 Are there times in your life when you feel like you’re wearing a mask? To put it another way, do you sometimes present what feels like not your truest self? For example, a dear friend asks you to go to a party and, as much as you don’t want to go, you say yes because you feel you would let your friend down. This is the mask of politeness and obligation. Or someone at work gossips about another co-worker and, even though you don’t agree with what’s being said, you stay silent and nod in agreement. This is the mask of peer pressure. Or, as some of my clients experience, you show up at a job you hate and stick with it because you can’t see yourself giving up the pay or the benefits. This is the mask of living in the rat race. In some cases it might seem easier to keep on wearing the mask, but at what cost? Whether you realize it or not, the more you wear your mask, the easier it gets to forget who you really are. And the more you’re unsure of who you are, you’re more apt to live your life according to someone else’s rules. One of my coaches, Andrea Lee, has this saying: "Confusion occurs when you allow someone else’s energy to come into your field." In other words, if you feel confused about anything in your life, it’s probably a sign that you’re letting someone else’s opinions contradict what you know to be true for you. To be more blunt, if you feel like you “should” be doing something and it’s not resonating with you, you’re probably feeling the tightness of a mask. If you realize you’ve been wearing a mask, how do you take it off? You start by listening to and honoring your own heart’s whispers and guidance. It can be as easy as going to a restaurant, looking at the menu and asking yourself, “What do I want to eat?”  As you peruse the menu, let go of the pressures that say “this is what I should eat” or “this is the most popular dish, so I should eat that.” Ask yourself, “If I take a moment to listen, what do I really want?” And sometimes, you might have to ask yourself the question at least a couple times to get to your real heart’s longings. You may think, “Ooh, I want to eat this dish,” but after asking yourself a few times, you realize, “No, what I really want is this.” As you start listening to and honoring your own inner guidance, living life on your terms gets easier with each authentic choice you make. Eventually, the mask starts to fall away. So, for this week’s coaching assignment, check in with yourself and see if you’re feeling like you’re wearing a mask anywhere in your life. If you do find a mask, ask yourself:
The world is crying for more authenticity and for more realness. What can you do to be more authentically you today? Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  Have you ever found yourself waking up in the middle of the night disoriented and needing to go to the bathroom (usually in a hotel room where you’re vacationing), and because it’s so dark, you’re stumbling around and disturbed because you can’t see? It can feel very frustrating. Stumbling around in the dark is a great metaphor for how we sometimes can feel in life.
What do you do if you find yourself stumbling around in the dark? The first step is to stop and get your bearings. Trying to rush to the bathroom after immediately waking from a deep sleep can be disorienting. Instead, take a second to stop and see if you can locate where you are. Ask yourself, Where am I? Your eyes might need to adjust to the darkness. After a few seconds, you can start to make out the shapes of objects and get a sense of where you are. The same is true in a life situation where you feel lost. Take a moment to breathe and get a sense of where you are and what’s happening in your life. See if you can look at the situation without blinders and look at what’s real. Too often, people want to immediately rush to a solution. However, if you’re stumbling in the dark, you might run into a table or stub your toe. You might cause more problems because you want to take action, any action. But if allow yourself to be present to the moment, you begin to ground yourself and bring a greater awareness to your surroundings and where you are. After you get your bearings, the next step is to focus on where you want to go. If you’re in a dark hotel room, you might have to recall where the bathroom is. Okay, you say to yourself. My bed is right here, and I remember the bathroom is around the corner from the foot of my bed, across from the closet and right near the front door. This same step can apply to a life situation. Once you know where you are, you have to get clear about where you want to go. For example, if you’re in a job where you find yourself dreading going to work and you get sick often because you can’t stand it, you might determine that where you really want to go (in your heart of hearts) is to find another place to work. This step might be one of the hardest for people to make. You may have an inkling of where you want to go, but then you immediately start to think of all the ways it could go wrong or why it shouldn’t happen. With this particular example of knowing you want to find another place to work, you might think, "I can't do that. I've been in this job for 15 years. What else could I do? There's no way I can start all over again." This step is difficult because you might be conflating where you want to go with how you'll make it happen. These are actually two separate steps. That’s why I like this metaphor of stumbling in the dark to go to the bathroom. You know where you are (on or near the bed) and you know where you need to go (the bathroom). It’s simple. You usually don’t ask yourself what could go wrong in going to the bathroom, or why you shouldn’t go to the bathroom. You just know that you need to get there, and that's where you need to go. So what’s the next step? After you know where you are and where you need to go, you figure out how you want to get there. If you’re in the hotel room and it’s really dark, you might need to shuffle your feet slowly forward while waving your arms around to make sure you don’t hit anything. Or, if there happens to be some light coming from an alarm clock or some brightness coming from underneath the door from the