Hi Everyone!

I realized that many of you are eager to find out more about my “mysterious” plans so I wanted to give you all a quick update.

As you probably figured out from my last post, I am switching gears in my life and this necessitates changes in my blogging schedule and content. The nature of what I am currently working on is requiring most of my time and effort and in order to do my best in my new venture, it will be best if I set aside my regular posting schedule here on Happy Lotus and publish posts whenever time allows.

Once everything is ready to be launched, I will share the details of my new venture with all of you. However, today I am being featured over at Evolving Beings and in that piece I talk a bit more about what is happening in my life at the moment.

Forgive me for the seeming appearance of keeping you in suspense. I wanted to share more about what is happening but then I recalled some previous experiences which reminded me that anytime I talked about something before it happened, the thing I talked about usually did not work out or something would happen which would contradict what I said. So I have come to believe that it is best to give all the details once everything is ready and in place.

Also, to be candid, this new venture is unlike anything that I have ever done. My life literally has changed in so many ways and it happened very fast. I am still absorbing it all. As a result, I need to process it all before I can write about it. There is a saying that Rome was not built in a day…the same is true for this project.  

Thank you for your patience and support! Love and blessings to you all!

A new location, a new look, a new site with a new mission and vision.

A whole new journey is beginning.

The re-invention starts now.

Care to join the revolution?

More information soon…..

As promised in my last post, here is the second part of the series about learning to decipher when thought is coming from the ego mind or when it is coming from the heart.

The fact that today happens to be Valentine’s Day is a wonderful “coincidence” which I only realized after I published the first post in this series. In case you are interested in knowing about the history of how Valentine’s Day came to be, click here for a post that I did a year ago on that very subject.

One thing that I want to do before getting into what makes a thought from the heart, is to clarify some terms. From a few comments that were left in the previous post, it became obvious to me that not everyone attaches the same definition to the word “ego” and “heart”.

In the West, ego is viewed from a more positive standpoint. While in Eastern thought, the concept of the ego is not such a positive thing. I have always known that people attach different definitions to the same words but that thought did not cross my mind when writing the post on the ego.

With this in mind, let me start out this post with clearly defining what is a heart/love based thought. Often, we equate a thought that comes from the heart with the emotion of love. However, in many spiritual traditions, a heart based thought is a thought that comes from the Divine that exists within you. It has nothing to do with you, the individual. It is a thought that comes from a Higher Power.

Now I realize that some people may freak out at the idea that they have a spark of the Divine within them. To be candid, the first time I heard that concept, I was freaked out too. However, as many spiritual traditions state, we are all created in the image and likeness of God. That means that a spark of God is in you. You already have your own inner Yoda who is eagerly waiting for you to pay attention to it.

The problem is that we have covered up that spark with our fear and negative thinking. The best way for me to convey the concept is to share with you how it was taught to me.

My very first Buddhist teacher, poured a water into a glass. She then put some sand into the glass and started stirring. Pretty soon the clear water became all cloudy and yucky looking.

She then stopped stirring and all the sand went to the bottom of the glass and the water was clear again. She told me that when our ego mind is in full power, we cannot see clearly due to all the cloudiness. However, when we still the mind, we are able to tap into the clarity that is our inherent nature and see life more clearly and make better choices from that clarity.

A thought that comes without influence from the ego comes from that inner clarity. That is why sometimes we just know what to do even though we may not have any idea how we know. For example, have you ever been in a situation where you just knew you had to do something but you had no idea why, only to do what you felt and meet someone or realize something that changed your life? The hunch came from that inner clarity…that Divine which lives within you.

Anytime fear comes into your mind, you stir the sands up and you prevent yourself from seeing clearly. Only when the mind is still can you tap into the reservoir that lies within you and make a wise choice. Please know that this does not mean that you ignore your mind…but rather you learn to discern what is the motivation behind a thought.

If a choice is made due to fear, insecurity, pride, greed and so on…it is a thought that comes from the ego and will not be a proper choice for it is not being motivated by a Divine source. However, when you make a choice that is rooted in that clarity where the ego is silent, then it is a choice that is coming from your inherent Divinity.

