The Native Americans have a belief that the antidote to any poisonous plant grows within reach of the poisonous plant.  In the same way, the solution to any problem you are experiencing is within reach of the problem itself, i.e., within your reach. 

On Saturday, I went and walked a labyrinth.  It has been a while since I walked one and every time I do, I get deep insight into myself, who I am and what I need to do next.  If you are interested in the spiritual path of walking a labyrinth, check out my previous blog post, Walking the Labyrinth of Life.

This is the message I received on Saturday after I walked the labyrinth. I hope it is as beneficial to you as it was to me. 

What is a problem?
A problem is your belief that what is happening at the moment is not aligned with what you want or need.  For example, if you do not have enough money to pay your bills.  You want to be able to pay your bills and therefore, the gap between not having the money to pay your bills and your desire to pay them is the problem.

Before you start searching the area around you for dollar bills, let's discuss how the solution lies within reach of this problem.

The solution is simply (simple but not by any means easy), a chance to see the problem for what it is.  The problem is an experience that is being created in this moment.  An experience you'd rather not be having.  Therefore, the solution is to connect with, see, hear, smell and taste the experience you would rather be having as if you are having it.

The solution to any problem is the realization that the problem is not real, no matter how real it feels.

By switching your mind's focus to only see the solution, only see what is right with this situation, and to only see the outcome you want (and feel how it would feel to have that desired outcome), you can literally un-create the problem.  You un-create it, because the problem is not receiving the fuel it needs to exist - your energy. 

In this moment, I un-create anything that I perceive as a problem.  Instead I openly, joyfully, whole-heartedly accept everything as it is right now.  To anything that happens with this, I say a whole-hearted, "yes!"  I choose to no longer live in the problem but instead live in the potential.  I choose to be fully present, fully loving, and fully respectful.  I choose the experience of feeling loved, honored, respected, cherished and fulfilled at all times. The pain I perceive is not real.  My power is real.

In a few days, we will start Joy Challenge 2017.  The reason it is called Joy "Challenge" is because however easy it seems to choose to stay in joy, choose to see the solution, choose to focus on what we want versus don't want, in reality, it takes a little practice.  During the month of April, we practice daily to choose Joy instead of "reality".  It sounds easy... and... it is... sort of.  Give it a try - it's free, it's fun and it's life altering.   You can find out more at Joy Challenge 2017.

You know that feeling when everything you touch turns to gold?  You cannot believe your good luck.  You go to Target, and you find a parking spot right up front... that NEVER happens!  Or, you forget to pay a bill, and someone calls to remind you and you take care of it over the phone with no stamp, no fuss?  Or, how about a time when you know you did something wrong - forgot something, messed something up, sent an email that had a mistake in it, and then you go to correct it only to find that by some miracle, it had never gone through in the first place?  All of these are examples of being in the flow of life.  They are seemingly small to anyone else, but you know what a true miracle they really are. 

When you are in the flow, you know it.  It is a magical place.  You think of things that you want to experience or do something with, and then the phone rings and someone is offering you a solution to the thing you were just thinking you should put on your to do list.  Life gets easy.

I remember one of my very first Abraham lectures where they talked about letting go of the oars.  The point of the talk was about how we are paddling upstream, using all of our energy to go in against the natural flow of the river and that we would be served much better by simply, letting go of the oars.  I was very taken by this concept because of the craziness of it... did they understand what a wreck my life would be if I let go of the oars?  If they only knew how carefully managed and created my little world was, they would understand that what they were asking for was complete chaos.  In truth, as wonderfully organized and perfect as my world was, it was hard work.  I was tired.  And, I am not sure it would be truthful to say I was happy.  The reason I was so upset hearing this was because I desperately wanted it to be true.  I wanted to let go of the oars and see what would happen.  I wanted to believe that something even more amazing would happen.  At the time, it was a bridge too far and I was not able to truly let go of the oars.

Then, life did was it does.  It gave me an opportunity to let go of the oars.  Not a happy, pretty, gift-wrapped opportunity, but a scary, frightening one.  I was sick.  I was super tired.  I did not have the energy I needed to manage my perfect, careful world. I had to let go, simply because I could not hold on.

That is when the miracles started happening.  It is when the work that I needed to do got done by someone else through some sort of a miscommunication and I got credit for it.  It was when meetings started getting cancelled or changed to phone in meetings from in person meetings (so no commute in LA traffic was necessary).  It was when people started coming over with homemade soup for me (having no idea I was unwell, they just had the idea and popped by hoping I would be home!).  Things just started happening through no effort on my part.  And, the year I was sick, I made more money than any of my previous years.  How this was "logically" possible I cannot tell you, because I truly was doing the bare minimum. However, I learned how this is spiritually possible.  I learned something that has changed my life.