hallway, your eyes might have adjusted to seeing a clearer path and you move forward with more assuredness and ease. Whether you shuffle or take big strides, you start moving forward. With your life situations, you’ll have to figure out what initial steps you want to take. One way to figure that out is to write out and brainstorm some possible ways to get from here to there. See if you can come up with at least 5 different possibilities. Another way is to talk with a close confidante, like a friend or family member who can be a sounding board for you. Or an additional path is for you to seek out some professional assistance from someone like a coach, counselor or mentor who has the expertise to help you figure out what steps to take. And, as with stumbling in the dark, you might need to adjust your steps along the way. You might have started off feeling self-assured, thinking, “I know where I’m going. Let me get there quickly,” and you walk boldly ahead. But then you accidentally bump into your luggage that you left in the way. So you might switch to shuffling your feet for the remainder of the path. As in life, you take a step and then you re-adjust along the way if you need to. The spiritual truth in today’s lesson is this: There are moments in your life where you may feel yourself stumbling in the dark. No matter how lost you may feel in the moment, there is always a way forward. Getting centered and clear on where you're at now and where you want to go help to make the journey a little easier. And sometimes, you have to move your feet when you can't see the whole picture. When all is said and done, take heart. After you start moving and taking action, eventually, you will find the light. Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  The other day I found myself talking with a neighbor new to my building. As is usual, the topic of our careers came up. “And what do you do?” I asked, after he asked me about my work. “Oh, I work in accounting at so-and-so company,” he replied in a very lackluster fashion. “Do you not enjoy it?” I questioned, after noting his not so enthusiastic response. “It’s okay, I guess. But it pays the bills,” he shrugged and laugh half-heartedly. There it was. I recognized the look. I felt the energy. Complacency. I know what it looks like because I’ve experienced it myself in the past, and I’ve worked with many clients on this same issue. In your career, complacency becomes evident when you look at what you’re doing, you feel some boredom, maybe even dread, and you wonder how you ended up there. In relationships, complacency can show up when you glance at your partner and sigh, pondering when the magic and spark went away. When it comes to your health, complacency gives you a scenario where you might have once gone to the gym three times a week, but now it’s been a while since you’ve gone, and you debate whether you should be paying that monthly gym membership. Complacency happens to the best of us, and it’s insidious because it some how creeps in when we weren’t looking. You might think to yourself, “Oh I’m too tired to go to the gym tonight. I’ll just stay home and rest on the couch.” After two or three nights of skipping the gym, you might reason that work has been so busy that rest is more important than anything. Pretty soon, a week has gone by and now you’ve found a favorite new show to watch on television. Complacency is dangerous because it steers you away from your goals and from the fullness of life you might have imagined yourself living. Complacency provides what seem like very valid excuses and gives you reprieve from having to show up in life. Eventually, complacency brings an energy of heaviness that slows you down, as if you’re trudging deep through mud. Left unchecked, it can leave you feeling stuck and immobile. How do you make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of complacency? One, do a self-assessment to look at different areas of your life to see if you feel out of alignment with your life goals. My blog post on looking at what’s nourishing and what’s not nourishing in your life is a helpful tool to get you started. Two, engage in activities that get you out of your comfort zone. Go to a music concert, attend a lecture, or eat at a new restaurant. When you do things that you usually don’t do, you shake up your life energy. Complacency doesn’t get a chance to settle in. Three, if you find that you are complacent and you feel stuck, seek some support from others who can help you get unstuck. You can talk with a coach (I offer complimentary consultations) or counselor, or you can find a group or class to help out. Remember, you’re not alone and there are others in the world who can support you. Lastly, meditation and mindfulness practices are a great counterweight to complacency. When you bring a present-minded awareness to life, you break the hold of living your life on autopilot. The spiritual truth in today’s lesson is this:  Complacency has a hard time setting in when you open to the newness of each moment. Are you willing to release complacency, and embrace the aliveness that wants to express as you in this moment? Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post, and hear your thoughts about ways you tackle complacency in your life. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  When people ask me for one easy way they can start to create a life and work they love, I offer them this simple tool. I call this exercise “Nourishing versus not nourishing.” All you have to do is come up with two lists. Here are the instructions to get started:
Now, think of all the different kinds of activities you engage in on a daily or weekly basis. And as you think about each activity, decide whether you would consider it to be “nourishing” or “not nourishing,” and place it in the appropriate column. For example, say you take a yoga class once a week. Most likely, you’d put yoga class in the nourishing column. For another example, say you find yourself spending 3-4 hours a day scrolling through Facebook as a way to pass the time. For many people, this might fit in the “not nourishing” column. But, for you, maybe not. You get to decide what is nourishing or not nourishing to you. Sometimes people tell me that the activity could fit in both columns. What’s a person to do? The answer is to be more specific in describing the activity so that you can parse out in what ways the activity is nourishing, and in what ways is the activity not nourishing. For example, some of my clients consider their job to be a key activity, but they would put it in both columns. Sometimes they feel nourished at work, and sometimes they don’t. In this case, I would ask them to list out what aspects of their job feel nourishing. One person might say, “I like when I get to work with other people.” This person would then write this response down in the nourishing column. And this same person might say, “I hate it when I’m given a short deadline at the last minute, when I could’ve been given a heads up earlier.” This would go in the non-nourishing column. The same principle could be applied to something like watching tv. Are there particular programs that help you feel nourished, and are there some that don’t? Once you start to list out the activities in these two different columns, you may start to see more clearly how you’re spending your time. Are you engaging in life activities that are more nourishing or less nourishing? And once you become more aware, then you can begin to make choices about how you live your life. If you find that your life could use some more nourishment, here’s what you can do. Think of some different activities that you can add to your life that make you feel more healthy, grounded, joyous and nourished. Some examples of nourishing activities might be:
As you focus more energy on filling your day with nourishing activities, what ends up happening is that the non-nourishing events start to dissipate, all on their own. Why? Because they’re not given as much time or energy as before. You can witness this principle in a garden. When weeds don’t get the water, sunlight or nutrients they need to survive, they automatically start to wither. The heart of today’s teaching can be encapsulated in this simple quote: Whatever you focus on expands.  If you become clearer about what nourishes you in your life and you focus your energy on those things, then your life as a whole feels more nourished. Yes, it is as simple as that. Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post, and hear your thoughts about what activities in your life nourish you. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  Have you ever felt like you were stuck running in a hamster wheel? Recently, I spoke with a 25-year-old sales associate who, after learning I was a life coach, shared with me:
A couple months ago, during a life coaching consultation with a 34-year-old banking professional, this individual blurted out,
Earlier this year, I sat down with a 49-year-old information technology manager who seemed at her wits end:
And just the other day, I met a 56-year-old accountant at a social event. After chatting a few minutes, he asked me,
Do you notice a pattern in each of these encounters? No matter what age they may be, there’s a sense among many of the people I talk to that time is running out.
At the heart of their struggles is their comparing the lack of progress they feel in their lives with other people who seem to be “more together.” Or they find themselves competing with this idealized version of who they’re “supposed” to be and what they “should” have already achieved by this stage of life. As these people can attest, this is a painful situation to be in. If you find yourself in this situation where you’re feeling like you need to be farther ahead in your life than where you are now, first let me say, I feel for you. And it’s not your fault. Many of us have been taught that there’s a formula for living a successful and happy life: Go to college, find a good-paying job, get married, start a family and, after a few decades, retire in the golden years, traveling to exotic destinations in the world. The problem is that this formula doesn’t work for everyone. But people keep on trying to fit their lives into this pattern. You see, the feeling that time is running out is based on this idea that you’re supposed to reach pre-determined milestones. For example, you’re supposed to have children before you’re 30 years old. Or, you should have at least $350,000 in savings by the time you’re 50. For many, these benchmarks of “success” are unattainable. And when you don’t reach these markers, you feel like you’re far behind and you wake up in the middle of the night wondering if you'll ever catch up. Worse, your self-esteem starts to go way down. The unfortunate thing is that when people find themselves in this predicament, many feel like they just have to toughen themselves up, stick it out, and get back on the hamster-wheel. Some turn to coping mechanisms like alcohol or drugs to deal with the drudgery of life. But there’s another way. Rather than immediately coming up with a to-do list and strategy for how you can work harder in a job you hate, or turning to unhelpful behaviors to cope with a life that doesn’t resonate with you, I encourage you to stop for a moment. Instead of trying to fit your life into this catch-all formula for living a “successful” life, what I’ve found works much better is figuring out what works for you. If you could let go of any outside pressures, the key is defining what “success” means for you and not anyone else. To help you with this, here are some questions that I use with my clients that get to the heart of what a joyous and meaningful life can look like for you:
When you take the time to answer these questions truthfully and from your heart, you’ll most likely find that your responses are filled with depth, meaning, purpose and aliveness….because the answers are unique to you. And what’s beautiful is that these questions can be asked at any age, whether you’re 18 years old or 80 years old. When you answer for you and you alone, you elicit a truth of who you are, not who you think you’re supposed to be. When you start to listen to your heart and you start to move in alignment with your heart’s calling, that’s when you realize there’s another way to live life outside of the cookie-cutter approach.