The best example that I can share with you is from my experience. As some of you know, I have been unemployed since September. During the second month of unemployment, I became very scared about the fact that I had no job. So I began looking for any job that I could find. This was purely motivated by fear and hence it was an ego thought.

I did get called for interviews and with each interview, I realized that I was doing the wrong thing. I knew it in my gut (the inner clarity) but my mind (the ego) kept telling me to find something because I had to find something. Then one day, I heard myself talking in an interview and I realized that I sounded so unmotivated and that I would not even hire me because there was no passion in my voice.

When I left that interview, I sat in my car and thought about what had just happened. All fear was gone and all I felt was inner clarity. That was when I realized that I would never find another job unless I was looking for something that I loved to do. I knew with every fiber of my being that if I searched for a job with fear, I would never find anything that would make me happy. I then knew that I had to change my ways.

To be candid, I would have never been able to reach that clarity if my mind had not been still. Guidance is ALWAYS present. We just need to tap into it.

I realize that this is a heavy subject and that some of you may have specific questions. So bring them on. Sometimes it is hard to write all that I want in as few words as possible. And there is so much more I could say but then this post would be really long. So feel free to ask any questions that may come to mind in the comments or you can contact me directly.

In the post, Closing an Old Book & Starting a Brand New One, I had written that I am able to discern when a thought is coming from my ego and when it is coming from my heart. Jannie Funster mentioned in her comment about how cool it would be if we all could decipher what is an ego based thought and what is a heart based thought.

My goal with this post is to provide some information to help you be able to decipher when a thought is coming from the ego mind and when it is not.

It is really important to realize that the ego is a smooth operator. It can take on the form of being logical, realistic, right, and many other things in order to get attention. The more you are aware of how your ego works, the better you will be able to recognize when it has taken control over your brain.

As with anything in life, the more you practice, the easier things will become. This is true for deciphering a thought from the ego and a thought that comes from your heart. And by heart, I am not talking about what you want, I am talking about your inner voice that knows what is best for you because it is acting out of love and not desire.

There is a distinction between desire and love. Desire can also be a form of ego if it based on a negative emotion such as fear. So distinctions are key in deciphering the thoughts that flood your mind.

Since this is a very in depth topic, it will be divided into two parts. This part will focus on the ego and part two (which will be published on Sunday) will focus on the heart.

The best way to show you the distinction is to give you a real life example. Things are always obvious in theory but events in reality sometimes can be tricky. So I will give you an example of something that recently happened which caused my ego to go into full turbo power.

Two weeks ago, I went with my father to a supermarket that is near his house. As we walked into the store, there was a guy who was working there and he was ranting and raving with a co-worker about how he hates (actual word he used) immigrants. As he said that, he looked directly at my father and I.

For the record, my dad is an immigrant and I was born in America. Yes, we do look ethnic. I was so upset at what that guy did, I wanted to go up to him and give him a piece of my mind. I wanted to tell him that all immigrants are not here illegally and that some are actually more educated than people might think. Most immigrants actually come here to realize a dream and not drain the system.

As you can see, my ego went into full speed with that one utterance by a man I have never before seen in my life. The minute the thoughts came to my mind, I knew that my ego was activated and I also knew that it was activated because I was hurt by what that man had said.

The minute the hurt was recognized, my ego became silent. My heartbeat returned to normal and it occurred to me that he must be in pain on some level to be so hateful towards people that he has no clue about.

Racist thoughts usually are a result of fear and he is probably afraid. So in the end, my anger was turned into compassion. Yes, I was disappointed that such racism still exists but it was no longer personal to me.

The ego makes everything into an issue because it feels threatened or hurt on some level. Any time you have envy, judgment, anger, fear, resentment, and so on…it is your ego talking. Any time you want to be right, you can be sure that your ego is taking control over you.

Ken Wilber said it best. He states that when you emotionally react to something it is because it is your ego talking and you are projecting your issues onto another person. When you see something and there is no emotional reaction, then your observation is merely an observation.

