God’s heart exists within your own heart, and as you travel along the pathways of spiritual life, your own divine nature begins to emerge and awaken. As your spiritual essence becomes more manifest, your heart begins to awaken and to seek the way Home. A heart that longs for love, and that longs to find the way home to God, opens a pathway of light from the human, embodied self to the soul that exists eternally in the realms of spirit. This important connection creates a funnel that can transmit knowledge, love, light and comfort from the realms of spirit to your embodied self. Truly it can be said that longing is the path Home to God, for it activates all the forces of heaven and Earth to infuse you and your daily life with God’s light and love. Spiritual longing not only activates spiritual growth and transformation, but it also activates the healing of any and all inner blockages to love that may exist within your being. Pain, resentment, anger and blame that are directed towards others eventually sap the life force from our own inner light, and so at some point on the spiritual journey, we are led to the path of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a state of being that emerges from love. Forgiveness cannot be forced, especially if you have been abused, neglected, or treated cruelly, or have suffered trauma at the hands of others. In this kind of situation, healing needs to progress in stages, first by allowing yourself to feel all the emotions that resulted from the trauma. This first stage of forgiveness involves not an immersion in the feelings, but an allowing of them to emerge, within a space of safety. The emotions need to be held in the container of God’s love. For many, this is best done with the support of others who can hold a healing space by offering you a loving and steady presence. This stage can last for a while if the traumas run deep, or can be passed through more quickly if there is sufficient light and love present to help in the transformation process. After this phase there is a kind of lull, and a sense of emptiness, as the emotions that were held inside for so long are no longer existing within you. Like so many phases of spiritual life, one must first be emptied out before being filled with the new. After this phase has passed, a sense of new life and hope begins to emerge naturally from the cleansing effects that happened during the period of emotional release. These emerge as seeds of the new that spring into consciousness or even appear in daily life as harbingers of a new day to come. During this time, opportunities are given for you to review the past with fresh eyes. You may come to a deeper understanding of the meaning of the painful situations that you experienced. At this point, the opportunities for forgiveness begin to emerge. It is important to understand that these cannot be forced or manufactured. Forgiveness can only come from a heart that is open and that has released the burden of anger and resentment fully. What this means is not that you will never feel anger or resentment again, but that you are no longer holding onto the anger. Instead, you are seeking to return to love, harmony and wholeness. You want to be released from the past so you can be free to live, love, and move forward into the new. There are some things that we experience that are so terrible that it does not seem possible to forgive or heal from them. In this kind of situation, extra care is needed to not place judgments upon yourself. If you have experienced a severe trauma, you may not be able to experience forgiveness quite yet. You may need more time to go through the emotional healing process, and to pick up the pieces of your life, and to go deeper with your relationship with God. To have the intention to forgive is the first step towards a complete freedom and release from the trauma. In some cases it may take time to arrive at this point. Once you are ready to be willing to forgive, your healing process has already begun. Spiritual longing is the desire of the heart to be free, to be at one with the divine nature of our own being. Spiritual longing activates a profound process of transformation and healing that is capable to freeing us from even the deepest of traumas. Forgiveness, when it comes, is a blessing of love that releases us from the chains of the past and opens a new doorway to healing. Forgiveness is one of God’s greatest gifts, and is greatly needed in today’s world. Your own healing process not only benefits you, but all those you come in contact with. As a freer and more loving being, you become more capable of being a presence of love and light for others during these very challenging times we live in. In this way, you contribute to the healing of the world, one heart at a time.

