joy and exhilaration of the journey, and we’re giving away this joy to meet the demands imposed on us by others. Everyone is different and we all have our own values, strengths and qualities, so who would know what’s best for your life other than the person living it.
What people see is the exterior of the shell that holds the soul, so how would they know your true self and what you’re here to do and create other than you?
A Simple Act of Kindness
Everything we say and do affects those around us and changes the world one deed at a time. From the tiniest gesture of giving a homeless man a 10 dollar bill to giving a speech to millions of people on the love and power of God.
Giving a homeless man a 10 dollar bill not only gives him a lunch but this act of kindness changes his outlook on life. People that are homeless often feel rejected or overlooked by society for fear of mental illness or other factors.
A simple act of kindness changes their outlook on life and reminds them, there are compassionate people out there who are willing to help.
Simply sharing your story with them about how you overcame financial hardships or teaching them about the power of faith in overcoming obstacles is enough to show you care. It’s also enough to change their perspective about the world, humanity and their hope for the future.
Whether they receive your message or not, any act of kindness can remind someone, this is a compassionate universe and there is a God looking after the lonely and oppressed.
The person you reached out to has a new perspective and therefore he or she speaks about it to others, perhaps someone who is seeking enlightenment and who shares the same struggles, or past.
We are an extension of God from a source of love, so essentially, we are all one. By helping one fellow human being, you just helped yourself, because we are all interconnected, and we’re all made up of the same energy that creates worlds.
Any act of love feels joyous and satisfying, and the deed gives us satisfaction that we made a difference in another person’s life. By helping one individual you help everyone who’s connected to this individual’s life, and anyone he encounters in his pursuit for change.
If reaching out does nothing but put a smile on your face, then you will be living what every so called master taught you and the world, which is to live a life based on the principle of compassion and happiness.
So my advice is to contemplate your words and actions and know that you are a guiding light in a troubled world. Be aware of the simplicity of a kind word and gesture and keep in mind, the deed doesn’t have to be much to make a difference and to create a change for a brighter humanity!
Create Your Healing
Focusing On A Different Reality
We’ve all heard pain and disease is first created in the mind. But how much is created in our mind and how much is created by our physiology or other factors? Science is beginning to unravel the fact that we’re constantly changing our physiology by our focus, stress, and lifestyle choices.
Focusing on the pain or negative symptoms brings about most of our stress. It’s our thoughts on the pain or symptoms that create stress and perpetuates the problem or causes deterioration.
Many research studies discovered that through our everyday choices such as stress reduction techniques and healthy lifestyle choices, we have the power to change our physiology within months, or years depending on the body part.
When we focus on an improved condition or optimal health, we move towards this new and improved reality, or when we apply stress reduction techniques, we’re releasing resistance thereby causing less bodily pain or symptoms.
What makes a sensation or disease painful? When we focus on the sensation, we give it all types of names and descriptions, and then we dread the sensation coming back or we fear the sensation getting worse. We then fear the inevitable because whatever we’re focused on, we create.
It’s difficult to change a condition when we’re faced with bodily pain or symptoms because this is our current reality, and we’ve been giving it names and descriptions for as long as we had the symptoms. We then enlarge the pain and create emotional turmoil by our constant focus, fear and dread of the symptoms.
When we see the sensation as a perception of a sensation, then we no longer give it so much weight and attention and the pain diminishes. Only by focusing on a different reality, we’re able to create an improved condition.
If you were to focus solely on the pain, what would happen? The pain would start. Yet if someone were to distract you, are you still focused on the sensation? Continual distractions by focusing on a different reality will improve and heal your condition in time.
Healing will require faith despite the current condition contradicting your vision. By being steadfast, the new image in your mind will become your reality, and the time frame will be determined by your beliefs, expectation and your ability to receive healing.
Ask yourself, why does one person, say a sensation is painful or unbearable, yet another with the same sensation say it’s much more tolerable? Is it because of their physiology or is it because of their definition and attention on the sensation?
Some people may have a different threshold according to their physiology, but essentially, who created our own threshold? We’ve created our own threshold over the years by focusing on unwanted sensations, and then calling these sensations intolerable or painful.