The best way to discern what is an ego based thought is to remember the following: any thought not rooted in love and compassion is coming from the ego. Logic can also be a form of ego talk. Logic is really tricky because it can be subtly used by the ego for justification of its behavior.

For example, it is logical to be financially secure. So the ego mind will justify doing a job that you hate because it will rationalize that dreams do not come true.

Logic in the form of knowing that a person should not touch a hot stove is logic without ego.

The underlying emotion is the key in deciphering an ego thought. The ego will never ever come from a place of love and positivity.

The ego thrives on fear and it will mold itself to meet your fears and insecurity. It will do everything it can to confirm what you fear.

In the words of Marianne Williamson; “the devil is not some dude hanging out in a far away land. It is the ego that is right between your ears.”

Special note: I recently did a guest post over at Sources of Insight about the top ten lessons I learned from my spiritual journey. Here is the link to that post.

Surprise, surpise, surprise…here is an unexpected post! My posting schedule is usually Sundays and Thursdays which is still the case. However, I had the opportunity to do a guest post at Sources of Insight. The focus of the post was the top ten lessons I learned from my spiritual journey.

Writing this post was such an awesome experience. I realized that I had learned more than ten lessons which made it kind of hard to pick only ten. Eventually, I settled on the ten that felt right and I hope it is of benefit to all that read it.

Feel free to leave a comment over at Sources of Insight. I plan to read every single one. Please check in again on Thursday where I will begin a two part series on learning to decipher whether a thought is coming from the ego mind or from your heart.

Have a beautiful day!

Few weeks ago, I came across a blog post (The 100-100 Divide) written by a fellow blogger Karl Staib which consumed my thoughts for a couple of days.

The subject of the post was on motivation and it was a fascinating read for it opened my eyes to the reality that not every one feels motivated about their lives. To be candid, I never understood how people could not be motivated. Please know that I do not say this with arrogance but rather with a sense of cluelessness.

Because of my past, there was always a fire in my soul that was determined to overcome any obstacles. Lacking in motivation was never a problem. I had problems with a lot of other stuff but never with motivation.

One thing that I love about life is that there are so many different perspectives regardless of the topic. Often, we just surround ourselves with people who share out perception. However, it is always great to learn how other people view certain things in life.

So with this in mind, I contacted Karl and asked him a few questions based on his post. The discussion that resulted was just wonderful. I decided to publish the whole thing because it was really hard to edit this piece. Here is how our conversation went:

HL: As you know, I loved your post “The 100-100 Divide”. One of the many points which you discussed, which I found interesting, was what you wrote about motivation. To start off, how would you define motivation?

Motivation is an internal desire that we try to match through external circumstances. We need the external world (senses) to understand ourselves. I think all of us are highly motivated when we can find the internal connection. I’ve seen the laziest co-worker turn to an amazing gaming (PlayStation) strategist. I’ve never seen such intense focus. This guy was a lazy-butt at work, but put him in front of this game and he dominated.

We make choices that are difficult every day but there is a motivation barrier that many of us can cross and other people can’t. I believe people have trouble finding out how to match their motivation to external conditions because they are afraid. They fear what might happen when they put themselves out there to be judged.

Do you consider motivation to be different than passion or are they the same?

I believe that motivation and passion are basically the same thing, just depends on perspective. Motivation feels more like work and passion feels more like play, but you can’t have one without the other.

Passion can drive motivation, but motivation can also build passion. Someone who has two kids at home is motivated to keep her job, but not passionate about it. This same person is passionate about her children, which drives her to do a good job.

On the other side, a person who stays at a job, hates her whole life, but does it for her kids, then retires and realizes that she was passionate about the job is coming from a different angle. The motivation encouraged the passion.

In the post, you wrote about how in Japan work is a privilege so they handle it differently than we do here in America. In my experience, many people view work as a chore. Why do you think we have that mentality? Do you think that is because half of our population does not love their jobs?

People view work as a chore because of the perceived lack of freedom. They feel that they will be happier somewhere else. I used to believe this. I job hopped in my 20’s because I thought if I could just find a job that made me happy, I would be happy. It was really my own lack on internal communication that made me unhappy. I wasn’t able to find a way to meet my own needs.