I wrote about this experience and many others I had by trusting the flow of life and offered a practice to allow others to experience this magic.  As part of my personality, I like to understand things.  I like to learn them.  I like to replicate the results.  And, then I like to teach them to others.  I did that with 0% Effort, 100% Return.  Last year, my dear friend and coach, Jeannette Maw, suggested I lead this 30 day experiential learning for my co-creators at Good Vibe University.  What started as a simple exercise to show how being joyful could result in you getting your biggest dreams became the Joy Challenge.  This April, we will be doing the Joy Challenge again.  This is a 30 day FREE program to allow you to experience what happens when you let go of the oars in a completely safe and supported environment.  All you have to do is add joy to your life, the Universe will take care of the rest.  And, the Joy Challenge program will give you many moments of joy per day as well as a community to keep your joy vibes high, so that the Universe can deliver on your biggest goals with 0% effort on your part. 

Are you ready to see what is possible for you?  It worked for me.  It has worked for many others.  Are you willing to try something new for 30 days.  Are you willing to allow the possibility that by simply following your joy, you could get what you really, truly want?  0% Effort, 100% Return.  Isn't it time to allow the good that is yours to flow through you easily and effortlessly?  Create the space for it to come in, through Joy, and watch the miracles occur as you throw away the oars!  Sign up for the 30 Day Joy Challenge today!

Choose Joy.  It is easy to say and many I speak to, tell me, "Oh, I do that already, it doesn't work." But, do you, do you really, choose joy?  It sounds easy and even cliché, but the practice of choosing joy and living life from a place of flow is a consistent practice, albeit, a super fun practice. 

During a particularly hard time in life, I started to choose joy.  Not from some spiritual place or even some enlightened world view, but from a place of mere survival.  I have never been one to stay sad, angry or depressed.  Honestly, I am not a big fan of those feelings... I would rather not experience them.  But, I am an empath and as such, find myself feeling lots of feelings more often then I would like.  During this particularly difficult time in life, I couldn't seem to find a way to be happy.  So I stopped trying.  And, instead did little things that brought my temporary relief.  The minute I stopped, I would be sad again, but for those few minutes, I was experiencing joy.  I needed those few minutes and hung onto them for dear life, a few minutes a day.  Sometimes only once a day, sometimes every hour in a day, however I could get it.  These were not exactly the healthiest ways to feel joy, though, some were - I watched lots of TV shows I enjoyed as a kid (Scooby Doo) and some other mindless shows (the OC was super popular during this time).  There were lots of cupcakes consumed... cupcakes = immediate joy in my world.  And, there were long, long, long walks. Walks to playgrounds where I would swing and then do the long, long, long return walk.  On some weekends, I would do two of these walks a day.  I still do from time to time.  All those things brought me joy, though, at the time, I would have called it temporary comfort.  Joy, probably would have seemed too far a reach for me back then.

Shortly thereafter, things started happening.  Big things, little things, all kinds of things.  They started happening by themselves, with no effort on my part.  I came across an opportunity to study international conflict resolution at The Hague, which lead to an added one month trip around Europe, which lead to a leave of absence from work, which lead to a whole new career path for me, which lead to my starting my own business.  None of these things came from "happy dreams" or even a plan, they just... came.  They just happened.  And, to this day, I am not quite sure how.  It was a conversation that lead to a meeting that lead to a completely different life.  And, all the while I was watching the OC, eating cupcakes, and going for long, long, long walks.

That's the first experience I had with understanding it has nothing to do with what I do. I didn't know that then.  It was not until years later, when I got sick and literally could not "do" as much as I used to be able to do.  I was tired all the time.  And, after the smallest amount of work, I had to lie down and rest.  That year, I was more successful financially and reputation-wise then I had ever been before.  How is that possible... I did a lot less then I had ever done before.  But like the earlier period in my life, things just kind of kept happening on their own.  This time, I paid attention and realized, the less I do, the more I get. 

I have been voraciously reading anything Anita Moorjani puts out.  She talks about going to the pier and watching the sunset in Hong Kong while eating an ice cream cone.  It brings her joy and she realized, this is the secret to life.  Many have spoken about this and it is common knowledge that it is "good" to follow one's joy.  What I find most people don't quite get is how powerful, impactful, life-altering and easy following your joy makes getting the biggest, hairiest, hardest goals you ever wanted.  Each time I "do nothing" and just have "fun", something wonderful happens in my life. 

This April, you can experience this magic for yourself.  It is simple but not easy.  That is why I created a free program called The Joy Challenge which allows you to practice choosing joy for 30 days to achieve your biggest, toughest goals.  It has worked for so many.  Big dreams accomplished while eating cupcakes and playing with their kids or sleeping.  I invite you to try the Joy Challenge for yourself and experience results like mine and many others, by simply, sprinkling more joy into your life! 

For more information on Joy Challenge, visit the website.  See you in the Joy Challenge!