Just for today... Don't worry

Each one of us has responsibilities, some towards ourselves, and some towards others. With the stresses of our daily lives, it has become incredibly difficult to be calm and accepting. We constantly have something that occupies our minds. We worry, we fear, we become anxious... and how does that help? Worry doesn't sort things out. Fear doesn't eradicate situations. And anxiety doesn't calm a mind. When we dwell in the present moment, we have no fears, no worries and no anxiety. Because at this moment, nothing is wrong. In this moment, I am still living despite my past and my future. In this minute, if there is a problem there is a solution. In the future if there is a problem, in the future there is a solution - why worry now?

Often this worry, this anxiety, this fear is part of our daily lives because we forget to savor the present. But how to we savor this present moment? There are so many ways! Meditation, monitoring your thoughts throughout the day etc.  However, it is very common that when one meditates with an agitated mind, very little is achieved. It is because when we observe our thoughts, we get carried away... An agitated mind is further agitated when its attempts have failed.

But that doesn't mean that we should give up meditating, or other forms of activities that calm the mind - be it a massage, a reiki session, or anything else. It just mean that we need to simplify our minds before we relax them. An agitated mind is very very hard to relax.

So how do we simplify our minds, our thoughts and allow our minds to relax? The answer yet again is... Acceptance! Acceptance is a wonderful way to tell yourself "yes, I know I worry, I know I'm anxious, I know I'm fearful... but it's okay. With this acceptance towards the way I feel, I wish to let go because today, nothing is wrong. I accept what life brings to me this minute".

When a child is scared, terribly scared, the mother is the one to console him/her. With love, with compassion, with acceptance and without judgement, she is able to tell the child that nothing will happen. And that the child is safe and secure. When an infant cries after waking up, all it needs is to be in a secure embrace - to know that s/he is fine and nothing is going to harm it.

In times of stress, consciously, we are the children and we are the mothers. But in reality our mother is our higher-self/ subconscious mind/ All-That-Is ... whatever it is you believe in! Be it god, be it the inner being, be it the soul, or be it your subconscious mind. And as they say "qué será será"... what will be will be, part of you already knows the outcome subconsciously - so why fret. Be the child, learn to accept how you feel... let it go once you've accepted it, and then surrender to your higher-self, to All-That-Is.

Its all a matter of faith. I do not follow any religion, but I have faith. Faith that tells me whatever happens or will happen has a lesson for me to learn. I can worry about the problem, or I can let go and learn the lesson when it's time... either ways, my free-will will lead me to the lessons I must learn.

So just for today, don't worry. Leave that fear and anxiety behind and savor the now. Every minute you spend worrying is a minute taken away from your life.

You can't like everyone, and not everyone can like you.

Time and again we meet people of all types; people we love, we like, we dislike or we hate. It's always surprising how that one person can make you smile as if your whole life has been perfect and its annoying how another person can drive you so mad that it ruins your whole day. We always hear things like: "don't let it get to you and you shall be fine" or "what irritates you of another person are indicators of what you don't like about yourself" or "you can't like everyone and not everyone can like you", but do these advice really help?

Sometimes yes, and sometimes no, it really depends on how you use these advice. Do you just keep yourself away from these people? Or do you ignore them? And what about people who get on our nerves by just being around? How do you deal with them? It's not like you would wish for anything negative for them, but you would pray to never see them again. Often these people are the ones that teach us the most.... it doesn't mean that we should like them over the top to appreciate the lessons they have brought to us, but we should aim at all times to be unaffected by their presence. And when we are unaffected, we've learnt our lessons already.

You may say, what will that person teach me when they are so messed up already? Sometimes it's as simple as not to repeat the mistakes they make. Sometimes it's awareness of certain traits that are hurtful, or disturbing. Sometimes the lessons are really theirs, but we re-act a certain way for them to take action and learn from it. There is always an underlying reason as to why we enjoy, tolerate or are intolerant towards certain people and their behaviors. And living with them can bring about a lot of negativity and frustrations within ourselves, hence we use acceptance to restore our positive nature.

However, it's easier said than done! But there are so many ways to approach this situation. If you can't make peace with who they are as a person, try making peace with their behavior that irritates you... if not that, then make peace with not being able to like them. Accepting one of these three things shall ease or erase the discomfort within caused by another person. Once you make peace and accept that their behavior and actions are ones you have no control over, things slowly but steadily start falling into place.

We humans, learn through our emotions and as we exhaust the emotional reactions we have to people we dislike and hate... we become neutral and neutrality is vital to internal peace. So take this day and write of people you dislike and write things about them that trigger these feelings. And once you have something solid, try using acceptance in one of the three ways discussed above... and see if it makes a change. Slowly but surely it will! 

When you can't fall anymore, you can only climb up...

