Building up your defenses Dear One, putting up a wall, is one way that you can try and protect yourself from the world. But you should know that is far from the best or most effective way to do so.

Cutting yourself off, hiding yourself away, indulging in suspicion, fear, doubt, anger, and defensiveness are all actions that will, above all else, only serve to weaken you over time.  The more you indulge in them, the more they will wear you down, the more disconnected you will feel, the more vulnerable you will be.

If you really want to protect yourself Dear One, you’ve got to the do the exact opposite. You’ve got to open yourself up, trust, let life in. You’ve got to make new connections, build up your confidence, and allow yourself to joyfully engage with the world.

If you feel as if you really need protection Dear One, build bridges not walls.

Do you want to know the best way to get past a bad feeling as quickly as you can possibly can?

• Don’t fight it
• Don’t fear it
• Don’t ignore it
• Don’t try and stop it, change it, hide it, or run  from it

Getting mad at it won’t work either.

If you want to get past a bad feeling Dear One, let it come.

And then once you do, let it go again.

The sooner that you let it in, the sooner it can be on its way.

Fear is not a choice Dear One.

Anger is not a choice either.

Neither is resentment, guilt, hatred, doubt, insecurity, remorse, jealousy, lust, or despair.

They are all feelings.

And feelings do not dictate actions Dear One.

Your choices do.

[NOTE: Posted as requested]

We want to make this as simple for you as we possibly can Dear One.

Forgiveness has absolutely, positively, nothing what so ever to do with them.

It is simply the act of releasing your connection to something that no longer serves you,  releasing your bond with something that you no longer want to remain connected to.

It is letting go of the rope, removing your hand from the hot stove, exiting the burning building.

Asking Why? will not improve your circumstances Dear One, but choosing to focus your attention on something better, can.

Hate is a powerful emotion Dear One, one that is often felt very deeply.  And if you are feeling it, we are sure that you have your reasons.

Hate can be a difficult thing to let go of, even if you want to, especially when you feel that you have justifiably earned the right to feel it.

We will not ask you to stop hating Dear One. We would never ask you to do something so difficult.  We would never ask you to do something that you do not want to do.

But what we will ask of you is that you stop giving hate your attention.

What we are asking of you is that you not spend even one more minute of your  time, your thoughts, your energy,  your life, focused on that which you hate, and instead choose to focus on that which you enjoy, on that which you love, on loving each other instead.

You see Dear One, hate only serves to bring more hate into the world, nothing more.  It doesn’t fix anything, heal anything, even any score, or make things right, and it never will.

But love on the other hand has the power to transform, to heal, anything, even hate.

If your goal is to extend your suffering Dear One, to make it worse, add to it, expand upon it, and invite as many people as you possible can to join you in it, then by all means keep talking about it, beating yourself up about it, focusing on it, and judging yourself harshly for whatever it is that you believe that you have done or have had done to you.

But, if what you want is find relief, heal from it, improve upon it, distance yourself from it, change it for the better, move past it, and in every way possible, get over it as quickly as you possibly can, then you’re going to want to stop doing all of those things and choose positive, loving, compassionate, hopeful and forgiving thoughts, feelings, and behaviors instead.

In what direction are you traveling today Dear One?  Which way are you headed?

Are you moving closer to that which you want or are you moving closer towards that which you do not want?

Not sure?

Here’s a very simple way for you to figure it out.

Ask yourself this question; Are you allowing yourself to be guided by your heart,  by your hopes, dreams, desires, and a vision of success for yourself, or are you being guided by your fears, doubts, uncertainties, and your insecurities?

Your answer will tell you all that you need to know.

Making the decision to be brave Dear One, is far from a risky decision.

In fact, it is probably one of the safest decisions that you can make.

Why?

Because being brave requires you to trust and in order to trust you must connect with your heart, listen to what it has to say and allow it to guide you.

What could be safer than that?

You want to play it safe Dear One?

Take the leap.

Why bother doing all that you can Dear One, when you can get by doing just enough?

Why bother doing the right the thing when no one really seems to care or to even be paying attention?

Why bother trusting, and making the harder, braver, more challenging choice when you’ve got something to lose?

Why bother putting in the extra effort to be thoughtful, generous, loving, persistent, patient, forgiving, and kind when it is not requested, required or expected?

Because what you put out is what you get back.

That’s why.