Written by Gloria Ramirez
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As I look back at my life’s journey, I realize that for me the definition of success has changed over the years. For a while it was more about external accomplishments and material possessions. Then I started to feel the urge of going inward and looking for the treasures that I had heard lay inside of me. Because this idea was so intangible for me, I had a difficult time understanding it and trusting the process of finding out if it was true. I kept wanting to look for happiness outside of myself or to expect people around me to make me happy. Many times I felt disappointed, betrayed, rejected and unloved. It was not a successful and happy life.
Years later, I have come to the understanding and to believe that true success is the inner realization of my being. It is in believing that my essence is love, joy and peace, and the more I am willing to live and accept this truth, the more I am able to experience inner joy and external success. I now understand the message from Jesus “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
This quote from Swami Kriyananda brings the same message: “For material success to be more assured and lasting, it must be paired with high principles.” This means to live our lives from our center, from knowing that we are the children of the most High and that we are already loved and accepted unconditionally and we do not have to go through life seeking approval and to be loved. The love that we are seeking is seeking us because is already within each of us. We just have to realize this truth.
We do not have to burden people with demands and expectations. On the opposite we can be accept everyone the way they are. The more we do this, everything we need will be provided because we are allowing our good instead of resisting it. The more we live our lives from our center, the more we will experience true success and happiness.
Affirm: Living from my center brings me success and happiness!
Gloria Ramirez
Coaching for Self-Mastery
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A few days later we went back to the river with my brother and to the town from where they dispatched the ambulance to thank everyone for their kindness and service. We met again the sheriff, the doctor and the nurse. They told us that they could not have a better reward for the work they do than to see someone they have rescued alive and well.
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.
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.
“Joy does not simply happen. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day” ~ Henry J. M. Nouwen
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.