A person must first be content with who they are and who they want to be before they can extract joy from work. I think the actual work is secondary to your intrapersonal relationship. Most happy people can be content with almost any type of work. They find a way to see the positive.

I’ve found that spiritual people are good at connecting with their work because they look at the larger picture. They see how the energy that they are putting into the work is making a difference.

Most people are afraid to use their strengths at work and create the job that will make them the happiest. They would rather sit back and wait for happiness to find them instead of making a plan and putting it into action.

If a person loves to design and this person is in the accounting department because her parents wanted her to get a sensible degree, it’s hard to align her needs with the work. This is where passion and motivation must work together. A person must be motivated enough to work on themselves at work, so they can use more of their strengths.

Not everyone can be happy in certain jobs. They can be content, but not happy. Managers must realize this because if a person is doing work that doesn’t engage them then they aren’t going to get the results that they need. When I consult with companies I advocate for them to do career counseling, so they find out what their employee’s needs are. Once a company helps the employees meet her/his own needs at work, the amazing work follows.

In my experience, many employers do not give much consideration to the fact that their employees have lives. We are expected to give our all to the company yet the company does not seem to care much about us.

You wrote that this lack of consideration forces many employees to give just 50% and I have seen that happen in various jobs that I have held. People figure why should they give so much if the boss does not care about them.

One solution which you suggested was that what needs to change is how the employees view their work. With that in mind, what would be your advice to someone who has no idea what they love to do and feels trapped at their job?

The battle with motivation is 100% mental. If a person who hates their present job worked in a concentration camp for one year then came back to their present job I bet they would love life. This internal switch was created by appreciating what was missed and how good they once had it. This will fade again if the person doesn’t keep reminding themselves how blessed they are.

We have to find that internal switch. I believe positive psychology has done a lot of great work in this area. Your readers should pick up the book “Happier” by Tal Ben-Shahar. We need to find ways to be content with where we are so we can find ways to optimize our happiness. A person who is depressed at work must believe there is some sliver of hope.

We need to create that hope ourselves. A simple technique that I like to use is taking five minutes at the end of the workday to appreciate 3 things that happened in our day. They can be small things like a co-worker’s laugh or a good cup of coffee or the ability to solve a problem for a co-worker. By making this a daily habit we can start to build our confidence and create the life that will help us become happier.

Often unhappiness at work will trickle into other areas of someone’s life and contaminate it all. What would be your advice to prevent that from happening?

Focus on the things they can change. I know many people feel stuck at their 9 – 5 job because they feel they don’t have options. We always have options. We can quit. We can switch departments. No one is making us stay at a job. We can take night classes to find work that resonates with our needs.

We need to believe that our choices matter. I’ve talked about stuffing marketing bags by the 1,000’s on my blog. It was difficult. Back pain, boring, and my co-workers made fun of my crappy job. I could wallow in this self-pity or I could use this time to make me a stronger person. I chose to make the bag stuffing a meditation. It became a spiritual journey instead of just work. I tried to be fully present in every moment, feeling each plastic bag, relaxing with my breath, watching what thoughts would arise and where they were coming from. I also imagined the smiling faces of the people who would receive the bag full of little gifts. By doing this I opened up my happiness. I was able to see and feel the beauty in where I was at.

What made you decide to promote the concept of being happy at work?

I struggled with my own happiness at work. I hated every job I had. I now realize that I did this to motivate myself to find my true calling. The problem with this method was that I attacked my own confidence.

By working on my intrapersonal relationship at work, I built up my confidence. I started seeking opportunities to speak in public through my job. I asked to take classes to help me build my skills. I practiced 1 minute meditations to lower my stress level. I wrote in a gratitude journal. I tried to stop complaining for 30 days. Didn’t really work, but gave me perspective. I talked to people who were happy.

I tried so many things that eventually I realized that I could help other people. The best part is it’s a win-win from the employees as well as the companies. Happy people are more successful and resilient. This of course makes companies more successful and resilient.

