Presence

Whangapoua Beach, Coromandel, New Zealand

Every moment of every day we make a choice. One choice brings us peace, love and joy. The other choice keeps us in a cycle of desire, fulfillment and frustration, anxiety and avoidance, fear and hope. We can choose to be identified with our thoughts and beliefs, or we can bring our awareness to the Present. There is no judgment. Either choice is fine. There is nothing we can do that will cause us to fall from Grace.

We choose whether we know it or not.

Let's choose consciously.

Being

Long Bay, Coromandel, New Zealand

Is it worth it? Is it worth giving up all of our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves, our desires, our likes and dislikes and our social identities? If we are generally contented, our relationships are satisfying, we are passionate about our careers there is no need to change anything as we are already living in harmony.

However, if we are often unhappy, frustrated and angry, dissatisfied with our lives and wish that there was another way to live, there is! We can change in an instant. We only have to be who we truly are, not who we think we are.

By bringing our attention away from compulsive thinking and towards the present moment, our lives will be in harmony with the infinite energy source, which is what we are. We will experience the peace, love and joy which cannot be taught or understood through thought. It can only be experienced by surrendering to the now.

Let's be what we really are.

Meditation

Kamakura, Japan

Over time, stress builds on itself until we have layer upon layer of unresolved issues. It causes us to lose perspective and view the world as our enemy. We are often not even aware it. It can kill us and, at the very least, causes nervousness, anger, frustration and unhappiness.

The quickest way to relieve stress is through meditation. It is quicker than any other activity, including exercise, being in nature, talking to a psychiatrist, etc. Of course, meditation is not an activity. It is the opposite of activity. It is stillness. It is being. Thirty minutes of meditation can release a lifetime of stress. If we incorporate a daily practice into our lives, everything will be better. We will be relaxed, think clearly, and always keep things in perspective. People will react differently to us, as we react differently to them. We will see the beauty in simple, every day things. We will treat our loved ones and ourselves better.

Study after study has proven that meditation has an enormous beneficial effect on our health and well-being. How do we meditate? It is easy, but not simple. It is like a muscle. The more we exercise it, the better it is. We can sit with our back stright and bring our attention to our breathing. As our mind wanders and we are distracted, we gently bring our attention back to our breathing, without judgment of any kind.

Let's have the discipline and the courage to be still in meditation.

Transparency

Black Swan and Babies, Lake Taupo, New Zealand

We act differently in front of our boss, our teacher, our parents, our friends, our loved ones, strangers, etc. We project what we think the other person expects to see. This is inauthentic living.

All of the manipulations, words and actions we show others are lies. We want to be liked, we want to be respected, we want things from other people. We are afraid that if people saw who we really were, that they would not like us.

Putting different faces on in different situations causes stress because we are not living authentically. We should not be afraid to show people who we really are. If we lose friends and people do not like us, it is time to move on from those people. We will attract new people, who resonate with our new energy.

Whom are we trying to protect when we tell white lies? Are we really doing our friends a favor by lying to them? Do we think so little of them, that we do not think they can handle the truth?

It is far less stressful and more relaxing to be who we are in all situations. Our thoughts and beliefs about who we think we are keep us from being who we are. If we let go of our beliefs about who we think we are, we will be who we really are.

Let's have the courage to be transparent.

Allowing

Nara, Japan

Whatever we think God is, it isn't. God cannot be understood through thought. Words cannot describe it. We can pray to it, but it will not work. Prayer consists of words and thoughts. It can, however, be experienced. Our conceptions, thoughts, speculations and faith in what God is are wrong. It is incapable of being described.

We can allow it to be what it is. We can surrender to it without understanding it. Understanding requires thought and it is incapable of being understood through thought.

God is an infinite, loving, energy source. It is also what we are. We do not have to look for it. It cannot be found. It is what we are. We just have to surrender to it.

Let's surrender our thoughts of what the Infinite is, and allow it to be what it is.

Surrender

Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

If we only held on to the thoughts about the positive things in our lives that would be one thing. However, we hold on to the most miserable and frivolous thoughts as well. We believe that if we gave them up, that we would be lost and would have no identity.

Only by surrendering our thoughts and beliefs will we find ourselves. We believe that any role that we play is better than not having one. We love being the victim and telling everyone about our illnesses or the injustices that were done to us. We love bragging about our accomplishments and possessions in order to cover up our feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy.

If we find the courage to surrender all of our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves, we will find peace. We will not be lost if we give them up. We will be found.

Let's give up what we think we know and surrender to the divine unknown.

Gratitude

Qamea, Fiji

We are happy when "good" things happen to us, and angry or sad when "bad" things happen to us. In reality, we do not have enough information to determine what is "bad" and what is "good."

Often we look back on obstacles and disappointments and realize that we were better off from having gone through it. When we are fired from our job, we will often find a more suitable position. When our relationship does not work out, we often find someone who makes us happier.

Since we do not have knowledge of the "big picture," we should treat every event that happens to us with gratitude. When we realize that everything is a gift, we let go of the ups and downs that make us victims of our circumstances. By being grateful for everything, we become masters of our lives. We also will find that when we let go of our judgments and assumptions about events, things begin to flow more harmoniously. By not being buffeted by the winds of fortune, fortune smiles on us.

However, if we are grateful in order to receive the things that we think we want, it will only reinforce our feelings of lack. What we put out is what we receive. This is the law of prosperity and the law of karma.

If we would be grateful for just one day for everything that happens to us regardless of whether we believe the circumstances are "good" or "bad," everything will change. For example, instead of being frustrated or angry when we miss a traffic light, we can be grateful that we have a moment to practice presence. If a family member is ill, we could become despondent, or we could be grateful for all that we have learned from this person and thankful to be able to spend whatever time is left with them. If we lose our job, we could become fearful of what will happen to us, or we could be grateful for the opportunity to surrender our fears, appreciate the time that we have for ourselves, and look forward to obtaining a more meaningful job.

Let's be grateful for everything in our lives.