What happens when your foot is throbbing, but you start laughing at a comment your friend made? Are you focused on your foot? What happens when you bring your awareness back to your throbbing foot? The pain starts again. Can a sensation exist without awareness of it, and wouldn’t it disappear if we’re not aware of it?
When you focus on something entirely different, you’re no longer magnifying the problem and you’re creating another reality in which you move towards. What would happen if you created your own reality in your mind that has nothing to do with your throbbing foot? It’s difficult, but if you can focus on your friend’s comment you can also focus on a different reality.
See the pain as only a sensation and see distraction as a means to focus on something entirely different other than your pain. When we focus on something which brings joy, we’re no longer magnifying the problem, and we’re no longer making it our only focus. Then the pain or symptoms subside and disappears in time because it can not exist, if we’re always focusing on a different reality.
My advice is, don’t give the symptoms any recognition, and focus on a different reality and you’ll see for yourself that disease is created by our attention and it cannot live in a healthy spiritual mind. When we no longer pay attention to the disease and we remain spiritually connected and faithful, the symptoms subsides and vanishes in time.
The Saying All Things Are Possible
We’ve heard the saying “all things are possible.” It’s been repeated over and over again through scriptures, and by all the masters that ever walked on this planet. If there’s a will there’s a way is another saying that has essentially the same meaning. Do we truly believe this statement that all things are possible? If we truly believed this statement, what would happen if we got sick or we faced a challenge that we felt was beyond our control? Would we say game is over and I don’t think I’ll ever get through this?
What happens when we face a diagnosis or challenge and say, “it’s impossible and I don’t think I’ll ever get through this?” We don’t take appropriate action to be well and succeed, and to start planning ahead in our future. We start expecting the worse, and even if we have all the resources we’ll ever need, we don’t believe we do, therefore, we can’t receive.
When we start preparing in our mind, we also prepare our reality, so make sure you prepare for success and wellness, which will attract everything you need for your journey to well-being.
What happens when we don’t contemplate this saying and we don’t believe it? When we face an adversity that seems beyond the scope of our understanding, we feel inferior, and the adversity hits us like a ton of bricks.
We feel overwhelmed and we don’t know how to handle it, and then out of vulnerability, we allow others to convince us that we’re incapable and that it’s impossible.
Essentially we create our own story, and the pen is in our hand. We should consider the statement that’s been repeated over and over again by the world’s greatest teachers. All things are possible, and this doesn’t exclude anything.
If the so-called masters of this planet all have one common modality, it’s to believe in the impossible, and if they all declare one saying, there must be truth in its validity. Whatever one person has accomplished, so can you as we are all made up of the same energy that creates worlds.
When we spend time reflecting on this statement, “all things are possible,” we begin to focus on the solution and all the possibilities that seemed impossible, when we were focused on the problem.
When we face challenges that feel overwhelming and impossible, such as health, career, or relationship challenges, we have a new awareness and belief that we planted in our mind that says, “all things are possible.” This new awareness allows us to stretch our disbelief into believing I can.
Contemplating this statement and believing in its viability by repeating it over and over again, is the only means to fully understand and believe its meaning. Then when we face a challenge that seems insurmountable, we will remember the saying that seemed so illogical at first, however, now when we speak it, we believe it.
What some people consider is impossible, we believe we can do it, because if God said it’s possible, then we don’t need approval from others to say I CAN!
Getting Realigned
What happens when our spinal cord gets out of alignment? Eventually the misalignment shows in our posture, perhaps in the way we walk, and it can sometimes lead to pain or discomfort. The same applies when we get out of alignment with our source, God. We become too focused on things and physicality as our only source of happiness and success. We get overly consumed with what matters to our physical senses, and we forget about our spiritual essence, and our true reason for being.
We’re so focused on the outer world of deadlines, promotions and material possessions that we forget about our spiritual evolution. Are we here merely to acquire more things, for job status, or for some sort of recognition? There’s nothing wrong with wanting wealth or prestige, but the problem lies when “things” become our only pursuit or idea of success.
