I recently heard a song I loved in High School by Trisha Yearwood.  The song is titled "She's in love with the boy" and the chorus has the line, "what's meant to be will always find its way".  I started to think about that line.  I believe that.  What's meant to be WILL always find its way.  I can see from my life that that has always been the case.  I remember my Senior year of college, sitting on my bed, crying, after a hugely successful event on campus that I managed because on my way home, I had stopped to check the mail and got a rejection letter from Cooper and Lybrand internal consulting.  It was my dream job - the one I wanted.  I got rejected.  I only had one other place left that I had applied and not yet heard from, Andersen Consulting.  They were supposed to let me know by that day too and had not.  That night I had heard from someone else that they had heard from Andersen and I hadn't.  I assumed that meant I did not get that job either.  I was devastated and scared.  I did not know if I would have a job when I graduated.  Mind you, it was November, Senior Year, but in overachieverville, this was bad news. I sat on my bed crying while my bestie and parents sat next to me.  They had come out for the big event.  And, instead of celebrating at the end of the success, I was on my bed, crying.  I spent that entire weekend depressed thinking that I would be the only person from Georgetown graduating without a job lined up.  I felt like a failure.  On Monday morning, I got a call from Andersen letting me know I got the job. They called one group on Friday and my group, which was a different department, on Monday.  That job was one of the best experiences of my life and put me on an amazing path.  I am grateful every day for my time at Andersen Consulting.

That is just one example of things working out.  I have millions.  And, my guess is, you do too... if you think about it.  Things do always work out.  While we are going through the worst part of it, there are moments where we think, "this is truly terrible".  And, in that moment, that feeling is real.  But, like the Monday morning phone call, there is always a miracle around the corner.  And, the miracle may not be getting the exact job, it might be something all together different.  I really wanted the other job, but in truth, I have realized, I do not know what is best for me.  Coopers no longer exits, Andersen Consulting is now Accenture and still opens doors for me 12 years after I left. Sometimes things in our life have to fall apart for the bigger, better, more aligned thing to come in. We all know that. But, we also can tend to forget it when life seems to be going not according to our big, beautiful plans for ourselves.  In those moments, I find this to saying to be helpful - what's meant to be will always find its way.  

What's meant to be will always find its way.

The power is that is that there is nothing to do.  Like being in out of control rapids, sometimes you have to realize that you just have to hold on and get through a rough patch.  Not falling in is success.  We tend to want to be in control and at the top of our game for everything.  Sometimes, the top of our game is just holding on.  Another quote I love from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams:  "What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?"  To which, Maggie the Cat replies, "Just staying on it, I guess, as long as she can."  Very rarely does life need you to jump.  If you can sit patiently with the discomfort, it will pass, and what is new will come through.  It always does.  The rain always stops and the sun shines again.  Winter always transitions to spring.  And, what is meant to be, always finds its way.

The next time you find yourself worrying and unsure about what might happen next, remind yourself, that there is nothing to do.  This one spiritual practice could change your life.  We tend to want to jump in, fix, discuss, analyze, be sad, be mad, take charge, hide under the covers, etc.  But, in reality, there is nothing to do but to ride it out with as much peace as you can find.  In these times, remind yourself, that this is God/Higher Power giving you an opportunity to release and let go and rely on it to get you through.  It is our reminder that we are not in control.  It is our reminder that we don't have to figure it all out on our own.  And, most importantly, it is a reminder that no matter how alone we may feel, we are SO not alone.  There is a benevolent, loving force that is handling things for us from the other side.  This force brought us to this situation, the one that we think is terrible, and has us on our knees so that it can bring us out on the other side to a much better outcome - every time.  I realize some of our life experiences, it may take us our whole lives to see what the better outcome was and some we may not get to know while we are here on earth, but I do believe, every one of our painful moments leads us to something better.  That concept was really reinforced for me after reading about numerous people's near death experiences.  In each case, they were shown the worst moments of their life, and how that led to something so beautiful and good.  A great example of this is Anita Moorjani's story in Dying to be Me.

