Maybe you are not lost, Dear One. Maybe you are not losing your way.

Maybe you are in the process of finding a new way, creating a better way.

Did you ever think of that?

You should know, Dear One, that there is no such thing as divine punishment.

God, spirit, light, chi, prana, life force, source, whatever you choose to call it, does not punish. It does not judge, accuse, blame, denounce, criticize, evaluate, or keep score either.

It only creates.

And you (consciousness) are the author, the artist, the architect of all that is created.

Life is the canvas, and your choices are the pen, the paintbrush, the chisel through which creation flows.

We will say it again, Dear One, just so that there is absolutely no misunderstanding on the subject; Punishment is a construct of your own design, and is never something that originates from spirit, ever.

You can’t force change, Dear One, upon yourself or anyone else.

You (they) will change only when you (they) are inspired to do so. When you (they) believe that doing so will be to your (their) greatest advantage, to your (their) greatest benefit.

That is why people can and do endure the pain, discomfort and great effort that can sometimes accompany change.

Not because it doesn’t scare them, not because they enjoy the challenge, not because it is easy for them, not because they believe that they should, or have something to prove.

They do it, Dear One, because they know that doing so is going to serve them.

Enduring pain and discomfort on an inspired path to change is an empowering and joyful experience. It builds strength, endurance, and confidence.

Enduring pain and discomfort in the name of change when it is forced upon you, by yourself or by someone else, without a solid belief or knowing that it is for your greatest good, is a depleting experience . It only serves to weaken you, frustrate you, discourage you, and contribute to greater imbalance in your life.

That, Dear One, is why you shouldn’t force it.

You have complete freedom of choice, Dear One, when it comes to your thoughts.

You are free to choose to think absolutely any thought that you want to;

• About you
• About them
• About what is
• About what was
• About what could be

So remember, if you don’t like the one that you are thinking right now, if it is not bringing you pleasure, joy, contentment, or relief, you are free to choose another.

Your thoughts determine your reality, Dear One, they impact the quality of every single experience that you have, so please don’t be so quick to dismiss the significant power that this freedom affords you.

When is it that you typically start thinking about quitting, Dear One?

What we have witnessed is that it is usually when you find yourself in a situation experiencing something that makes you feel as if you are not succeeding, as if you are failing.

You typically want to quit when you think that you can’t finish, win or cope, or when you do not see enough evidence of success.

Well you should know, Dear One, that the only time that you will ever find evidence of impending failure is when you go looking for it.

So don’t!

The purpose of each new day, Dear One, is not to give you another opportunity to experience something that you have already experienced the day before.  Each new day holds the possibility for you, if you should choose to accept it, to see, feel, say, do, taste, or hear, something new, something totally and completely different than anything you have ever experienced before.

We understand that it can be difficult, intimidating, exhausting even, to embrace the new, especially if you are attempting to do so by approaching every experience as something to be judged, understood, processed, categorized and compared to each that has come before it.

But what if, Dear One, you did not do those things?  What if instead you practiced not comparing and contrasting, not judging or evaluating, not looking back and measuring just how far you are from where you were?

What do you think the experience of change would be like then?

We would like for you to try it and see.

They will follow your lead, Dear One.

They will take their direction from you.

They will treat you the way that they see you treating you.

Just one more reason for you to treat yourself well.

Just one more reason for you to treat yourself with love, kindness, forgiveness, flexibility, generosity, honesty, compassion and respect.

You want to feel more powerful, Dear One?

Then choose to think, speak and act from one of the most powerful places within you — your truth.

Not theirs, yours.

Balance is not achieved, Dear One, by succeeding at everything that you do.

• Balance is achieved  when balance is the goal.
• Balance is achieved when balance is the measure of success.

Make sense?

• Balance is not achieved by acquiring more money, more clients, or more attention.
• Balance is not reached by being thinner, prettier, or smarter.
• Balance is not attained by being more organized, more enlightened, or more accomplished than all the rest.

Success is balance, Dear One.  Balance is success.

Does knowing this now change any of your plans for the day?

Now get out there and succeed!

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