Often we are faced with difficult situations, sometimes they are momentary and sometimes they are prolonged situations. The momentary ones are like one of those days where it rains inexplicably, and ruins plans for the day - but, it's still refreshing. Whereas the prolonged ones are like months and months of rain, with no sun, causing a huge turmoil within. 

Each turmoil is different, each has its own value of teaching. If we didn't have problems we would not have painful experiences that would allow us to appreciate the good and smooth moments of life. Sometimes, we fall into depressions for we feel overwhelmed by situations. And often, these depressions are catalysts for change. Some of us tend to resist change, never acknowledging that change can be for the good too. If good times don't last, bad times don't either... given that, we must acknowledge that whatever changes happen help us develop as a soul. The good times nourish our souls so that we are able to use that as strength to withstand and learn from the bad times. But in reality, there are no "good" or "bad" times, these are just experiences that shape you, and help you evolve as a soul. 


Sometimes a depression is caused by an event, or sometimes by a build-up of several events, either ways it is because we are unable to forgive somebody (may be ourselves or anybody else) or accept situations. And those situations have caused internal chaos of fear, anger and such "lower-vibration" emotions. But because we are dealing with such feelings and emotions, it permits us to go beyond. When you can't fall anymore, you can only climb up. 

Even today, depression is a stigma in society... but it actually is the time one can experience the most amount of growth. It is an opportunity and blessing in disguise. To be able to overcome depression, it is very important to look within and be self-nurturing. Self-nurturing takes forms of acceptance, love, compassion, service, forgiveness and most importantly relief, the minute we stop permitting issues to affect us we grow from them. It may sound easy, but never is. In fact, it may be easier to just continue staying in that state... but it's not worth it. The effort taken to accept and let go is what is required for the soul's growth. 

However, some people take days or months, while other take years but does that mean the growth opportunity is better when you cling to that state? No, not really. It's a matter of being ready. Many people would be aware of the Buddhist proverb "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear", it's some what similar in this case as well. When you feel ready to make the change, your teacher will appear as well - and this applies to any situation in life. And it's okay to not be ready sooner than later. It's okay to savor those moments as well, because until you are fully drowned in those feelings... coming out of them won't make a difference. We humans tend to learn from our feelings and emotions, it is the part of us that connects us to our higher-self. We are meant to experience all sorts of feelings and emotions so intensely that we become unaffected by it. And we can only achieve that state of peace when we remain unaffected by external issues and find refuge in internal joy.

So, whenever you are ready... take that first step. Address the issues that have caused inner turmoil. Talk to yourself, and tell yourself  "I know (these issues) are troubling me within, but I want to give this feeling some love, compassion and most importantly, I want to accept these feelings. And I thank them for giving me the opportunity to grow". Know that as you nurture yourself, you will hurt less. Develop a passion, and enjoy it with your heart when you engage in it. Once you are nurtured, deal with these issues - whatever they may be, and whatever they may need (whether acceptance or forgiveness) and don't associate them to emotions like fear. Always remember, your soul will never choose problems that you are not ready for.  

I am flawed, but not forever...

There are times where everything is perfectly smooth, and then there are times where things are an utter disaster. And often, things tend to be somewhere in the middle. When things don't go right, we sometimes we get caught up in blame games, which eventually point out flaws - it may be ours or another persons.  And often we see flaws of others easily, whereas our own flaws are hidden until it is pointed out. Psychologically, this is healthy for it permits us to hold a positive image of ourselves, building self-esteem. But in reality, it is imperative to acknowledge them because these flaws need not stay with us, and they can disappear through constant effort of acknowledgement and acceptance. 

Acceptance plays a huge role on how we contribute to or eliminate our flaws. Yes, flaws are part of ourselves just as much as any other trait and they must be accepted and loved like any other. When we accept and love our flaws we build awareness towards it. The love and acceptance allow the self-esteem to be secure, perhaps even stronger than when we weren't aware of the flaws. Now if we just leave it at this, then acceptance would contribute to our flaws and we would have no motivation to change. But when we accept it with the intention to eliminate it, the awareness permits us to reduce the amount of times we react to situations through our flaws. And every time we do, we are pushed to be self-reflective. 

Flaws are indicators towards our fears and insecurities. Fears and insecurities which must be faced, dealt with, accepted with love and then eventually we need to let go of them.

For example, we all know of one person (it may be us or someone else) who is very messy and tends to collect clutters from every possible place. It is usually because they have a lot of mental clutter that they haven't been able to deal with. Every time something happens, they just leave it in some corner of their mind and get on with their daily lives... never realizing that it will stay there and conquer space as long as it is not thrown out. Or for example, a person who yaps on all day about his/her accomplishments is insecure of not being accepted, or not being "good enough" for society. And every time one of the accomplishments are brought up, they associate it with self-worth. 

We all have issues like these that we disregard, but some day we must learn to eliminate them - because they hinder our progression to achieve our life goals and to All That Is.

