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The experience each one of us is living with the pandemia is undoubtedly bringing up so many emotions, doubts, fear sadness, confusion and uncertainty. It has been said that to see the light at the end of the tunnel we must go through periods that feel heavy, dark and even frightening. Somehow, in the process we must commit, to ourselves, to keep our heads up and be willing to work on the growth opportunities that experiences like these can bring into our lives.

I have heard amazing stories of parents who now are able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with their children, which before was only a dream. Others share how they have decided to forgive and to call the brother or someone whom they had not talked for years. Or the creativity of children and parents inventing games and ways to enjoy their time together. Many also share that they can hear the singing of the birds, which was absent before. And the so many projects that have been rescued from the attic and have become alive and an incentive to complete.

As we reflect on how this experience has changed us as people, as a race, we can definitely come up with a list of positive traits that undoubtedly will change our lives forever.

I invite you to go through the list below, and reflect on how you have been able to deepen your expression of these qualities and how your life is better as a result of it. Write down your discoveries:

• Love: Opening your heart to care more for others
• Patience: Learning to wait for the right moment
• Acceptance: Accepting what is, while still doing your best
• Living in the now: Enjoying the present moment as all there is for now
• Silence: Being comfortable and at peace with stillness and silence
• Connection: Having the opportunity to connect with others at a deeper level
• Creativity: Having to come up with ideas to reinvent a new way of living and to connect with others
• Compassion: Feeling the pain of others and doing what is in your ability to help
• Brotherhood: Remembering that you are part of one human race going through this together, in harmony
• Hope: Knowing that the storm will pass and there will be a clear sky
• Faith: Trusting a Higher Power to guide and support you
• Discipline: Being steadfast about your determination to have a positive attitude
• Perseverance: Knowing that together we will overcome these turbulent times
• Spiritual consciousness: Seizing the opportunity to deepen your relationship with a Higher Power, something higher than us
• Responsibility: Continue to do what is right for you and for all
• Courage: Determination to face each day with the spirit of a warrior
• Gratitude: Having the willingness to count your blessing despite of what is happening in your life

Do you feel that you have gained some degree of positive advancement in any of these areas during these challenging times? I feel that we, as a human race, have demonstrated great endurance and perseverance. Lets together look forward to witnessing the light appearing at the end of the tunnel soon.

Affirm: I am grateful for the growth opportunities that life brings me each day

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There is a proverb that says that “after the storm comes calm.” This is what our hearts have been yearning for, an end to the suffering and uncertainty in our lives.

Deep inside of us we know, from previous experiences, that after the storm passes we should be able to see the light. Somehow, we have to gather the courage to stay positive and believe that individually and collectively we will be able to come to the other side stronger and more connected as a human family.

In talking to people about their experience with the pandemic, I am pleasantly surprised with their positive attitudes. Some have shared with me how they are enjoying quality time with their families, playing music, or games, or reading together. It seems like the creativity of people surfaces when there is a pressing need. Others tell me that they have been able to clean the house or finish projects that they didn’t have time before, to complete, and to do so many other things that were waiting for them to have the time to do them. My own sister shared that she dances for half an hour every day, calls 5 people to see how they are doing, prays for 2 to 3 hours each day, and makes sure to maintain a positive attitude throughout each day. What I have noticed, from these conversations, is a willingness from people, to have a good attitude, and to face this very difficult time with strength and courage.

In moving forward to rebuild our lives, it is important to help ourselves and have a mindset that focus on creating solutions to what lies ahead of us. Here are some suggestions that can help you to rebuild your life:

1. Believe that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Even though we might feel that we are in the middle of a dark tunnel because of our life circumstances, we must believe that better times will come and our job is to remain positive.
2. Focus on helping others. Whether it is financial help or moral support or with our prayers, we can always contribute to the well-being of our human family
3. Be courageous. Be willing to have the attitude of a worrier, knowing that you have the power within to overcome any storms life throws at you.
4. Have the mind of a winner. Reflect on the ways in which you have grown as a person and on the positive aspects of this experience. Count your blessings.
5. Focus on the solutions. Be steadfast in keeping a positive attitude. Do your best to keep your mind free of worries and fear so you are able to remain calm and centered. The more committed you are about focusing on the solutions, the more clarity you will have to make decisions and choose what is best for you and your family in the days ahead.

Affirm: I have a mindset that focus on solutions

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There is no doubt that what is happening all over the world is creating emotional reactions, like fear, panic and stress, that each one of us has to face individually.

