Written by Gloria Ramirez I recently went on a camping and hiking trip with a couple of friends to a beautiful area in California called The Sierra Buttes. The morning of our trip we packed our car with our camping gear and drove to our destination, just two hours from home. When we got there we decided to go hiking first and find our camping site later because we knew it was going to take us some time to climb about 1,800 feet to an elevation of about 9,000 feet.

The experience was amazing. We were laughing and enjoying each moment with a sense of wonder and a great expectation to see what awaited us once we got there. When got to the top of the mountain, there was an outlook area that is only accessed by a pretty sketchy set of staircases. My legs were shaking as I went up each stair. The experience was exhilarating and fun and I made up my mind to make it to the top. The reward was priceless. The view was spectacular.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could live each moment of our lives with a sense of positive expectation, wonder and joy? What prevents us from living this way consistently? Maybe past conditioning, fear, or doubt? The good news is that we can always overcome all those blocks and decide to live life fully every day.

We enjoyed our time at the top of the mountain while we had lunch and experienced nature in remarkable ways. We saw the beautiful vegetation, a brown rattlesnake and the cutest chipmunk.

On our way back we enjoyed the trail and the gorgeous views of the mountain and the lakes around. Once we were back in our car we headed toward our camping site but then we remembered that we wanted to get marshmallows for the campfire  we were going to build later,  so went to a store/restaurant nearby. When we arrived there we decided to have something to eat. Finally, a little bit after 5pm, we were ready to drive to the camping site, only to find out that it was full. We checked other sites nearby and there was not any space available. We realized that without knowing we had chosen to go camping on a long busy holiday weekend.

Without any hesitation from any of us, or feeling bad, we just accepted the circumstances and begun to head back home. We were laughing about our camping preparation (to enjoy a comfortable night) and how our day ended joyfully even though we did not camp as planned. We made plans for an afternoon in the near future to go to a nearby park to make our marshmallow smores. Each of us were at peace and actually laughing about the experience. We were not attached to the outcome but only to having fun that day and embracing each moment with joy.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could let go of our attachments to the outcome of our experiences and always make a commitment to have fun? What restricts us from doing it? Could it be the need to control, or fear of the unknown, or past experiences? The good news is that it is possible to train ourselves to embrace adventure, to have fun no matter what the circumstances are, to not take ourselves so seriously, and to enjoy each moment as it comes.

Affirmation: I embrace each moment with joy

Gloria Ramirez

Written by Gloria Ramirez

“Joy does not simply happen. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day” ~ Henry J. M. Nouwen

It is so true that we have to be conscious participants and consistently choose joy every day. Joy does not happen without us understanding that we have to make the decision moment to moment to embrace it. For us to be able to do this, it is important to be clear on the ways in which we block our joy, many times not even aware that we are doing it. We do it when we complain, blame others, judge, feel guilty, resent others, live in fear, do not express gratitude for our blessings or simply are not kind and compassionate.

As we decide to eliminate any barriers to love, to open our hearts to let go of behaviors or beliefs that block our joy, we are able to feel the difference and live more in our true center, which is joy. This is real success!

To help you to embrace more joy in your life, I invite you to consider doing this self introspection exercise.

Ask yourself:

1. Which 3 habits are blocking me from joy?
2. Select one of these 3 habits and ask yourself: What is keeping me repeating this behavior or having this thought?
3. Which positive habit can I adapt to replace the negative habit?
4. Which 3 things can I do to reinforce the positive habit?
5. Which affirmation can I use to help me change this habit?

For example:
Choose a habit you want to shift: Complaining
New habit you want to adapt: The opposite of complaining is praising or embracing yourself and others.

3 things to do to reinforce new habit:

1. Speak to praise, to edify
2. Express gratitude (keeps you from negativity)
3. Practice self acceptance and acceptance of others

Affirm: I embrace everyone and every situation with joy

Written by Gloria Ramirez

For many years I was convinced that I was at the mercy of external circumstances and therefore I did not feel free. I did not know that I had created my own prison through the power of my mind. I did not know that was the only one holding the key to free myself from fear, anger, doubt, resentment, guilt, insecurity and anxiety. These were very difficult years because I felt hopeless and I did not know that I had all the answers inside of me. I wasted too much energy and time complaining, judging, controlling, being fearful and angry, and playing victim. As a result, I not only affected my own life, but also affected the life of the people around me.

When the pain of living this way was overpowering, I made the decision to seek help. I worked with coaches, took seminars and read inspirational books. Little by little, my life begun to transform in amazing ways. I opened my mind and heart to my own liberation by understanding that the solutions to all the challenges in my life were inside and all I had to do is change my attitude. Someone once said “our mind is the source of liberation and bondage”

Have you ever felt trapped in a vicious circle without any hope of the despair ever ending? At that moment it feels that it is going to stay with us forever. The wonderful news is that there is a way out of the prison that we have created, most likely, unconsciously. We can liberate ourselves from the prison of our own thoughts by making the decision to choose differently moment to moment.

I invite you to examine your life today and be willing to:

• Be free from fear. Let go. Choose trusting
• Be free from criticism. Change the habit. Choose praising others and yourself
• Be free from resentment. Let go of whatever blocks your heart. Choose love
• Be free from worries. Be willing to live in the present. Choose peace
• Be free from disappointment. Be willing to not take anything personally. Choose acceptance

Liberation means letting go of the impurities of the mind. Liberation is a choice. Be free now!

Affirm: I choose to be free now