I end this post with a reminder to myself and to each of you that are reading this - have faith and trust.  There is nothing to do.  There is a wonderful plan unfolding.  Your joy is your indicator on how to follow that plan.  For those of you who have done Joy Challenge, you know in the difficult moments, joy may be a nap, going for a walk, taking a bath, or talking to a friend.  Sometimes, in hard times, joy comes in the simplest forms.  You can create this life to be whatever you want it to be but you don't get to choose how it unfolds, that is where trust and faith come in.  When in pain, do for others.  That can be as small as praying for someone, especially people who have hurt/wronged you, giving money to charity, or spending time with someone (parents, children, etc) and being present.  Giving from your heart always lifts the spirits because it takes the focus off of you and what is or is not working and focuses it on being of service. You create with your thoughts, don't let reality deter you.  Everything has to be created in the mind before it can be created in reality.  Be more dedicated to creating peace and joy in your mind than you are to what circumstances are showing you.  Have great compassion for yourself and everyone else in the situation.  If someone is not doing right by you, it is because of pain within them, not about you. Have compassion for their struggle and have GREAT compassion for yourself.  You too are doing the best that you can.  Find gratitude for all the things that are always going right.  I like to be grateful for my senses, my arms, my legs.  When you are unwell in any way, it is such a reminder of how lucky we are that our bodies work (any part of them) and how much we benefit from that.  It is a very uplifting gratitude practice for me.  During the month of November, we are doing a 30 day gratitude practice in my Facebook Group, Adventures with Amina, based on Pam Grout's book, Thank and Grow Rich.

And, finally, trust that the unfoldment and know that what's meant to be will always find its way.

I woke up this morning to an interesting question, one that I have gotten a few times lately - are you creating or destroying?  The Universe is constantly in motion, getting bigger, expanding, and allowing for more and more creative energy.  Each of us have the opportunity to do the same - constantly grow, learn, adjust and create.  However, often times, when things don't go our way, it is easy to fall into negative thought patterns that are destructive.

As I was pondering this question in the early hours of the morning, I realized that in every moment we we have a choice to create or to destroy.  We can either look at a situation in our life and see a positive way to create something from the situation, or we can find ways to blame, complain, and make another wrong.  Making others wrong, spending time in judgment is so easy, and it is a very destructive force. 

True confession - that affirmation is still aspirational for me.  Currently, I base my happiness on a lot of external factors.  The least of which include the weather, and the worst of which include other people (who, have you noticed, are totally unpredictable?). Today, I woke up in a great mood and within the first 10 minutes of my day I got information which immediately turned that happy into anxious, worried, and generally icky feelings.  And, just like that, I lost my own happiness.

My new habit has been to start my day with a walk.  As I got dressed to go, the general malaise feeling followed me and I found myself dragging my feet (for 30 minutes!) from getting out the house.  A walk is a sure fire mood-shifter for me, but once in that ick state, it is hard to even do the things that I know will make me feel better!  When I finally got walking, I was still lost in thoughts of worry.  And, then I saw my daily Abraham Hicks quote jump up on my phone.

Tell everyone you know: “My happiness depends on me, so you’re off the hook.” And then demonstrate it. Be happy, no matter what they’re doing. Practice feeling good, no matter what. And before you know it, you will not give anyone else responsibility for the way you feel — and then, you’ll love them all. Because the only reason you don’t love them, is because you’re using them as your excuse to not feel good.
​Excerpted from Asheville, NC on 4/30/05

And, there are days and moments, where sometimes just a simple reminder is all it takes to shift your mood.  And, there are other days, where I can listen and read 100 of these before I feel a tiny, bit better. But, today, was the day where I just needed the reminder.  And, I realized that I could feel ok, no matter what.  It reminder me of my Non-suffering practice.  It reminded me that I get to choose if and when to give up my Peace. It reminded me of Who I am Really Am and the power that is my ability to choose the way I want to show up in the world at all times.  