I have been thinking about the ways in which I can face fear when it shows up and I came up with a list of ten that I’d like to share with you:

1. Use the Power of Prayer. Praying for ourselves and others helps us to open our hearts and bring peace to our minds. It is also a way to surrender everything that worries us.
2. Meditate. Taking the time to still the mind even for five minutes can really help us to release the stress and connect with calmness.
3. Use Affirmations. Using affirmations changes our mood and shifts the energy to a positive focus. Affirmations are positive sentences in the present time. For example: I feel peace. I am serene.
4. Use Visualizations. We can use them to focus on a positive outcome. For example, we can visualize our planet earth bathed in white light, or in a color that inspires you to bring healing to its inhabitants. I tried this today. It was a beautiful white light serving as a vaccine healing every one and cleansing  every corner on earth.
5. Read books and watch programs that inspire a sense of peace, joy and love. They are many resources online that we can get for free. Feeding ourselves with positive messages will help our mind to stay calm and optimistic and our hearts to feel peaceful.
6. Count your blessings. We can do this by keeping a gratitude list. For example, every day, write or think of ten things, situations, people, that you are grateful for. This practice will help us to focus our energy in positive thoughts and experiences.
7. Stay positive. Doing our best to keep a positive attitude will help us and those around us to remain calm and clear.
8. Reflect on Spiritual Truth. Reading from a sacred book and then reflecting on it can help us to see and feel life situations with a new more expanded perspective. For example, this verse from the bible: “For God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1-7
9. Use the “Peace and Harmony Prayer“, from Paramhamsa Yogananda. Visualize the person(s), and mentally surround them with divine light. Then, deeply pray: “Lord fill this world with peace and harmony, peace and harmony” (10 times). Afterward, visualize yourself in a divine light and pray: “Lord fill me with peace and harmony, peace and harmony”. Repeat it 3 to 5 times throughout the day.
10. Surround yourself with positive people. It is very important to be around people who can uplift us and help us to understand the situation with an expansive consciousness and to stay positive. Also having a mentor or a coach helps us to get the support we need, to be heard and to bring clarity to our mind and peace to our heart.

Affirm: I remain calm at the center of life’s storms

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Group of college students with whom we exchanged photos

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“There is no better panacea for sorrow, no better reviving tonic, than smiles. There is no greater power with which to overcome failure than a real smile. There is no better ornament than a genuine smile. There is no beauty greater than the smile of peace and wisdom glowing on your face.” – Paramhansa Yogananda

I love this quote because it reminds me of the power of a smile. Sometimes, with our busy lives, we forget that our inner most desire is to feel happy and to express it with smiles. When we smile, we are welcoming life and allowing ourselves to express our true nature: Joy. Hidden beneath, pain, resentment, guilt, and all the experiences of life is that energy of joy that wants to find expression with a smile.

When we see the smile of a baby, it immediately fills our heart with joy because there is sweetness, innocence, joy and trust behind that smile. It is the same with us, everything changes from within, when we allow ourselves to smile, despite the outward circumstances. We bring to life, happiness, hope, trust, contentment, peace, patience, innocence, and joy. And what is more wonderful is that not only we feel good about ourselves, but also, we touch people around us and help them to feel accepted and loved. How many times have you smiled at a stranger and felt so good when that person smiled back at you, like saying “Thank you.”

A smile can bring healing to our world and if we each commit to smiling more, we can bring the energy of love and joy that is behind each smile. We have a powerful tool to share with others to awaken the joy that resides within us. I invite you to share your smile with others, knowing that it has the power to change lives, yours and others. Sometimes we just have to dare to do it, just for not reason and keep doing it until it becomes a beautiful habit.

I’d like to leave you with this quote from my friend Indrani from Ananda León in Spain: “If the soul has a face, the smile must be its natural expression.”

Affirm: I joyfully share the power of my smile with others

To read this month’s Love in Action Newsletter, click here

Happiness is the foundation for success in your relationships,
your career, and every aspect of your life

To read this month’s Love in Action Newsletter, click here

To read this month’s Love in Action Newsletter, click here

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I recently had an experience that gave me the opportunity to remember that there is always a solution for every problem.

Last Thursday, I went early to the closest town to my home to do some errands and I decided to have breakfast at IHop. When I came out, I opened the trunk of my car to get something, closed the door and then I realized that I had left my key inside.

My mind wanted to take me into worrying and complaining right away, especially because my time had been planned carefully. I started to make phone calls to request the Honda road service to come and open my car. As I was talking to the person who was helping me, who told me I had to call another department, I looked up and saw the sign of the restaurant: IHope. I immediately realized that that was a sign and I could choose to stay, calm and joyful because “there is hope.” I ended up making many phone calls and I consciously chose to be gracious and courteous and joyful with everyone I spoke to. As a matter of fact, when I shared with them that I was in front of a restaurant IHope, I affirmed to them: “There is HOPE”. They laughed and one of them told me: “you made my day.”

This experience really invited me to remember that I always have the final say in how I am going to, either react to situations or respond to them. We react when we allow our ego to take control, to take us into fear, doubt, criticism and complaining. We respond to situations when we take responsibility and maintain a positive attitude, remembering that there is always a solution for every challenge we face in life.

I’d like to share what I did to keep a positive attitude as I was going through the experience:

• Pay attention to life’s messages: I kept looking at the restaurant’s sign, to remind me “there is hope”
• Maintain a positive attitude. Staying positive helped me to solve the situation faster because I was not blocking the energy and instead I was allowing the solution to come to me
• Bring humor into the moment. This helps to stay calm and joyful
• Be kind and courteous with everyone who is helping. They are doing their best and if you treat them with respect, they will respond to you in a like manner and help you to find a solution.
• Have faith. There is always hope and the secret is to keep our energy focused on the solution.
  The service I received from Honda was excellent. I was grateful for the experience and it reminded me that Victory comes to those who help themselves.

Affirm: There is hope. I choose to focus on the solution