Balanced Living in the New Millenium


		GOD IS UNIVERSAL God is the Universal Substance of everything that is. God is the energy that holds everything together and keeps everything moving and breathing. God is the fabric of the garment that is Life. All creatures are made of God first, and then the personality is added. God is the force behind all things, even those we feel are "not good." God wants us to have wonderful experiences, but he also wants us to grow. This is when we say, "Things are going badly." If instead we look upon it as a growth experience, a gift from God to our souls, then we will welcome the lessons we must learn. That way we don't fight what God has in store for us. We are on the earth to grow and to learn. If we resist change, we are faced with challenges we think we don't deserve, when actually, they are God's way of helping us move forward. GOD'S TIME IS NOT NECESSARILY OUR TIME In the world of computers where a press of a button sends something to print or changes type and spacing, it is hard to believe that everything in life can't be fixed instantly. You expect quick and easy answers to your problems, but when this doesn't happen, you get frustrated. Spiritually speaking, a lot doesn't happen instantly, because you need to learn to live and learn to be happy. Elderly people have told me that they learned the most from their most difficult experiences. When you think of this, remember that God knows which experiences and people will teach you what you need to know. When things seem to take too long and give you a lot of grief, ask God what you still need to learn, and you will be shown what it is you need to know. Keep in mind that God's time is always on time--it just may not be as timely as you'd like it to be. But trust that God's time is always right. In the meantime, you are growing and learning and moving forward in God's time. BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE Being proud is about feeling good about yourself. It's about being in love with life. Being proud is not "Look at me--look at who I am and what I've done;" it's an inner feeling of devotion to yourself as a person. What gives you your specialness? What can you do that no one else can? How can you leave the world a better place? Being proud is using your gifts and trusting them. It's helping yourself to all that life has to offer because you can use your gifts. We are all born with a purpose, a reason to be, a place from which to experience life. We are all given a way to see life in our own unique way, and to live according to God's plan for us. If you are proud of who you are, then you are halfway there. Evaluate yourself from time to time. How could you change your life to make you more proud? Notice how children walk into a room with purpose, how they're so eager to see what is in there to play with and explore. See how concentrated they are on their goal of playing. That is their job--it's our job, too. You can approach your life with eagerness, with joy and with focus, always playing and doing what you do best. Be willing to explore new things and new experiences. That is what being proud is. That is living life to the fullest. CAN YOU EVER BE TOO LOVING? Love is to help you, not hinder you in any way. When people take advantage of you and your good nature--then yes, you have loved incorrectly. Do what is best for yourself daily. Then your behavior will spill over to others. If you don't take care of your needs, then you get into trouble at every turn. The most important rule of love is to love yourself. "How can I do this?" you may ask. "My job demands so much of my energy. My family needs me. I volunteer and I am always stretched too thin." Figure out how you can get some time for yourself. Do you need to get up a little earlier, go to bed a little earlier, not watch so much TV, spend less time with people whose company you don't enjoy? If you don't have balance, you will snap at people more often, shut them out in conversations, shut down emotionally, etc. Watch for these signs so you won't let them continue without doing something for yourself. Go sit in the jacuzzi, take a warm tub bath, meditate, get a massage. All these things involve giving yourself time. See how you can affect your relationships by the simple act of loving yourself. PEACE Peace comes in outer and inner forms. Peace comes from doing things you love, like fishing, hiking, swimming, meditation, yoga and the work of your choice. Peace comes from experiencing nature, but most important is the peace that comes from knowing who you are. There is a quiet confidence, a state of bliss that comes when you are comfortable with yourself. Many people spend their whole life waiting for this feeling. Many find it when they are young. When young people are happy with themselves and their life, peace radiates to everyone they meet. An elderly person who has not found this is sad indeed. Set aside time daily to experience peace, a sense of joyous quiet and stillness within. Let this be a time of self acceptance and for experiencing peace on an inner level. PASSION IS NOT ONLY FOR THE BEDROOM It is a beautiful and normal sensation to feel passionate when making love, but there are many other ways that joy and passion can be expressed. What do you feel passionate about? What gives you chills when you think of it? What pleasurable thing do you do that gives you so much joy that you don't know what to do with it all? This is your passion. Pursue it with energy and vigor and you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment. Whether it's working for a cause like saving the environment, volunteering for a charity organization, or pursuing the arts, you