Those of you who know me, know that I am into astrology.  I just find so much of what they say to match my life experience.  While I don't fully know it or study it extensively, I keep up with the eclipses and retrogrades.  And, I know that July is going to be a full month of stuff - good stuff, big stuff, changing stuff, just stuff.  For that reason, I thought this is a good time to remind myself of the fact that I can be happy no matter what.  I get to make that choice.  I do not have to give up my happiness based on another person and their personal drama, or an external event which I cannot control.  I can be happy anyways.  It is a really empowering feeling to know that I own my own happiness, and honestly, my own peace. They are mine and I get to stay in them (or lose them) based on what I decide.  Don't let your mind fool you, like mine did this morning, and tell you that these things are out of your control.  Take a moment to remind yourself of Who You Really Are and get your happy back!

I have been working on lessons of trust for... well... this lifetime.  It is an area where I have a lot of good intention and an area where I get bumped off my path when the most minor thing goes "not according to plan" (the plan being my plan, not God's plan, hence the lesson in trust).  And, over the past few months, I have been committed to working on surrendering.  I did not tie that directly to trust, I tied it more to having peace of mind.  However, what I have found in my process of surrendering is amazing examples of God making everything right by me.  One example after the other.

I have had a difficult subject on my mind lately, having to do with trust.  I want to trust.  I know I should trust.  I know that everything is working out for my greatest good.  I KNOW all of this.  But, the internal emotional feelings are one of pure fear.  Not just fear, pure fear.  Dread.  Anxiety.  Overwhelm.  Feelings that I do not enjoy and like to get the heck out of as quickly as possible.  However, I have been working on surrendering. One of the key steps, and the one I have often times tried to skip, is to sit with these "horrible" feelings and allow them the space they need to just be there.  I have learned time and time again, the more openly I sit with them and allow them, the quicker they dissolve, whereas any amount of millions of activities to help make myself "feel better" only lead to temporarily forgetting (if I am lucky) followed by being stuck back in the same feelings over and over again until they pass. This time, I have made a conscious effort to just be with them without analyzing them, understanding them, fixing them, or running from them.  It is actually a peaceful process if you can get to the place of disengaging your brain and just literally BEING in the feeling.

And, in each case, I have repeated what has become my new mantra - I could see peace instead of this or I choose peace.  Both of them are a reminder of the commitment I have to myself that I am more committed to peace than to "figuring it out", "being right" or a big one for me, "knowing".  This feeling of wanting to know, for me, is the polar opposite of trust.  When I get into wanting to know, I am by default saying, I do not trust God to take care of me, so I need to know what is happening so I can plan to take care of myself.  The funny part is, it sounds so logical and almost downright responsible to me.  But, it robs me of so much peace.  This need to take care of myself, to be in control, to know, it only leaves me with anxiety, self-doubt, and stress and never have I outsmarted God or the Universe with a better outcome then the one they had planned for me.

As you are moving through life, and you feel any of these feelings of discomfort, ask yourself, "how can I let the Universe handle this for me?"  I have had some experiences lately, where I have not asked that question, but instead, decided (in some icky situations) to leave so that I could hold my peace and in a short period of time, remove my judgement of another person.  And, the outcomes have been HILARIOUS!  The good things that have shown up for me.  The opportunities, the love, the grace of God, have been amazing.  And, the weird (funny, not mean) things that have happened to the other person.  I am starting to see that God knows how to handle every situation in the perfect way, and to make it right.  And, if I don't get involved, God's way of making it right, is SO perfect.  It is the right amount of validation for me, and the most amount of love for me and them.  And... in the past few weeks, it has also brought me a good chuckle.  Next time you are having a feeling of ick, thinking someone is doing you wrong, just hand it over to the Big Guns and get yourself back to peace and non-judgement as quickly as possible, and you can join in on the chuckles with me!