If there’s a spiritual lesson to take away from today’s post, it’s this: You have your own path, and there’s no need or sense in comparing yourself to anyone else. And if you're willing to receive this, I offer this prayer for you: May the whispers of your heart make themselves known to you, and may they guide you to a freer, fuller expression of the joy and light you already are. A joyous and meaningful life is possible. Are you willing to live it? Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post, and hear your thoughts about how you're sharing your gifts and your message with the world. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  Joselito and Richard in Amsterdam - July 2018 This past July, my partner Richard and I traveled to Amsterdam to attend the 22nd International AIDS Conference. Over 16,000 people attended this world gathering. Imagine the electricity and vibrancy of people from all corners of the world coming together to end the scourge of AIDS.  Over 16,000 people in attendance at the 2018 International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam The message from the conference was clear: Although advances have been made, AIDS continues to ravage the world, hitting hardest in vulnerable communities, countries and continental regions. And unfortunately, as I learned at the conference, there is a concerted and coordinated effort in different parts of the world to stop and dismantle the gains that have been made:
In the midst of all this disheartening news, however, people shared stories of resilience despite all odds and highlighted innovative efforts to end AIDS.  Prince Harry and Elton John announce the launch a one billion dollar AIDS initiative  Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and Elton John with youth from around the world attending their first International AIDS Conference Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and Elton John announced they were joining forces to launch the MenStar coalition, a one billion dollar initiative aimed at targeting and preventing HIV infection in men, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.  Charlize Theron addressing the International AIDS Conference Actress Charlize Theron spoke about her work with the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, South Africa, and highlighted the impact of AIDS on women and girls: “Most of us now know and understand that HIV is not just about sex or sexuality…We know it is linked to the second-class status of women and girls worldwide.” (source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/health-and-sex/2018-07-24-hiv-is-linked-to-the-second-class-status-of-women-charlize-theron/)  Former U.S. President Bill Clinton addressing the International AIDS Conference Former U.S. President Bill Clinton spoke about the need to address both HIV and tuberculosis, which is the number one killer of people with HIV, particularly in India (which has the highest TB burden).  Omar Sharif, Jr., addressing the International AIDS Conference Omar Sharif, Jr., the grandson of the famous actor Omar Sharif, spoke about being widely condemned after he came out as gay in his home country of Egypt. “At the height of the Arab Spring, I became the first Arabic public figure to come out openly as gay and question the Egyptian government’s commitment to basic human rights and equality,” Sharif shared. “My announcement immediately went viral and I was met with widespread criticism, threats of violence, and death threats. I think a lot of people in this room know exactly how that feels. I left the country and I have not been home since. In my region of the world — the Middle East and north Africa — talking about LGBTQ issues, and certainly talking about HIV are incredibly risky. Just starting a conversation takes courage.” (source: https://www.hivplusmag.com/activism/2018/7/26/omar-sharif-calls-out-trump-aids2018) As all these celebrities and noted luminaries spoke, I thought about how each one of them is using their status and their platform to bring greater attention and resources to this issue. And I realized, they’re not the only ones who have a platform. These days, every person has a platform, including you. Especially in this time of social media that connects us all, every person has the ability to reach and connect with others. Whether you have 100 friends on Facebook or 10,000 followers on Twitter, or whether you belong to a spiritual community of 200 people or have an extended family of 50 people, you already have a platform. You have the ability to reach people, with your own message if you so choose, right where you are. And so here I am asking you today: How are you using your platform? Are you taking a stand for what you believe in?  Joselito, Richard and Brian reconnecting in Amsterdam at the International AIDS Conference At the conference, I ran into my friend Brian Pearls who I haven’t seen for a few years. Brian is using his platform to do amazing work as an LGBQ activist in Kenya.  