Be aware of the story line you are running. We tell ourselves stories about the way things are in our life. We tell ourselves stories about the childhood we experienced (‘this is the way it was’), the lives we have created (‘this has been my path up until now’)and why things are the way they are (‘this is happening because of that’). We have literally created all these stories because of our previous perceptions, our conditioning, our experiences, our attachments and often in the end to make our stories ‘right’. We have so much invested in the stories of our lives. These stories define our lives, give them shape and definition, give us an identity. But do these stories make us feel good? Do these stories leave us with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside? Probably not. We wear these stories like battle scars. You might think but the wounds run deep… I am here to say that you want to tell yourself a story that feels good to you. It is time to lift the veil off your particular storyline that has defined you for such a long time and see things from a different perspective…only if you are ready to do so. What if the story line you have been running could be changed? The old story likely makes you feel like a victim of your circumstance whereas a new story would allow you to feel empowered and in charge of your life. Letting go of the old story is challenging because in the old story, you were a victim. Other people did things to you that were not okay. To let go of your story nessitates forgiveness (for others and for yourself), compassion and tolerance; in involves opening your heart to the people around you and offering them unconditional love which can be tough when you may have felt hurt by them in your past. But you are only hurting yourself by holding on to old wounds, past regrets, previous greivances…

I challenge you to create a new story that allows you to view your previous story almost from a distance, a detached eye. It is all perspective; if you create a new story about the reason that things happened to you in your past or in your present and it leaves you feeling good then keep the story but if the story line you are running makes you feel angry, victimized, sad, or otherwise not good, then let go of your story. You might have to journal about the story you have written or speak to someone that you trust about the nature of your story to be able to let it go. You might have to get therapy, go for emotional freedom technique sessions, see a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or whatever works for you to make you feel that it is resolved. But if you have the courage to let go of your story (and it takes a lot of courage to face yourself and your story), a new story can be birthed. This new story is the one in which you feel empowered, light, compassionate, loving and grateful for your previous experiences and grateful for the chance to write a new story. This new story is the real you, the authentic you that is more in touch with who you are. This new story involves you in all your radiant glory shining your light as bright as it can be. This new story is the one in which you truly love and accept yourself. This is progress!

At the end of the day we are all seeking to love and be loved. That is our one basic primary need. Everything falls a distant second to this. Love is the greatest healing force known to mankind therefore you should seek it out. What do you love to do? Do more of that. Create a love list. On this list will be all the things that you can think of that you love to do. Make a point of doing something that is on your list more consistently. Do one thing every day that you love to do. This ‘doing what you love’ generates positive healing chemicals like endorphins in your body which means a healthier you in the long run. By doing things that you love, you send the message to all the cells in your body that all is well…

People who are critically ill get this message more than most. Their priorities become really clear really quickly. They get that well being is the most important order of the day…their ego is facing the possibility of its demise and the present day moment becomes the only moment they have so they make the most of it…they love what is…a gift in this otherwise challenging circumstance…

Make a daily habit of sending love to yourself. Every night before you go to sleep, when you are lying in bed, send love to each part of your body starting with your toes, traveling up through your body as slowly as you can, acknowledging each little part that you can remember…sending extra love to any area which you feel needs it more than others, spending extra time there, feeling grateful for each body part that you can put a name to and when you have travelled all through your body ending with the top of your head, give thanks to your body for everything it is doing right. Your body is a self healing organism. You will help your self healing along by sending love to your body. Thank it for the incredible job it is doing every day to keep you alive and thriving. Every inch of your body requires love and you can provide this love just with your intention to do so…You are the most loving ally that you have. Flood your body with as much love as you can when ever you think of it. This will help your body heal…

There is a positive side to everything you experience just like there is a negative side.  It is all a matter of your perception. If you can change your perception of events that happen in your life then you are well on your way to a more peaceful  state of being within yourself. I bring this up because everything I experienced in my past served my growth and made me who I am today. All the people that I interacted with along my life path have made me grow in different ways and for that I am grateful. I realize that the belief systems that were created based on my programming led me to suffer at different times in my life. This suffering could have been prevented if I had challenged my belief systems which would have proved them to be faulty. I did not have the awareness then that I have now. Everyone has the right to create belief systems that serve them however you have to see where they originate in the first place.

After I did a life review, I did two key things. Firstly, I identified the one person who was the most influential  on my life path. Secondly,  I identified five key messages that I believed were important to follow based on this person’s influence. (I go into detail in my book that I am currently finishing with regards to this process so I won’t spend time on the details now.)The reason I bring this up is so you can see how programming occurs. I was programmed by other people’s beliefs that were close to me when I was growing up. Their opinion mattered a great deal to me and they had a successful life path so naturally I assumed that their advice was golden. I examined the five messages and then came up with beliefs that I had created based on these messages. These beliefs became my truth which was not necessarily a bad thing at the time. This led me to a life path that was reasonable and safe. But was it really me? Only separating yourself out from your programming will begin to shed light on this whole issue.

I looked at the messages and then the beliefs that I had created based on the messages. I asked myself whether having these belief systems served to increase peace and well being within my spirit or did they do the opposite? Many times they did the opposite so I started to look for myself in the midst of my programming. I started to examine my belief systems and create new belief systems in my life that would afford me the most freedom. I wanted to emerge from my self imposed box whose parameters were defined by my programming. I found more peace and well being within myself when I observed how many of my belief systems were too limited and thus limited my overall potential for happiness.

I realized that just because I perceived that I came from a family with a limited world view did not mean that I had to keep the limited world view as my operating system. They were likely a product of their own family programming; the cycle keeps repeating when there is no need to question it. There are positives and negatives to programming – if you are happy in your life,  with your life, then there will be no need to question your programming.  I needed to develop my own identity free of my programming and this was the process by which I would do this…