“It is as if evolution has built a safety device in our nervous system that allows us to experience full happiness only when we are living at 100% – when we are fully using the physical and mental equipment we have been given.” ~Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Physically, mentally, spiritually, financially, persuasively. . . are you functioning at 100% of your capacity? We’re born to learn, thrive, live and search for happiness, meaning and fulfillment, and yet many find these things to be out of reach. Why is it that some people struggle with their finances, their love relationships, their weight, and a general lack of motivation, while others seem to live up to their full potential with ease? We’re living in accelerated times with technology advancing faster than we can keep up with it. As a result of all the external stimulation, I believe we have a disconnect with our other-than-conscious selves. Once we repair that disconnection, amazing, miraculous things can happen. If we consider our subconscious mind a friend, and communicate with it directly, succinctly and, in a way, strictly, we can move mountains. The gentle giant is a power capable of being harnessed to aid us in our pursuit of fulfillment. They’ve been with us since the minute we were born and since then, they’ve been learning by observing what it is we hear and do. Everything that goes on around us is being filtered into this other-than-conscious. As children we were conditioned whether that be through rewards, punishments, through school and experiences. Our other-than-conscious learned too–it learned to expect certain ways of being, creating metaphorical maps of what we could expect out of life based on this early conditioning. Of its many roles, the subconscious is a powerful persuader–self-persuader–and when you understand this, you are naturally able to engage its help. The main function of the other-than-conscious is to keep us alive. Another is to keep us doing exactly what we’ve always been doing. This is, at times, problematic, especially when you’re trying to make big changes in your life. It’s possible that your other-than-conscious has been sabotaged by negative conditioning. It runs on a ‘I can’t do that’ program. This part of the brain is responsible for turning something into a habit by helping you know something on ‘auto pilot’ instead of having to ‘remember’ it. This works both positively and negatively for us. As we reframe the power of our other-than-conscious as a partner instead of something we hardly ever consider or communicate with, it can really make an enormous difference in our lives. So the big question is: how do we befriend this gentle giant? Well. . . how do you make any other friend? You gain rapport with them. It’s that easy. I thought this was silly at first too. I thought, ‘Why do I have to make friends with a part of myself?’ Take that leap of faith and you’re going to find a huge difference in your life. And this is how to do it: Give yourself a little pep talk. Ask for what you need help with. ‘Dear Gentle Giant. . . I’d love to double our income. I think we’re absolutely worth it.’ Or maybe, ‘Hi. I know we’ve had some rocky relationships and there has been a bad pattern created and now, I’d like to end that and have a great connection. What do you think? Let’s do it together.’ You could also ask for help with things you’re learning, as in, ‘Gentle giant, I would absolutely love to have my persuasion skills increase exponentially. You are really the one I can count on for help.’ Everything that you are, everything that you do, and everything that you have began with your intention to have it in one way or another is controlled by your other-than-conscious mind. All you have to do is tap into your persuasive power and your persuasion skills will naturally develop.

If you’ve been struggling with your excess fat, the prospect of the upcoming holidays may well fill you with dread. You barely fit in your clothes as is. If things go the way they usually go during the holidays, you may have to join the post-holiday shopping crowds out of necessity! You won’t have a thing to wear – because nothing will fit anymore. I don’t know about you, but that prospect always makes me cringe. I’ve been there, and I’d rather not repeat it. Which is why I have occasionally approached the holiday season in a rather contrarian spirit when it comes to my intake of food. And I’m planning to do it again this year. How’s that? Easy. There are two major weight loss facts that work in my favor here: Every pound I lose between Thanksgiving and early January counts twice! It’s a matter of simple math! As you know, those of us already struggling with extra weight can easily add 10 pounds or more during a few weeks of reckless ingestion of cookies and eggnog. I’ve done it before, and I don’t care to repeat that particular feat. Now imagine this: Instead of adding 10 pounds, how would you feel if you were to lose 10 pounds instead. Or even “just” 5 pounds. You’d be way ahead of the game, wouldn’t you. Sure, it’ll be a bit of a hassle. Maybe even a big hassle. But just for a few weeks. Meanwhile, if you keep the pay-off in mind, it will feel so worth it. But it wouldn’t be half as good an idea if it weren’t for fat loss secret number two: Most people’s bodies seem to respond very nicely to alternating high and low calorie intake days. There are several diets that feature this technique, including renegade versions of traditional ones. Just check out the Wendie Plan, Wendie’s version of Weight Watchers, where she distributes the 35 extra “points” over just 3 to 4 of the 7 days, thereby creating quite some ups and downs. The weight though will just go down, down, and down some more because that kind of “weight cycling” prevents our bodies from turning into metabolic slugs. Imagine the potential of this little trick. You could work its magic by simply planning some diet days alternating with some less restrictive days – carefully scheduling the more generous allotments for the days with office parties, family Christmas celebrations, and so on. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Yes, I know! It’s going to be hard with all the seasonal goodies around. So let’s review the benefits: If you DO lose weight NOW, it will count DOUBLE! Instead of gaining 10 pounds, you could LOSE 10 pounds! Net loss: 20 pounds, maybe even more! Wouldn’t THAT be worth a little awkwardness around the punch bowl? Imagine being that much slimmer come New Year’s Eve! Imagine the dress you’d be able to wear — the one that hasn’t fit you in ages! Imagine all your friends having piled on the pounds in the meantime, wondering how the heck you managed to actually get thinner! Go ahead. You deserve to look and feel great! Make that new and improved body your own personal Christmas present.