The best way to deal with such issues is to bring awareness to your flaws, love them, accept them, and then bring awareness to every situation where you would impulsively act through these flaws. As you diminish their usage, they are no longer part of you. And they no longer act as hindrances towards your path of enlightenment. 

Every sunrise and sunset is different, yet the essence is the same...

   I make it a point to see the sun rise or the sun set, often. As each day passes, the patterns created by the sun are different and yet just as beautiful. It makes me wonder what causes these variations and whether they have a hidden significance.

  As we've grown up the sun has always been around, more or less - considering where you live. However, when we mention the sun we all have one reference. Its like a constant... yet it isn't. Over the years, it has changed - just like everything else. But it's essence is the same. It still provides us with the same functions it did earlier... if not more now, due to our technological advances. Isn't it the same for us? Don't we change every second? Every time we  have an "aha" moment, or every time we experience something... it changes us, forever. We never go back to being the same person we were, and yet we still carry the essence since we were children. This is applicable for those who also believe in past lives, we can never go back to being the people we were earlier, but instead we carry them within ourselves.

A lot of times, whether we are conscious or not... emotions and feelings that we've experienced because of the changes are also carried on within us. They may be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, but their impact continues unless we accept them. Today was a rainy day, the sun had an unconventional sunrise - for me, it was equally charming - but it did affect the initial radiance of the sun! As the sun rose to the challenge, the day became brighter and brighter. And, must I say... not all days are bright. Just like us, the sun has its days. But at the end of it, it stays the same despite changing so much! Hence in the long term, acceptance allows us to rise to the challenges and move on with greater strength.

With this thought, I intend to open up to all the emotions built up in me - so that I can embrace each one of them and accept them. Although I do know it will not be easy, who likes to feel unpleasant, or rather chaotic with a mixture of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral? But as each emotion comes up, I shall close my eyes and say "thank you, and this too shall pass". As I do not resist feeling it, it shall come and go - just like all the pleasant and unpleasant times. I sincerely hope that along with me, you too have the strength and courage to accept the feelings and emotions of the past with no resistance. For this time when it passes, it shall mold you and me in to a new being with more wisdom. At the end of the day, pleasant and unpleasant aren't important, what's important is how we grow from it.

Being I

Many a times when we meet people are we really being ourselves? Or are we trying to fit in to the norms of the society? And some people that have broken norms and are being unique, are they really accepted?

Being I is about being unique, accepting and yet living fully. So often, we are afraid to have a voice because we fear being ridiculed, not being accepted and moreover being lonely because we don't fit in. What we fail to see is that there are 7 billion other people out there who are unique, and different, with different thoughts and opinions - and they too are fearful of the same things we are. We can never be alone or lonely because by condition we all are meant to inter-be with each other. We may be as independent as can be, and yet we must inter-be with others.

One can never be unique, different or just be oneself until there is acceptance. And acceptance comes from within through mindful practice. To accept oneself is to be in peace with one. To accept one's fear is to be fearless. Once acceptance is in place, one has returned home in the true sense. Being ridiculed does not matter anymore because one is back home, he is safe and he is fearless and most importantly, he is happy because he lives his life alongside with his morals.

Kids tend to be great examples of this, remember being in school and observing someone being teased, bullied or mocked for a specific reason? It may have been because they were fat and the rest in class were thin, or because s/he was a foreigner and the rest were local, or even because s/he dressed differently. Today when we look back, we shun it off thinking "oh we were just kids" - whether we were part of it or not. However, we fail to realize the impacts of it. That specific child who was bullied, teased or mocked probably still has those scars - be it physical or mental, may be they are suffering from low self-esteem or  low confidence. But in reality, the kids who were in the majority failed to realize that there is nothing about them that makes them stand out. And most importantly, each and every one has a distinct quality that would make them shine, but the fear of being in the minority is so heavily imprinted since school times that we, ourselves can't accept being different. Had we as children decided to be different, the world would have been a better place because the pressures of being like someone, or of fitting in would have decreased and it would be replaced by acceptance.

I have also met people who say "but I don't want to be different", and all I can say is that... "you already are!" It's just that there are definite things (sometimes even thoughts) that we keep to ourselves for the fear of rejection. However, at this point start with acceptance. When you meet someone different - see if you are willing to accept them that way. If you are, know that you too are ready to be different - but do not expect people to accept you or understand you... be happy in knowing that you are being true about yourself. Eventually the acceptance within is what we are looking for.

Once the change is brought about, the fear become fearless, the unaccepting become accepting, and a  surprise is around the corner. Different relationships are created, either with new people or with ones known before. These relationships are much meaningful in comparison to the previous ones, for they are built on honesty and comfort, and most importantly acceptance.

Today I shall start accepting who I am today, and allowing myself to develop into the person I really am.
I do hope that this has encouraged you to accept yourself and others around you.