Richard Zaldivar, Alicia Garza, David Hogg  This week, my partner Richard is in Orlando, Florida, for the United States Conference on AIDS. He’s one of the main speakers for the opening plenary session, along with David Hogg, activist and survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School shooting in Parkland, Florida, and Alicia Garza, co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter. Each one of them is using their platforms in their own work, and this week they’re joining their platforms to connect the intersections between movements for social justice and the HIV community.  My sister Marie de Luna in Korsakov, Russia And you don’t only have to have political or social causes be your platform. As my sister Marie de Luna posts photos and videos of food, travel and fun on her Facebook feed, she is using her platform to take a stand for the deliciousness and beauty of life itself, that is always available to each one of us. So, for your coaching assignment this week, take stock of your life to answer these questions:
At the heart of today’s teaching is a spiritual truth embodied in this quote by David Viscott (although some have said it was coined by William Shakespeare or Pablo Picasso, but regardless it’s still a great quote):  The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.
In other words, the world needs more of you. How can you give more of you today? Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post, and hear your thoughts about how you're sharing your gifts and your message with the world. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support for a particular area of life, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  In front of the Temple of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain At one point during our month long trip in Europe this summer, I turned to my partner Richard and told him, “I feel like we’re on a pilgrimage.” While we did plan to visit a couple religious sites, we found ourselves continually drawn to sacred spots and churches, offering prayers, lighting candles and spending time in silent contemplation.  Fatima, Portugal We took the bus from Lisbon to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, where the Virgin Mary appeared to three local shepherd children (Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco) over several months in 1917.  The Monastery at Montserrat, Spain Our friend Carles drove us to the Benedictine Monastery at Montserrat outside of Barcelona, Spain, where we touched and kissed the feet of the Black Madonna, a small statue of the Virgin Mary that has been housed there for centuries.  The Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain In Barcelona, we marveled and sat within the Temple of the Sagrada Familia (the “Holy Family”), an architectural achievement envisioned by Antoni Gaudi as a monumental heavenly Basilica and Church, with its first stone laid in 1882 and expected completion by 2030.  The Crypt of the Almudena Cathedral, Madrid, Spain In the heat of Madrid’s summer, our friends Helena and Tone helped us escape the heat by bringing us to the cool underground Crypt of the Almudena Cathedral, where we contemplated the meaning of life and death in a space of deep tranquility.  A street procession for the Festival of the Virgen de la Paloma, Madrid, Spain Even in the neighborhood of La Latina where we stayed at an AirBnB apartment in Madrid, we happened to be there during the time of the Festival of the Virgen de la Paloma, culminating in a long procession and street-filled celebrations of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Throughout the trip, we stopped at churches and visited museums, standing in awe of carefully crafted religious statues and paintings, centuries-old stained glass windows and worn stone buildings. And we didn’t only come across Catholic icons and sites, but also Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim ones as well.  A statue of Shiva Nataraja, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands I’ll tell you, there’s something powerful about feeling this kind of sacred connection when you’re away from home. And being away for a month is a long time. There were moments we felt homesick, missing the comfort of our bed and taking for granted how easy it is in Los Angeles to eat Chinese or Mexican food. We missed our friends and family, and the ease by which we would run into people we knew at Dodger Stadium or the Hollywood Bowl. And yet, it was at these very sacred sites that allowed us to stop and pray for our loved ones, our friends, our families, our communities and for our country.  Lighting candles and offering prayers at the Monastery of Montserrat, Spain In those moments of lighting candles, of kneeling in prayer and of communing with the Divine, we brought everyone with us into our hearts and, by extension, into our travels.
