No one can take more from you, Dear One, than you willingly give to them, be it intentionally or unintentionally.

Your depletion has absolutely nothing to do with them, with their treatment of you, or their demands on you and your time, and absolutely everything to do with your treatment of you, your demands on yourself, and on your time.

If you are feeling depleted Dear One, taken advantage of, knocked around, and no longer in control of your own time and energy, look no further than the reflection in the mirror to see the face of the only one responsible for making you feel that way.

Create from an angry, frustrated, stressed out, fearful place, Dear One, and no matter how hard you work, how hard you try, how good your intentions are, the very best that you are ever going to be able to do is create more of the same.

You can’t make an apple pie with peaches.

Make sense?

You are so much more powerful that you think you are, Dear One.

Today, just for the day, do us a favor, and behave as if you believe it.

Whatever it is Dear One, that is bothering you, irritating you, frustrating you, frightening you, intimidating you, discouraging you, or causing you anguish, pain or distress;

• Deal with it; confront it, transform it, resolve it
• Or let it go

Those really are the only two options available to you that are going to serve you in any useful or positive way.

Getting angry or resentful, denying what is, seeking revenge, indulging in self-pity, self-righteousness or self-importance, hiding, running away, or complaining to anyone who will listen, will only serve to prolong, intensify or increase your suffering.

But don’t take our word for it.  Experience really is a much better teacher than we ever could be.

You don’t need to change your reality to begin to turn things around, Dear One — just your mind.

Do yourself a favor, Dear One, and stop trying to do the right thing all the time.

Trust us.  The right thing is not what you want to be doing anyway.

Figuring out what is “right” requires you to be judgmental.  It requires you to look at a person, an event, a situation, and judge it as right or wrong, instead of just accepting it for what it is.

Judgment only serves to disconnect, to cut you off, to separate you from your greatest source of strength, inspiration, and joy — your connection to all that is.

So today, instead of trying to do the right thing Dear One, why not do better than that for yourself, and do the loving thing, the compassionate thing, the honorable thing, the generous thing, the kind thing, or the joyful thing instead?

Do your choices match your desires, Dear One?

• If you want more joy in your life, are you making choices that make you feel joyful?
• If you want more freedom, are you making choices that make you feel free?
• If you want more abundance, are you making choices that make you feel abundant?
• If you want more peace, are you making choices that make you feel peaceful?
• If you want more love, are you making choices that make you feel loved (and self love counts Dear One, a lot)?

So, how well do you match up?

• The world needs you here, Dear One, in the present moment, as this is the only place from where you can effect real change.

• Your friends and family need you here too, as this is the only place from where they can truly benefit from your love.

• Your physical body needs you here, as this is the only place from where it can heal and grow stronger.

• And we need you here, as this is the place where our connection is  and always will be the strongest.

So where do you go from here, Dear One?

We are hoping that by now, the answer would be clear.

Wisdom, Dear One, is not gained by acquiring an understanding of something wise.

And wisdom is not gained by observing someone else demonstrate their understanding of something wise.

Wisdom can only ever be gained, Dear One, through living, through first-hand experience, by walking through the mess.

So keep reading. Keep observing. Keep listening.  Keep searching for inspiration.

But know that eventually, if you really want to get wise, you are going to have to dive-in, head-first, and get a little bit dirty.

It really is the only way.

^

The realization that you are bound by nothing but your beliefs and the limits of your own imagination – That is what true independence is, Dear One.