To read this month’s “Love in Action” Newsletter Click here

 

In his book, “How to have Courage, Calmness, and Confidence”, Paramhansa Yogananda says: “The soul has everything it needs to meet every test of life. As you live in tune with the power of your soul, your life will be completely transformed!”

If the soul has everything it needs to meet every test of life, why is it that we struggle so much to find happiness and peace? Here is Yogananda’s answer: “Courage, calmness and confidence are the secrets to dealing with any difficulty life sends. The “impossible” becomes manageable, and a stepping-stone to greater inner strength. Everyone can be courageous, calm and confident, because these are the qualities of the soul. Hypnotized with material thinking and desires, many of us have lost touch with our inner power.”

This is exactly what happened to me. For years, I lost touch with my inner power and I focused on finding answers in the external world, trying to control people, places and things. It was only when I finally realized that my life was not working the way I wanted and I was not happy, that I decided to embrace life from a different perspective.

Instead of looking for answers outside of myself, I started my journey inward. This is when my life was so positively transformed that I decided, 18 years ago, to share with others what I had discovered. The more I share and the more I attune with my divine nature, my consciousness and my understanding keep expanding, and the more I experience Courage, Calmness, and Confidence. As Yogananda says, “As you live in tune with the power of your soul, your life will be completely transformed!”

This year we have the possibility to start with a clean slate, doing what will bring us happiness and peace. This coming year, 2019,  I invite you to consider taking a journey inward, or deepening you journey by embracing life from an inner perspective. The best way to do it is:

• Meditate daily. Click here for guided meditations
• Keep a grateful heart
• Practice forgiveness
• Cultivate a pure heart
• Receive spiritual food by participating in weekly classes and spiritual retreats
• Read, listen and watch spiritual programs that expand your consciousness
• Use the power of prayer and deepen your devotion
• Look for the company of people who inspire you and motivate you to be attuned to your divine nature

Affirm: “As I embrace my life from an inner perspective, I reconnect with my divine nature”

In January 17^th, 2019 I start a new 9-week class series based on Paramhansa Yogananda’s book, “How to Have Courage, Calmness, and Confidence.” Here he shares the most effective steps to reconnecting with your divine nature. as you practice his simple suggestions, you will feel a new energy feeling you, giving you the power to meet every challenge with joyful confidence, calmness and courage.

It has taken me many years to get to this understanding. I used to believe that if people behaved the way I expected, we could have a true harmonious relationship. Years of trying this method and it only creating frustration, disappointment, anger, and resentment, brought me to understand Yogananda’s quote.

Basically if we are willing to see the perfection in each relationship, we can awaken God within us. The perfect example for me was the hatred I had towards my father and stepmother, until I learned that I needed to forgive. With the forgiveness came a sense of compassion and a deeper understanding of God. God was awakened in me. I now understand that our friendship is eternal because the 3 of us are children of God. We are the soul that never was touched by our life experiences. It remains perfect, pure divine love.

Life invites us every day, through our relationships, to see the message in each experience and instead of blaming, to find a way to embrace and to remove the blocks that separate us from eternal friendships and from God.

Here are some ideas to nurture your relationships:

• When tempted to blame others and see separation, ask in prayer what is the message for you.
• Be willing to change aspects of yourself that will help you awaken the divine love that resides within.
• Be of service to others instead of expecting anything from them. True friendship is born of kindness.
• Cultivate love in your heart. Remember, God is in everyone. Do your best to embrace everyone with His love.
• To find a true friend, you must recognize the soul in them and in you and this is how you gain the friendship of God.

Affirm: “As I nurture my relationships, I awaken the Divine Presence within me”

To read this month’s “Love in Action” Newsletter Click here

In my coaching practice I hear people, quite often, about their struggle to stay motivated as they move through life storms. They feel that it is difficult to stay positive when everything is coming at them at the same time. It is hard for them to see a way out because it feels too overwhelming. Have you ever felt this way?

I certainly have. This is why I feel so much compassion and I do my best to really try to help. The first thing I do, is to listen attentively so they have the opportunity to release and let go. That’s the first you can do if you feel you are in a similar situation. Express your fears, doubts, anger and frustration in writing. Release everything you are feeling, all your emotions, without judging yourself. This will help you to let go of what is hurting you.

The second thing I do is to share some ideas and tools that they can use to help themselves stay motivated. Here are some:

• Be compassionate with yourself. If you feel down, instead of judging yourself, find ways to shift the energy. It is important to do it right away; otherwise it can go down into a spiral of negativity and despair. To shift the energy, you can journal, go for a walk, use affirmations, read or watch something uplifting, pray, sing, and breath.
• Surround yourself with good company. It is important to seek the company of positive, happy, and peaceful people. Maybe you can find out about volunteering groups or support groups.
• Participate in conversations that are uplifting. Let go of the temptation to share stories that are negative or situations in your life that are challenging. Leave them for God or a coach.
• Remind yourself that you are not a victim. You are responsible for what you are creating and the more you stay positive and enthusiastic, the more you will be creating winning results in your life. You are a child of God and His power runs throughout your veins.
• Develop a strong will power. When we exercise in a gym we have to use our will power to stay committed and to be consistent and persevere. We have to have the same attitude when we go through the storms in life. We have to stay strong, remain committed and be faithful with a positive expectation of what lies ahead of us.

Affirm: “I always find ways to help myself to stay motivated

I have been living at Ananda Village in California for almost 3 years. Before I came here I thought I understood the meaning of serving with joy. However, living in this spiritual community, I am learning the real meaning and the so many different ways we can express it.

Serving with joy is the heart of Ananda. The attitude residents have, no matter what task they have in front of them, is one of cooperation, compassion, kindness, love and joy. Everything is service here. This is how Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda Communities explains it: “We should view whatever gainful employment we seek as a service, never merely as work. The mere thought of hard work, indeed, often drains a person’s energies, whereas joyful, willing service opens inner floodgates to a boundless supply of energy.”

And what is amazing is that this is not only expressed here at Ananda Village but also in the other communities in the United States and other parts of the world. We recently had here at Ananda, a weekend retreat for Hispanic families. The last day of the retreat one of the mothers, who is a doctor and a member of the Palo Alto community in California, was sweeping the floors and cleaning with great joy. Another lady, very successful in her business, was cleaning the toilets. What I see with all of this, is that the ego is put aside and the willingness to serve takes its place.

Here are some tips that I offer to serve with joy:

1. Stay focused and centered on the task at hand. This way your energy will flow in one direction to accomplish it successfully.
2. Bring peace and calmness into every activity. If you get disturbed by anything, do whatever you can bring yourself into balance. You can use breathing exercises.
3. Remind yourself that the Divine Presence in you is serving others through you. Feel the joy.
4. The more you serve with joy, the more joy you feel. This is the law of cause and effect.

Affirm: “My joyful, willing service, opens my heart to others”