 I have been working on manifesting a specific thing for months now, actually almost a year, and it is just not happening.  And, it is frustrating because I KNOW how to manifest.  And, I know how to make things happen.  I know how to get clear and I know how to release and well... it is still just.not.happening. I coach people through situations like these, and I know, it will come at the time it will come, and in a way that we did not expect.  It will feel like a complete and utter miracle when it happens.  And, that got my thinking about miracles and how we give up on our desire a little too soon.

I have written about miracles before and defined them as something that happens in a way that is beyond our current comprehension as possible.  It is based on what we currently believe is possible.  If we do not believe it is possible, and it happens, we call it a miracle.  And, each day, things happen that is beyond our belief! We watch videos of daring rescues and amazing feats.  We hear stories of miraculous cures.  Miracles are everywhere and when we get to see them in someone else's life, it lifts us and gives us hope.  However, some of us are not able to see the miracle for one simple reason, we are not looking for miracles on a daily basis.  And, while the miracles are happening, we do not have "the eyes to see" them.  And, because we are not seeing them, we are so ready to give up, which can be good, sometimes it is a form of release.  However, instead of giving up, we can grow miracle-minded!

How do you get the eyes to see miracles?
1.  Celebrate the stories of miracles happening to others.  When you hear a miraculous story, get super-excited and celebrate it!  Then, remind yourself, if it can happen to them, it can happen to you and your miracle is happening right now!
2.  Understand that you live in a vortex of miracles.  Everything you need and that is aligned to your highest, spiritual path is already set up for you to receive.  There is literally nothing you have to do to get it, other than stop rejecting it when it tries to come in (hee hee - easier said than done).  So like a special order you have placed, remind yourself that the order has been placed and it will get here when it does, but it is definitely on its way!
3.  Find evidence of your miracle right now.  As humans, we are amazingly good at making up stories.  We actually excel in taking normal, every day events and giving them deep meaning.  Start taking a daily inventory of the things that happen to you and tell yourself the story that this is part of the miracle you have received.  I love daydreaming stories of how things are working out for me and then looking for evidence that my story is true.  Tell yourself, "I am a miracle magnet"; "Miracles find me"; and, "My life just gets easier and easier all the time". See what these affirmations, stories, and beliefs can create in your life!

Celebrating your upcoming miracle with you!  I am partying like it is already here!  Congratulations on deciding to be miracle-minded all the time!  And... keep me posted on what miracles you create!

As I am sitting here starting to play Joy Challenge 2019, I have been thinking a lot about Flow, 0% effort, 100% return.  It is the most magical feeling ever and I have been so lucky to experience it more often than not.  But, there are times, where no matter how hard or not hard I try, I cannot seem to make it into that state of flow that I love so dearly.  I started to think about what I do when I am not in flow.  Because, of course, trying to get into flow is the #1 way to elude it.

I realized that when I am not in flow, I simply float.  I remember floating a lot as a kid.  When my mom got home from work in the summers, she would take me to the very large public pool.  I LOVED to swim as a child and rarely got to go.  Well, that is probably not true.  I just did not get to go as much as I would have wanted to go - every day, all day long.  No one in my neighborhood had a pool and I had to wait for my parents to come home from work to take me, which often times meant I was at the pool at 6 pm when there were almost no other kids there.  I spent a lot of time making up dances in the pool to the 80s music that was blaring off the lifeguard's boom box and dreamt of being a lifeguard, so I could spend all day, every day at the pool.  When I got tired of all that, I would simply lay on my back and float.  I would notice how funny the music sounded as my ears were half under water, or how pretty the sky looked as the sun was lowering on the horizon.  I would dream of my future, one far better than my current day reality, and well, float.