After reading that 70% of white collar workers are unhappy I knew that I could make the working world a better place. I can’t think of anything that I would be better at and make me happier. It’s all about using strengths and passion together.

Recently, as a result of all the focus on aligning my outer life to match my inner life, I had an amazing realization that I wanted to share with all of you.

As you may recall, I do not write very fondly of my childhood and teenage years. Those were very dark and painful times. Unlike for many people, those years of my life are years that are pretty much blanked out in my memory and mind. They were very difficult times and often during those days I wondered how in the world I would ever overcome such pain.

My emotional baggage back then was quite huge. Ironically, despite all my agony, I was determined to overcome it and not have it define the rest of my life. When I was in my twenties, I began to work on healing myself and for the record, I had no idea how or what would happen. All I knew was that I wanted to break free from my pain.

My pain felt like chains that just kept me stuck. They were not pleasant and getting up each morning was not easy. The only thing that kept me going was hope. I knew in my heart that there was another way of being…I just did not know how to get there but I was determined to give it my all.

Part of getting over one’s issues is that a person becomes self-absorbed in those issues. Everything revolves around getting over that pain and trying to analyze why things happened and seeing the side-effects. It was hard labor. I had no sense of self due to all my pain and I had to build a sense of self from scratch. It was not easy and took a lot of time.

I remember sitting with books and doing exercises in an effort to figure out why I did some of the things that I did. I made myself look back at painful events and see how they affected the way I thought and behaved. I dug deep into my soul and many times I just sat and wept at the things I had been through.

However, that hard work paid off. I was able to build a sense of self and got over my pain. I am a very different person than I was back then. Whenever people ask me about my past and I tell them some of my experiences, they are amazed that I am the way that I am. To give you an idea of how bad it was, two friends of mine who had similar experiences both were institutionalized for a brief period of time due to the trauma of it all.

I was so fortunate that I did not go down that route. Spirituality is what saved me. I am so grateful to have discovered spirituality because it changed everything for me. (Thank you, God/The Universe, for giving me such loving parents who provided the foundation for being open to spirituality.) My life also proves that anyone can change if they really want to change.

As a result of that work, I started to notice towards the end of last year that my focus in life was no longer about me. This was a weird thing because for so many years all my focus was on getting rid of my baggage. Now all my focus is on doing what I can to make the world a better place. And I have to tell you…this is kind of scary.

It is scary because for the first time in my life, “I” am no longer an issue. What does this mean? It means that I have made peace with my past and who I am. I know I am not perfect and that is cool. I know my good points and my not so good points. I can tell when my ego is talking and when my heart is talking. The amazing thing is that my focus in life is no longer on myself but on others.

This is so new to me and like I said…it is kind of scary because I feel like I am looking at the world for the very first time. It is like an old book has been closed and I am now opening a new book with new eyes. It is one of the best feelings I have ever had.

I am still not exactly sure as to what lies ahead because I do not have much experience in living life without having to deal with my baggage but I am so happy to be at this stage. It is like a dream come true and just thinking about it makes my eyes fill up because I can recall days of wondering if I could ever overcome all the pain.

One thing that I have come to notice as a result of my journey is that we all have our baggage. None of us is immune to emotional pain. We make decisions and act in ways that are reflective of our baggage. Yet the beauty of life is that at any given moment we can free ourselves from that baggage.

It is not easy work and at times it will feel like someone is pulling your teeth out without any anesthesia to numb the pain. But ultimately the hard work is worth it because the joy of being here at this moment was earned.

If someone like me with my past could become a happy person and change their life completely…then anyone else can do it too. If I can help you in any way, just let me know. We each have the ability to help one another because we all have wisdom we can share. We are not here just to dwell on ourselves. We are here to help make the world a better place. We each have a method of doing that for we all have a purpose.

We just have to take the take time to figure out who we are and make peace with whatever it is that may be holding us back. When we are at peace with who we are, then we are better able to help others. We cannot give something we have not experienced.

If you have anything that is holding you back, do what you can to overcome it. You are not meant to be enslaved by your pain. You are meant to break free from it and shine bright because you are here for a reason. Take the time to figure it out. It is worth the effort. Trust me, it is a journey that will make you a better person in every way.