You may not have realized it, but you were with us on our travels! In truth, we’re never alone. We just have to remind ourselves of our enduring connections, even if we’re thousands of miles apart. Even when you’re on vacation, or perhaps because you’re on vacation, you open to insights that you otherwise might not realize in your day-to-day life. Yes, you experience different cultures, food and people. And yet, because you find yourself in a world of differences, you’re reminded of the people and the experiences you hold most dear to your heart. It might seem cliché to say this, but there is some truth to the saying that you find yourself when you travel. But to that I would also add, when you find yourself on a pilgrimage, even accidentally, you find you’re never alone. Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post, and hear your thoughts about how you connected with the sacred while on vacation. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support for a particular area of life, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  If you’ve been watching the news in the last few days (okay, maybe the last couple of years!), there’s more than enough shock, surprise, hurt, and anger to make you want to cry and wail for some semblance of humanity.
And sometimes it’s not just the news. You might be experiencing these feelings in your own personal life. Maybe there’s pain in your relationships. Or you loathe going to work. Or you might be experiencing a health challenge. Whether it’s the news or something seemingly insurmountable in your own life, it’s easy to feel helpless and forlorn. What’s a person to do? In these situations, one of the most common reactions is for people to withdraw and isolate, to get into bed and pull the covers over your head hoping all your problems will go away. Yes, withdrawing yourself can sometimes be what you need, especially if you’re needing to feel safe and tend to your wounds. However, if you’re looking to move from feeling helpless to feeling a greater sense of peace, there is one thing you can do that’s immediately helpful: Be of service. When you serve others, you focus your attention away from you and you bring your energy to another. When you serve others, you break any sense of isolation and you connect with your heart. When you serve others, you invite a greater compassion into your being and the world around you. And being of service doesn’t have to be hard. You can serve in a lot of ways. You can find a cause you love and volunteer to help out. You can offer to water plants for friends while they’re away. It can be as simple as you cooking a meal and washing the dishes for your loved ones. When you’re feeling helpless, being of service reminds you that you can claim agency in your life. The spiritual truth in today's teaching is this: You are never helpless. You have the power of Love always available to you, for you to choose how to channel and express. For your coaching assignment this week, see if you can do one thing to be of service. No matter how big or small the action, just do one thing, in the name of the Love that is within you. And see how you feel as you give your heart, your energy and your Love in service. May you discover the boundless nature of your heart as you reach out to another and serve. Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post, and hear your thoughts about about the words and phrases you use, and the vibrational frequencies they carry. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support for a particular area of life, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  This past weekend, while visiting my mom in the San Francisco Bay Area, we decided to take a bus to a gaming casino. I’ve been familiar with these buses but never rode them before.
Apparently, different casinos have arrangements with chartered buses where people congregate at certain locations, usually a shopping parking lot somewhere. This particular bus arrives at its first destination at 7am, then stops at three other locations, and eventually drives everyone to the casino a couple hours away. After a few hours at the casino, the bus leaves at 3pm and drives everyone back to their original spots. All this for a round-trip total of $11 (not including whatever you spend on the slots or the tables, of course). On this particular bus ride, there were eleven of us waiting for the bus at its third stop in Fremont, California. We didn’t really know where to stand, so we waited in my mom’s car. Soon enough, the bus came and we lined up at the boarding door. Upon entering the bus, we could see most of the seats were already filled. My mom turned to me with a look of dread. “Oh no, it’s never this filled.” The driver then made an announcement. “I only have seats for 7 people.” 7 seats. 11 people. Not everyone was going to make it. All of us started to scramble, looking for any empty seats. I saw my mom towards the back of the bus, asking a man if the seat next to him was empty. She moved into the row and shot me a pleading look. “Are we going to make it?” her eyes said. Without a word, I could read her mind. “Find a seat!” At that moment, the driver said out loud, “I have one seat left up front here.” Immediately, I yelled back, “I’ll take it!” Up I walked through the aisles and plopped myself into the empty seat. I looked back at my mom and signaled to her that we were good to go. Sadly, the remaining four people trudged off the bus, knowing that they had to make other plans for their Saturday. I bring up this story because sometimes, life doesn’t always turn out how you think it will. I had imagined my mom and I sitting next to each other for the ride, eating the snacks we brought to share, and talking away for the next two hours. But that didn’t happen. She