In the recent months, I have found myself returning to that feeling of float.  I have definitely had moments of flow.  They are always miraculous and amazing, but some combination of an extremely cold winter for this born-to-be-a-California-girl plus transitions in work plus life changes left me in a bit of a funk.  I called it the Winter Blues, until I realized that was making me feel worse.  That's when I realized, I am actually just floating.  I have had a lot of these time periods in my life.  Like, when I graduated college and decided to take the summer off to hang out in Europe while my Dad was stationed in Brussels before starting my cool big consulting company job.  Sounds great, right?  I worked at NATO in between fabulous trips to Italy, Greece, France, and around Belgium.  What I did not realize was how lonely and sad I would be working at NATO.  I had a college degree and a really prestigious job lined up when the summer ended.  I was working as an Admin to a General and his regular Admin (a career Admin) hated me with a passion.  To her, I was just a college kid whose Dad got her a job so she could travel around Europe.... which.... was true.  She wanted nothing to do with me and worse, gave me the most menial tasks she could think of.  Not only did she not see me as a bright, shining star, she acted like she did not see me at all.  With only two of us working in a single office, it made for a particularly lonely day.  But, I learned how to float.  

Floating is an interesting skill, especially if you are doing it without water.  When you are floating, you are there, but not really, you are in your own little world.  You can hear sounds, like I did of the 80s music, but they are muffled, not clear and not fully getting in.  You are focused on the sky and as such are not fully present to the current reality.  I found myself sitting at my desk but I was not really there, not fully.  Don't get me wrong, this is not a way to be for any extended period of time.  But, it is a great way to be for a not-so-fun period of time.  Because you can be there, and also be totally in your own wonderful bubble.  And, you own wonderful bubble is a much better place to be then worried, trying to take anxious action, or blaming, complaining or getting back at someone else.  These are all places that we all know is NOT helpful to be at.  And, while what we really want is to get back into the flow, sometimes floating is a good first step to get there.  Once I started floating, it was easy to sprinkle in some joy.  I took a later lunch break and would watch General Hospital during lunch, which was my favorite back in those days.  I volunteered to run all the errands, which got me out of the office and meeting other folks in NATO.  And, of course, I spent any down time I did have, planning amazing European vacations which I took almost every other weekend.  I found a lot of joy while floating.  

As I prepare for Joy Challenge 2019, I found myself coming out of the float stage and just naturally doing things that bring me joy.  We all know what happens next, right?  Those little acts of joy is exactly how we get back into Flow!  Next time you find yourself out of Flow, give yourself a break, turn over on your back, use no energy whatsoever and give Floating a try!

I have always been a huge fan of Valentine's Day, though, admittedly celebrated my fair share of Valentine's Days alone.  My mom used to send me flowers each year on Valentine's Day because she knew how much I loved the holiday.  Over the years, I have had numerous guy friends who would do something special with me on this day, send me something or take me out to a casual dinner, just to help me celebrate a holiday I so dearly loved.  And, now, that I see my life through the eyes of love, I am able to appreciate all of these gestures on a whole 'nother level!

In A Course in Miracles it talks about how our goal is not to reach for love, but to remove all the obstacles we have placed between us and Who We Really Are, which is Love.  You are Love.  What would your life be like if you started acting in accordance with Who You Really Are?  What would change if you walked around BEING Love?  What opportunities might you see, that have always been there?  What experiences would you have by being totally true to yourself, your true nature?  And, how many other lives would you change by showing up in this world as Love?  We sometimes forget that our Truth is that we come from the Ultimate Source of Love.  We were created by the Ultimate Source of Love. And, who we are, is Love.  We are surrounded by love at all times in every situation, even when our momentary perspective puts blinders on our eyes.  We are still surrounded by love.  

This Valentine's Day, I invite you to remember the truth about yourself.  I invite you to walk through the day BEING love.  All the things that love are for you - be that in your daily interactions.  Be kind, caring, thoughtful, giving, receiving, fun, happy, joyous, supportive, nurturing.  Be Love in every one of your interactions.  You could ask yourself, WWLD?  What would Love do in this situation?  The more you act like Love, the easier it will be to remember that that is your truth.  And, the more your are interacting with Love, the more love you attract to yourself.  Be the Love you wish to receive and watch the miracles unfold.

