Once you realize that you are the one calling the shots, Dear One, that you are the one determining the quality of your experiences by choosing healing responses to them, everything changes.

• Your feelings are telling you where you are, not where you will always remain.

• The discomfort is the injury. The discomfit is showing you the parts that need healing.

• The goal is not to try and live a life that avoids all discomfort. The goal is to live a life in which you embrace and apply the wisdom that allows you to continually transcend it.

And how do you do that?

By realizing that you are the one calling the shots, that you are the one determining the quality of your experiences by choosing healing responses to them.

^^^

• Choose what comes in
• Choose what goes out

• Choose to hold on
• Choose to let go

• Choose what you want more of
• Choose what you want less of

• Choose what is worthy of your attention
• Choose what is not

• Choose what matters
• Choose what does not

Your choices are the breath of your life, Dear One.

They sustain you. They nourish you.  They replenish or deplete.

They determine the pace, quality and depth of the days, months and years of your life.

Like your breath Dear One, your choices are more powerful when given the benefit of your full attention.

Forgiveness isn’t about condoning, accepting, forgetting, or dismissing their poor behavior, hurtful words, or damaging actions, Dear One.

It is about making a choice to prioritize yourself, your health, your happiness, and your well-being, over your pain.

Regardless of where you are, Dear One, regardless of what is going on around you, regardless of how you feel, what you look like, what others are saying about you, or what you are saying (or thinking) about yourself, the most powerful thing that you can do for yourself in this moment is something  (anything)  that will make you smile.

Just like you use your feet to move your physical body in the direction that you want to travel, Dear One, we would like to encourage you to use your thoughts to move your emotional and spiritual body in much the same way.

If you wanted to go uptown to see a movie, you would not leave your home and start traveling downtown and assume that if you continued on in this direction you would eventually arrive at your desired destination, would you?

• If you want to be stronger, choose thoughts that make you feel more powerful, not ones that make you doubt yourself and your abilities.
• If you want to be braver, choose thoughts that ground you, not ones that make you feel out of control.
• If you want to be successful, choose thoughts that empower you, not ones that make you feel as if you are incapable.
• If you want to be desired, choose thoughts that make you feel desirable, not ones that make you feel insecure.
• If you want to feel more connected, choose thoughts that bring you closer to your source, not ones that hold you apart from it.

Like your feet, your thoughts are powerful conveyors, Dear One.

When it comes to trust, Dear One, there really is only question that you need to know the answer to.

And it is not the one that you have been asking.  It is not; How do you know if you can trust them?

The only question that you really need to know the answer to, Dear One is; Do you trust you?

If you are hurting today, Dear One, if you are in pain, please remember this; you have come to this place to heal this place.

You did not end up here because you did something wrong. You did not end up here because you are being punished. You did not end up here because you are being tested, tortured, or asked to prove yourself.

You ended up here, Dear One, for one reason and one reason only, because you are being given an opportunity to heal.

So be mindful and proceed gently, lovingly, and with care, remaining open to wisdom, guidance, and healing from potentially anywhere.

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.