can pursue whatever you feel passionate about. This is your God-given talent for the betterment of society. Think about this and then begin living your dreams. Just think what a joyous and rich world it would be if all people were living their dreams. This is joy! This is passion! DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE RUNNING TO? Are you on a treadmill--rushing here, rushing there, not even allowing yourself a half hour for meditation in a day, WHY? Is what you are rushing to so important that you have to hurry to get there? Life is short, but it's even shorter when we're so rushed we forget who we are. Give yourself a break during your day. Take a short walk or meditate. Schedule these breaks if you have to. You will be more productive, happier and care-free. As much as you need to be successful, you also need to rest. Your body, mind and spirit need moments of silence, pleasure, and peace. The more fast-paced your life is, the more you need these time outs. Give yourself the gift of a day of pampering. Exercise, soak in a long bath, get your hair done, read a book, get a massage. Any of these things help you get back in touch with who you are. YOU GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR You get what you ask for. Do you believe this? Do you understand the concept of words and results? Let me give you an example. One of my spiritual teachers grew up in a very poor family. She always said, "I'm going to have money to burn." One of her first jobs was at a bank where she had to go down to a vault and burn all the old money. Of course, it was not hers to keep but to burn. This is a true story. Do you see? We have to be so careful with our words because they are so powerful. What we put out with words always comes back to us. This goes for relationships, too. If we say, "I don't like that person or I hate you"--this will come back to us, sometimes in the very same day. If you always say, "I don't have any money," this will be your truth. Saying or writing "I am health, wealth and success overflowing now" is a great way to program what you want. Maybe you just want a simplified life. Then you could affirm, "I am living a simplified life now." When you are willing to ask for what you want, the Universe always gives it to you. Be clear on what you want. If you want a great relationship in your life, think of all the qualities you'd like the person to have. Many times the idea of tall, dark and handsome or beautiful springs to mind, but not what we'd like the person to be on the inside (loving, kind, a good parent, hard-working, emotionally present or spiritual). God always gives us what we want, maybe not immediately, but we do get what we ask for. MORE THOUGHTS ON SUCCESS Working hard and working smart are two different things many times. Before you begin a day when you have a lot to do, ask to be shown how to work smart so that your day flows for you. You will be shown little ways to save time and energy and your productivity will be higher. Be willing to take breaks during the day so that your body, mind and spirit can rest. Even five or ten minutes of quiet meditation can rejuvenate you in the middle of a busy day. Gratefulness brings more good. When something good happens, whether it is large or small, be grateful. Feel your heart opening up to the gratefulness and give thanks. Let your heart be happy and accept the goodness which has come. Then you will bring more good to you rather than pushing it away. God wants you to have everything that you need in abundance. It is his desire that you be adorned with beautiful clothing of the highest caliber, that you be well-fed with foods from the earth. He wants you to be blessed in all areas of your life. It is your job to open your heart to receive the blessings in all areas of your life. ABUNDANCE You cannot be stingy and have true abundance. Abundance literally means a great amount. If you want to manifest abundance, you cannot simultaneously hold an idea of poverty. If you are having trouble paying the rent, and get into fear about it, this only pushes the idea of lack out in front. Lack and abundance are not part of the same thought. Be focused about what you want to manifest. Then say, "Thank you, Father," knowing that it is already in motion. LETTING MONEY COME TO YOU If you see money as evil, then you'll never have much, because who wants evil in their life? How you view money determines how you will receive it. This is the Truth about money. Everyone needs money, Be happy when someone wins the lottery--it could be you! Be happy when someone is given a new car by their parents--it could be you! Be happy when a friend gets a great paying job--it could be you! Be happy about other people's success, because when yours comes, you'll want people to be happy for you. THE FUTURE IS IN OUR HANDS To create a marvelous future, we must live in the present moment, learning from our past, and being willing to grow and move ahead with our lives. The capacity for a healthy, happy world is within each one of us. Creating this future begins with our decisions. When you make a decision, visualize whether this decision makes you feel happy. Will it create happiness for others around you? Does it benefit the world at large? Our future depends on looking at the big picture, not being so self-absorbed that we only look at how life affects us. Operate from a willingness to have a happy future, where we will love each other, and our world will be a safe place in which to grow. We create the future daily by our love, our hate, our decisions. There first must be a trust in our provider, the Father of us all, and a deep trust in the wisdom provided to us during meditation time.