Special Note: Here is the link to my newest article at Elephant Journal.

The Universe/God has a sense of humor. Often we are given little hints along the way. I don’t know about you but I have often ignored some of those hints. I would like to share one with you as it relates to my search for a new career.

When I was twelve, my parents had to go on a trip so they left me with their very close friends. These two people were like an aunt and uncle to me. I loved them dearly and they felt the same about me. Anyway, one day while I was staying there, my uncle sat me down on the kitchen table and told me the following:

“Nadia, I may not be around when you are older but if you remember anything I ever told you, please remember what I am about to tell you.” I nodded my head in agreement and was curious as to what he was about to tell me.

“When you are ready to pick a career, I think it is best if you were your own boss. Have your own business,” he said with such love.

Being that I was a curious person, I naturally asked him why and here is what he said: “Well…you are just not the kind of person who blends in very easily. You march to the beat of your own drum and not everyone understands that.”

I was already complexed with feeling like a freak and this discussion was not making me feel any better about myself. I think it showed on my face because my uncle went on to tell me: “That is a good thing. The majority of the world sees things in black and white. You see things in bright colors and not everyone gets that. It is nothing to be ashamed about…just accept it and be your own boss. You will have more fun.”

My uncle passed on three years later and I never forgot that conversation even though I never followed a single thing he advised me to do. However, even though I ignored his advice, the Universe sent other hints. For example, my father has been telling me for years to be my own boss because I am not the kind of person who works well in structured environments. I ignored him too.

Then a few months ago, a few other people suggested the same thing too.

So here I am in the process of trying to figure out how to align my outer life with my inner life and these memories have been rising to the surface quite frequently. Almost everywhere I go, I am given a sign that I need to be my own boss. It is an interesting idea because I have never seriously considered it.

Why have I never considered it? I never really felt that there was anything I was really good at doing that would merit me having my own business. However, this has changed because I do recognize that I do have many skills which can be used to help others. This has been a wonderful realization.

Since these concepts have been on my mind, I have started to notice how so many people run their own companies. It then occurred to me that the people that I admire, all began with their own businesses which blossomed into something bigger. I do not know all the details yet but I do think there is a new path emerging here and I am thrilled.

I have no idea how things will turn out but I am beginning to realize that maybe there is a way to be my own boss and have a business that is truly reflective of what I am good at doing. This is so cool and yet a bit scary too. I have never felt more alive!

The concept of harmony, as you know, has been on my mind quite a lot recently. When you are working on having your outer life match your inner life, you cannot help but realize how important it is for the mind, body and spirit to be in sync.

In Eastern thought, it is believed that the human body is comprised of seven chakras. Each one of those chakras is symbolized as a spinning wheel. A harmonized body is when all seven chakras are spinning in unison.

The bottom three chakras relate to issues that deal with the physical world. The fourth chakra (heart) is like a neutral zone that links the physical and spiritual world. The top three chakras represent spiritual issues/world. We all have issues that we are dealing with and when an issue is left unchecked, it will manifest as some physical ailment.

I never used to believe this until I read Anatomy of the Spirit. That book made me realize that my emotions dictate not only my experience but also how my body feels. We are surrounded by germs constantly but only when our immune system is low are we susceptible to getting sick.

Emotions that are never healed can manifest into diseases like cancer or some other illness. Of course, science may not necessarily back this up but more and more doctors are focusing time on the importance of mind, body and spirit. Take for example, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Andrew Weil. Both men show that once we get a handle on how we live, we can affect our bodies which in turn affects our health.

The more in tune you become to what is happening within you, the more aware you become of how your emotions will appear in your body. Unvoiced thoughts or feelings may appear as a sore throat. Stress regarding how your life is may manifest as a migraine headache. Everything is connected. What you eat, think and feel will impact your body on some level.