Let’s say you lost all your material possessions and all the revenue you ever had, what happens afterwards? How will you identify yourself? Will you say my life is over? If you choose things or wealth as your identity or happiness, and you lose it, then you lose yourself in the process.
Let’s say you lost your reputation, or you lost your lover, how will you identify yourself? Will you say my life is over? If you say I don’t know who I am anymore, then you’ve made things, physicality, or recognition, your identity.
No wonder people get confused or breakdown when they lose their home or spouse or reputation. I believe it’s normal to feel grief when we lose these things, the problem lies when we make things or physicality our identity or our only source of happiness.
Are you depending on things, or another person for your alignment? If you depend on anything outside yourself for your alignment, you lost your control over your happiness and the unfolding of your life.
You cannot control people, events and circumstances, but you can control your reaction to people, events and circumstances. By controlling your reaction, you just shifted the overall unfolding of your life in your favour. Alignment is not through things or people, it’s through your relationship with you and God.
Are you focused endlessly on deadlines, promotions or the next raise that you forget about self-care? An analogy would be someone running a marathon who sprints the first 10km, only to have him end up quitting half way.
The other alternative would be to take time for yourself, and reconnect with your higher self, while meeting deadlines and at the end of your work week, you’ll say: “Great, the weekend”. And after the weekend, you’ll say: “Great, back at work for another week”. The only way to find your balance back is through your source, not through things.
Karma
Why do we see karma as an act of revenge or punishment? It’s as if we need validation that every person will get their day. We should see karma as a teacher for all of us. When we are hurt by another, we know how it feels, and we care to not hurt another person the same way. If we don’t learn from our mistakes, then we remain stagnant and don’t grow, which is a greater burden.
Here is a definition of karma according to an online dictionary: karma refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. In this text I’m focusing on karma’s interconnection with people and humanity, rather than from an individual perspective. I’m focusing on bringing light to the word karma, so we may work in unity rather than focusing on revenge and punishment.
Karma should be viewed as a teacher for our own evolution as individuals and humanity. We shouldn’t use karma as a coping mechanism to say they’ll get their day. What’s the saying that’s been repeated over and over again by the world’s greatest teachers? We are all one! Therefore, no one is left out, even the ones who repeatedly hurt people in their lifetime. I understand behaviour has consequences and it must be dealt with accordingly. However, by continuing to use karma as an act of revenge, we will only cause more acts of revenge.
God knows we’re not standing in a state of completion or perfection, but he does admire progress and learning from our mistakes. Without learning from our mistakes, we wouldn’t grow and without growth we’re not really living, and we’re of little value to others. For everything in life requires growth and expansion, primarily on a soul level, to create a better life for ourselves and for humanity.
If God loves all of us, then he would want peace for all of us. A peaceful ecosystem requires growth and learning from mistakes to essentially have a peaceful world. If the behaviour means anything to us on any level and we know we shouldn’t have behaved this way, karma acts as a teacher to help us grow as a human being.
Think of a time where you hurt someone, and after the fact that you hurt someone, another person hurt you the same way. You said to yourself, now I know how it feels. You then said, because I know how it feels, I choose to never do it again to another person. Why is that? Is it a punishment or is it you learning from your mistakes and wanting to grow as a person? You can say God helped you see the situation through his compassionate lenses.
Sometimes we don’t recognize our weakness and sometimes we don’t want to acknowledge our weakness. Either way without recognizing or acknowledging our weaknesses, growth is impossible, and we remain stagnant. Would you rather be the person who wants to grow or the person who chooses to remain stagnant and who has too much pride to admit he isn’t perfect?
If you feel karma is present in your life, just know it’s because God is helping you see the behaviour through different lenses, whether it’s your behaviour or someone else. Therefore, change your beliefs about karma. See karma as an opportunity for everyone to grow as a human being. Know that once you learn from your mistakes, there’s no need for continual reminders of what you call karma.
We’re all in this together, we’re just not at the same place, and know that whatever choice you make impacts another person and therefore changes the world one step at a time. Choose wisely!