Have you ever gone grocery shopping without a list or started a project without making sure you have all the materials (or started cooking without making sure you had all the ingredients?)  I have.  A lot.  Often.  I think I am moving faster, but in most cases, I have to re-do, re-start, break the flow, and everything takes longer.  I am pretty sure that is why I married my husband.  He never makes a move until he has thought it out all the way, has all the materials he needs, and has thought through the likely scenarios of what may come up.  Wow!

I have learned a few things on this latest journey of taking ownership and responsibility of my decision to suffer.  One of the biggest things I learned, is that I rely to heavily on the feedback of others.  I actually love this about myself.  I love hearing different perspectives and seeing things differently.  I also know for a fact that I am so unsure of what I am doing.  I have made decisions that I was 100% confident and SURE were right, that turned out to be hugely misguided and based on some unconscious unmet need versus my true nature.  I have passed on opportunities that I was 100% sure were all wrong, only to be shown later, that they came from a place of deep love and respect and deserved to be at least considered. Knowing my own imperfectness, I looked often to others for their thoughts.  But this shifted this year as I worked on my practice of non-suffering.  You see, in order to not suffer, I had to change the way I saw everything that happened to me.  And, I had to see it completely different than how any conventional wisdom would teach me to see it.  In order to do that, I had to stop sharing and telling others about what was happening because 1) if I was talking about it, I was suffering over it and 2) even if I felt good about it, when I told others, they would say something that would make me question myself and thus start another cycle of suffering.  In order to stop suffering, I had to stop giving events air time in my life.  Internally in my head and externally in the form of telling others what happened and asking for their thoughts and perspectives about it.

I also learned to have more discernment in whose advice I listened to.  I wrote a blog post about who to follow and why. I realized upon signing up for a class, that I tend to sign up for classes with people who I see consistently, walking their talk.  No one is perfect and the teachers I follow tend to talk about the things they are working on and perfecting, just as much as the things they are rocking and getting right.  Authenticity.  And, the person who is Remembering Who They Really Are.  Because, when I spend time in the company of people who Remember Who They Really Are, I naturally Remember Who I Really Am.  They create an environment where that naturally happens for me.  In Who to Follow and Why, I suggested some questions to ensure the person whose advice you are taking is doing their own spiritual work.  Both of these are essential to consider before allowing outside influences in to your inter-alignment process.

As this year ends, I have noticed I am talking to God a lot more.  I am talking about all kinds of stuff.  Whether I should try a new recipe or just make the one I always make.  Whether I should let the cleaning lady bring someone with her or tell her to come alone.  Whether I should take a big trip I want to take or wait longer.  Whether I should reach out to offer consulting support or wait and see what flows in.  Being in flow, which is my favorite way to be, requires aligning yourself with a higher power.  Whatever you call the Higher Power, the key is to align internally to that higher vibration, that higher plane, and get a higher perspective.  In my blog, Puzzle Pieces, I talked about how to create the things I want in my life, they are not from using the same puzzle pieces and making them fit, but by opening up and allowing more in to create a bigger, better outcome.

Finally, the last reason for focusing on Inner-alignment is because you are currently Whole and Complete.  You have everything you need, right now, inside yourself, to create whatever is the highest, best outcome.  I love the opening of A Course in Miracles, which talks about the goal of ACIM.  It is not to teach love, because that is something that cannot be taught, but instead, to remove your barriers to love.  That is so true about each of us.  There is nothing to fix about ourselves or improve, only to remove the barriers, the hurts, the suffering, that keep us from being the amazing human beings that we TRULY are already.  