Since it is the start of the New Year, a lot of focus in magazines and at the bookstore is on how to lose weight. For the record, I have been on so many diets and even though some of them worked, they never had long term results. Diets will never work unless you change how you look at not only your body but at your life. Your body is a wonderfully designed machine. Respect it and realize that any time you get upset or stressed, your body gets impacted too.

Love not only yourself but your body too. If you can get up in the morning and do what you have to do, that is a huge blessing!

With this in mind, many women out there struggle with pms and other pre-menopausal issues. I was recently asked to review the book Female Brain Gone Insane. A lot of the information in that book was not new to me since I have read up on these things in the past. However, that said, I highly recommend this book for women who are in their thirties and above. It is full of information that might come in handy.

Personally, I am not a fan of taking medicine unless you really have to do so. Many people take pills in order to deal with something without really dealing with an issue. Most illnesses are a result of unresolved emotions but not everyone shares that belief which I totally understand and respect.

So just do what feels right to you. What is more important is that you begin to understand that you are an amazing being whose mind, body and spirit are essential aspects to who you are at any given moment.

“We are what we repeatedly do.” – Aristotle

One of the many things that is truly beautiful about Eastern thought , especially Buddhism, is that it makes you aware that most human problems arise in the mind. We are what we think and as the quote above so wisely states, we are what we do over and over again.

Change how you think, you change your life and world. Sounds very simple but it is true. The minute you alter your perception about a situation, you begin to view the same situation with a new pair of eyes. I will give you an example from my life. I have been out of work since September.

In the beginning, it was fun to take a break from the routine. Then concerns about money set in and I went out looking for any job that I could find. I went on some interviews that turned my life around in so many ways. It made me aware of what I need to do and as a result, being unemployed has been a huge blessing. I tell people this and they think I am crazy but blessings don’t always come in ways that you want or desire.

Life is what you make out of it and what is crucial in making the most out of life is to be aware of how you view life. See life as a huge mess, then that will be your experience. View life as a wonderful journey, then that will be your experience too.

This does not mean that there will not be any challenges. Challenges will always be present but what will change is how you view them. Either see them as a huge stumbling block or see them as an opportunity for mastery.

It is okay to have moments when you complain about how things are. We all do that and that is fine just as long as it does not prevent you from moving forward.

Life is always in motion even if you feel that you are stuck. Growth is a constant and there is a lot of beauty in growing. Do you want to go back to where you were when you were a teenager? No amount of money in the world could make me consciously choose to turn back time. All that happened got me to where I am now.

And even though the road ahead is somewhat unknown at the moment, I am grounded in knowing that whatever comes across my path, I will be able to handle it. Does this mean I do not have fear? No, it means I am rooted in faith.

What is faith? When I first began my spiritual journey, I thought of faith as believing in God. Faith is more than that. Faith is knowing that at any given moment you are being watched over and that you are being taken care of constantly.

Faith also means knowing that you are responsible for how you experience life. When I was just starting my spiritual journey, I thought that I had no free will. I viewed destiny as something that I could not control. Buddhism changed this around for me.

Yes, there is a thing called destiny. Certain things you are meant to experience but you also have the free will to choose how you experience an event. Those choices result in your karma. You are the creator and destroyer of your world.

Now I realize this may scare some people because let’s face it, none of us wants to deal with negative karma. Whenever I talk about karma, my dad gets all nervous because he thinks it means there is no hope. There is hope. Because based on how you choose to live life, you can also alter your karma.

When I was a new initiate in the Ramakrishna/Vedanta Order, there was a story we were taught about a man whose karma was that he would be severely injured by a sword since he had done the same to another man some ten years earlier. The story went on to show that the man sincerely prayed every day for forgiveness and turned his life around to redeem his actions. As a result of his efforts, injury by a sword was reduced to the mere experience of a paper cut.

The Universe is merciful. We all have had our share of pain and suffering. No one is immune from this fact. Life is short but you can control how you choose to experience your life. So choose to live your life based on what is your truth and what makes your heart sing.

The only person who can hold you back is you and that is an easy obstacle to remove. Simply change your perception. The glass is not half empty and it is not half full. It is over flowing, baby!

Special note: Here is a link to my newest article over at Elephant Journal.