sat towards the back of the bus, and I sat in the very front. I bet that the people who didn’t make it also thought they’d be spending their weekend a little differently. The bus even had to skip another stop after ours, where I heard there were thirty people waiting to get on. In this story is a universal life question: What do you do when life doesn’t turn out the way you expect? If life doesn’t turn out the way you expect, you can copy what water does. When water is flowing and reaches a barrier, like a big rock, it moves to where it can flow next. Water continues to move until it can’t move anymore. Water doesn’t suddenly stop at the rock and say, “Oh no, there’s a big rock in the way. What am I going to do? I’m so disappointed!” No, the water simply encounters the obstacle and turns to where it can move next. The truth is, if my mom and I didn’t make it on to the bus, we would’ve figured out something else fun to do. On the bus ride, my mom actually fell asleep and napped most of the way. I ended up having really great conversations with the people around me. I didn’t expect for this to happen, and I was delighted to meet some wonderful people. Poet John O’Donohue captures the lesson of this whole story in his insightful quote: “I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.” What if you could live like a river flows? Can you be carried by the surprise of life’s own unfolding? With this story in mind, here’s your coaching assignment this week:
Ultimately, inherent in this approach is being open to trust Life itself. This is the key to living like a river flows. Are you open to the idea that Life truly is unfolding perfectly for you, no matter what it looks like? Here is my prayerful offering for you, if you choose to receive it: May life unfold for you with grace and ease. May life’s rivers carry you to places and experiences where your heart smiles with ever-greater delight and joy. Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post, and hear your thoughts about about the words and phrases you use, and the vibrational frequencies they carry. Please leave a comment below. Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support for a particular area of life, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. Finally, if you're interested in receiving these weekly inspiring articles, feel free to sign up by clicking here.  In the United States, July 4th is our Independence Day, where we celebrate Freedom. On a spiritual level, Freedom reminds us that we are always imbued with the power of choice. At any moment, you can choose love. In any situation, you can choose connection. With any person, you can choose forgiveness. On this day, I share below some powerful affirmations from Louise Hay on this topic of Freedom and Forgiveness. For your coaching assignment this week, I invite you to:
May these words spark in you a remembrance of the Divine Power and Presence within. Grounded in this Truth, you are always free. Louise Hay Affirmations on Freedom and Forgiveness (source: https://www.louisehay.com/forgiveness/) The door to my heart opens inward. I move through forgiveness to love. Today I listen to my feelings, and I am gentle with myself. I know that all of my feelings are my friends. The past is over, so it has no power now. The thoughts of this moment create my future. It is no fun being a victim. I refuse to be helpless anymore. I claim my own power. I give myself the gift of freedom from the past, and move with joy into the now. I get the help I need, when I need it, from various sources. My support system is strong and loving. There is no problem so big or so small that it cannot be solved with love. I am ready to be healed. I am willing to forgive. All is well. When I make a mistake, I realize that it is only part of the learning process. I move beyond forgiveness to understanding, and I have compassion for all. Each day is a new opportunity. Yesterday is over and done. Today is the first day of my future. I know that old, negative patterns no longer limit me. I let them go with ease. I am forgiving, loving, gentle, and kind, and I know that life loves me. As I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others. I love and accept my family members exactly as they are right now. I forgive myself for not being perfect. I am living the very best way I know how. I cannot change another person. I let others be who they are, and I simply love who I am. It is now safe for me to release all of my childhood traumas and move into love. I know that I cannot take responsibility for other people. We are all under the law of our own consciousness. I return to the basics of life: forgiveness, courage, gratitude, love, and humor. Everyone in my life has something to teach me. We have a purpose in being together. I forgive everyone in my past for all perceived wrongs. I release them with love. All of the changes in life that lie before me are positive ones. I am safe. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today’s post. Please leave a comment below.
Also, if you’re feeling the need for guidance or support for a particular area of life, I offer a complimentary life coaching consultation where we can chat. You can learn more about these life coaching consultations by clicking here. |
About JoselitoJoselito is a spiritual life coach helping people create a purposeful, spiritual path to career and financial freedom. Popular Blog Articles Beware (Be Aware of) these 5 Unhelpful Money Stories How my body told me to quit my job How I was offered an all-expenses paid cruise after making my Vision Board Today I choose to live my GREATNESS You are not your stories. You are the story-teller. Your job is not your Source. Archives
October 2018
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