As we step into 2019, this is my prayer for us all

Dear God - 
As we move forward, guide our steps, our words and our actions.
Remind us often of Who We Are and Why We Are Here.
Remind us that love is enough.
Remind us that us being our true, authentic self is what the world needs the most.
Where we have fear, replace it with faith.
Where we have judgement, replace it with discernment and knowledge.
Where we have anger, replace it with true sight.
Where we have pain and suffering, replace it with miracles.
Let us not judge ourselves or others.
Let us see the truth of Who each person we encounter Really Is, so that we may remember Who We Really Are.
When we walk away from another or a situation, let us leave with love in our heart and with kindness, under your direction.
When we get triggered, remind us to pause before acting.
When we feel hurt, allow our own self compassion and your love to wash over our wounds and heal them.
Grant us our heart's desires and more than we ever imagined possible, so that we may give more than we ever thought possible.
Ease the burden of every human around the world and allow us to be of use to end suffering for all.
This year, give us the strength to be the men and women we are capable of being so that we may do the work that so desperately needs to be done to uplift the planet and each creature on it.
Use us for the greatest good of all.  Use our gifts, our talents, and our strengths.  Heal our weaknesses and our wounds so that we may shine brighter and be the miracle for each other.
So it is and so it shall be.
Ameen

This past year, I had an amazing opportunity to take an 8-week course on Self-Compassion.  I was excited, knowing I would learn some cool things that I could pass along to others.  You can imagine my dismay when I had to repeat week 1 of the course before being able to move to week 2. "I failed Week 1 of Self-Compassion", was the victim-based thought that went through my mind.  However, in reality, the teacher was much more interested in me experiencing self- compassion than being able to mentally regurgitate the correct answers on a worksheet.  And, this started a now, 9 week, journey into Self-Compassion that was truly transformational.  

While self-compassion is by no means a new word, it does not seem to get the same air time as its cousins self-love and self-care.  While I believe it is how a word makes you feel, the vibration, the images, and the feelings it conjures that is more important than the dictionary definition, I did spend some time distinguishing these words.  Self-compassion to me is a complete acceptance of Who You Really Are as well as your flaws, weaknesses, and wounds that you received by traveling through this thing we call Life.  Self-Love is you ability to truly, completely, and unconditionally love yourself, knowing Who You Really Are as well as your flaws, weaknesses, and wounds.  And, self-care, is your ability to take a time out, pause, and take a moment for yourself to re-ground and Remember Who You Really Are, in the moments where you forget.  I believe Self-Compassion is the process to get to Self-Love, and Self-Care are the moment to moment actions you take to reinforce the mindset of Self-Compassion.  They are all linked and create a process that leads to less suffering in this life.

I remember in my 20s, when I was trying to meet Mr. Wonderful, and kept having one let down after another, people used to tell me, "you have to love yourself first before someone can love you the way you want to be loved."  It sounded like great advice.  So, I would sit in front of the mirror and stare deep into my eyes and tell myself I love you.  Then, I would look myself over and name things I loved about myself.  As time passed, and still no Mr. Wonderful, I wondered why this process hadn't worked.  "I love myself.  I told myself so in the mirror!  What else do I need to do?!?!"  I needed to accept Who I Really Am and love that person, the one with the flaws and weaknesses.  I needed to stop hiding the parts of me that I had not accepted and instead give them space and allow them to be.  I needed to realize that the way other people see me is their perception, based on their life experiences, and does not truly reflect anything about me.  These were lessons that were yet to come in my life.  And, as you can imagine, when they started coming, just the mere beginnings of them,  I not only found true love, but I found myself waiting to be loved by me.

One of the agreements of this Self-Compassion course I took is to turn around and teach it others.  That is what we are doing in my subscription group and for the month of January, in Adventures with Amina.  I am excited to take what I learned and what I experienced and share it with you all.  I have seen subtle shifts in my life over the past few months that have led to more peace and less suffering.  If you feel like you have made the big shifts and done the big work, I would highly recommend this course.  Its like the tiny, thin, washer, when you are putting together furniture that does not seem to have a purpose, yet, is the one thing that makes everything come together in a stronger, more sturdy, more reliable way.  That is how I see self-compassion.  The necessary component that makes all the other components of your life work so much better.