What’s your New Years Resolution? – Loose Weight? – Get in shape? – Quit Smoking? – Spend more time with the family? – Get your finances in order? – Get a better job? Whatever it is, you can make it happen. All you need is a plan. You need to identify your goals, create your plan and execute it. Identify Your Goals What are your goals? You should have a specific goal. If your goal is to lose weight, do you have a specific number in mind? Do you want to loose 10 pounds? 20 pounds? Or do you want to fit into size eight clothes? If you want to spend more time with family, what would that look like? “Date Night” every week? Lunch with Mom once a month? Identify what your goals are and write them down. Be as specific as possible; what is your goal and when are you going to achieve it (set a date)? Make sure your goals are reasonable and achievable. There is no use in setting goals that you know you will not follow through on. Create A Plan How are you going to accomplish your goal? What are you going to do and when? Your plan should include specific benchmarks so that you can measure progress and stay on track. Just like your overall goal, your benchmarks should be measurable and realistic. Are you going to lose five pounds/month? Get to the gym three days a week? Start with small steps that you can easily accomplish. As you accomplish your early goals, the momentum will build so that it is easier to complete tougher steps late on. As you complete each step, acknowledge your progress and reward yourself with something that isn’t going to detract from your overall goals. If your goal is to lose weight, don’t reward yourself with a candy bar for losing five pounds. Treat yourself to a movie or a new pair of shoes instead. If you don’t succeed in completing one of these steps, don’t give up; stay flexible and committed to achieving your ultimate goal. How are you going to achieve your goals? Are you going to join a gym or build one in your home with a Bowflex system? Start a Weight loss program like Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem? Identify all of the support systems that you will need. Execute Your Plan Start NOW! Don’t procrastinate. Get others involved. If you want to lose weight, find a work-out buddy or go start hiking with a friend. You will have someone to keep you motivated and you will enjoy spending the time together. Or have someone hold you accountable. If your friends know you are trying to lose weight, they help you to eat healthier with a little encouragement, or they may just give you the evil eye the next time try and order that burger instead of a salad. Just telling someone else what your goals are will also make the more real. If you just keep it to yourself, you can always change your mind and it never existed, but once someone else knows about it, it is real. Stay positive and flexible, but keep your eye on the big picture. You set the goal, it’s your plan, your life. Keep working toward on the big picture. Remember, having a New Year’s Resolution without having a plan to accomplish it is just making a wish.

Shyness and blushing often go hand in hand. Blushing can sometimes feel uncontrollable and if you have a shy disposition then blushing can feel 100 times worse. The problem is, many people decide to jump straight in for drastic measures such as surgery…when the real problem lies inside the mind. Now unless they were planning to remove the “faulty” section of their brain that is actually causing the blushing (which is actually impossible) then I would suggest this to be the worst possible decision if they wanted to cure blushing for good. Blushing is associated with shyness, social anxiety and low self confidence. Surgery cant “nip and tuck” those problems with a knife. There are of course many ways to counteract these problems. First you need to understand which comes first – the shyness/low self confidence/anxiety or the blushing? This might sound strange, but some people blush that are not shy and only become shy or anxious as a result of their blushing. This is a viscous circle that can quickly escalate. So, are you a shy/anxious person that has a tendency to blush? Or are you an outgoing person who can’t help blushing either way? If you feel that you blush uncontrollably and it is making you feel more reclusive and ultimately shyer and more anxious, then you may find solace in treating the physical condition via either cosmetic treatment or, only in extreme circumstances surgery can be an option…although not particularly recommended. Alternatives to surgery? There are many products that cater for both men and women in the market today, who might want to stop blushing without surgery. Some are good, some aren’t. Products range from light foundations (yes, men can use them too!) to green tinted creams to counteract the redness. There are even other alternatives such as acne creams designed for Rosacea sufferers that are known to be highly effective and also a number of vitamin supplements can help to alleviate some of the more extreme cases of facial redness, rosacea, blushing and hot flashes. Even if you fall into the naturally shy category and feel you blush as a result of being shy, knowing that you aren’t showing your uncomfortable blush can do wonders for you self confidence in itself. On the other hand, if you are a shy/anxious person and you think that the blushing is a bi-product of being shy, you can begin to tackle the emotional/psychological reasons behind your shyness. So if you want to know how to stop blushing without surgery, you need to be prepared to take a journey a little deeper than just skin deep…and truly discover the fundamental causes as to your shyness/low self-confidence and anxiety Perhaps you could reach out either to a professional or a trusted and understanding friend. Or maybe try joining a support group or chat with people online? Once you have targeted the areas that make you feel this way you should have a better sense of direction when it comes to actually treating your low self confidence issues for good.