I had a huge ah ha moment, one that is a pretty obvious one with Law of Attraction circles, the other day.  I was participating in The Good Vibe University's 7 Day Receiving Challenge, and on one day, in the video, we were being asked to open up to all the opportunities that are always being offered to us.  That, most of us, most of the time, have confined ourselves to a small box of possibility, and we do not have all the things we want.  In order to get our BIG wishes, we have to expand that box.

I noodled on that all day as I opened myself up to see where the Universe is offering me bread crumbs in the direction of my dream.  It was knocking around in my head all day.  That night, as I was going to sleep, all of a sudden, I realized something!  I have a picture in mind of what I want (my vision), and I have a handful of puzzle pieces.  I keep using these puzzle pieces to create my vision and they do.not.work (argh)!  But, of course they don't work!  They are not all the right pieces.  Some of them are, some of them are pieces to someone else's puzzle that I have the opportunity to give away and help someone else's dream come true, and I am missing some pieces, that are not here, yet.  

Have you ever tried to make one of those really hard puzzles.  And, you think you found a piece that "should" fit and you try to ram it in and it does not fit?  How often do we do that with life?  We know what we want, but the puzzle pieces in front of us won't give us that, so we duck tape pieces together, ram them together, or just sit there and lament about the puzzle pieces we have.  In reality, the pieces for the picture we want are on their way, or maybe even right under our nose (did you check under the table to see if it fell down there) but we are not seeing it, because we are too focused on a handful of pieces and making those specific pieces work.

After realizing this, and it was a huge ah ha.  I was laying in bed and when I saw this, I felt a mix of pure excitement and relief.  And, then I felt a little silly, because I KNOW this already!  In Law of Attraction, you focus on what you want, and leave the how to the higher power.  In spiritual principle, you ask to be used for the highest good and to be directed by the higher power.  In no principle, except our insanity as humans (I love that about us) does it suggest that you sit down and try to figure your entire life out with a pencil and a piece of paper. The one thing we know that does not work is us trying to be the mastermind.  

This is such good news.  It is the kind of news, where you can fall back in your chair, and let out the breathe you are holding and say, ah.  There is nothing for you to do.  There is nothing for you to figure out.  You will get the puzzle pieces you need at the right time.  And, the fastest, quickest, best way to get those puzzle pieces is to:
1.  Be clear about what YOU want - your vision
2.  Be grateful for the pieces you have (even those that don't belong to you and need to be returned, like debt, illness, lack of opportunities in your field of expertise, etc).  After all, not all puzzle pieces are the preemo corner pieces, but together, all of the pieces make the picture.
3.  TRUST that the puzzle pieces you want and need are in your immediate vicinity.  Not just on their way to you.  But, right here, as you do #1 and #2, you will have the eyes to see thm (as my friend, Ming Chee would say).  

Final Thought:  I go back and forth about the idea that Life is Hard.  There are many days, that I do not believe that at all.  I certainly have a ton of evidence in my own experience that shows that life is easy, magical, and constantly surprising me with goodness.  However, I do like the thought of elbow grease.  I like the idea that we are not put here to have things fall in our lap (all the time, but a lot of the time, yes!).  That instead, we are here to push ourselves to growth.  It is not that the puzzle pieces are being kept from you, but that you are being asked to reach a little, to sing a little, to prioritize your joy a little more, to be more grateful.  At the end of the day, I do not believe we are here to get what we want but instead to become the men and women we are capable of being.  To grow, to expand, to stretch.  Not in a painful way, though, in moments, it may be uncomfortable, but that discomfort is what makes the attainment of that puzzle piece all the more sweeter!