Hallelujah!

"Anyone who holds on to life just as it is, destroys that life. But if you let it go... you'll have it forever, real and eternal." John 12:25

I've been on this spiritual journey for a while now. At first my research was inspired by pure curiosity, and now it's driven to fulfill my longing for life's meaning. Philosophy has allowed me to feel a little more, think a little deeper and broaden my perspective on life, as we know it. About 5 years ago, my Dad recommended a book to me called, "The Daily Stoic" by Ryan Holiday. Every page represents a new day with a quote and reflection. The book is also divided into three parts: The Discipline of Perception, The Discipline of Action and The Discipline of Will. Each of those parts has 4 subcategories for each month. For instance, this month, December focuses on the "meditation on mortality." With each new lesson it's easy to read and move on, but the true reflection of this book happens when you begin to really understand it. I'm still learning from this thing 5 years in...

I think there's a major confusion out there. We're all walking around not truly understanding the purpose of this life - indulging, but never truly feeling satisfied. When we connect on a more pure and positive level there's a vibration that links us to the rest of the universe. It’s our soul: our link to eternal happiness. The mystery is how to get there from here.

A week ago, I met my older sister at my grandmother's house to go through some of her items and put our names on anything we wanted. It's taken me a while to even walk through those doors. As I tip-toed around, the memories of her swallowed me whole. As I write this, tears run down my face. I miss her. She was still there, in that house. I could feel her. I could sense her on my shoulder saying, "Yup, that's for you! Bring it home and let it remind you of me." While I went room to room I'd pick up little things, like our old toys, her hats, kitchen spoons, etc. Then something caught my eye in her bedroom. It was a book. A book I've seen countless times on her kitchen table and on her living room chair stand - I knew she used to read it all the time.

The book is called "The Purpose Driven Life: what on earth am I here for?" by Rick Warren. As I picked it up and flipped through the pages, there were notes, highlighted sections - completely filled with Mimi's handwriting. Instantly the chills struck - I wanted this book. Mimi knew the way to happiness, so I took it and that was the best decision I’ve ever made. The book in itself would typically be one I’d frown upon or run away from. There’s a lot of Bible verses, and reflections on God and Jesus. I grew up in a Christian home, so this lingo is not new to me. The problem I have is it can mislead people to believe the stories in a literal way. While, I’m only on chapter ten, I really appreciate how the author connects the Bible to real life science.

Yoga has taught me so much more about the science behind spirituality. We learn through Tantra, that humans are here solely for a desire of infinite happiness. But when the external world hands us attractive and materialistic things we, again, are misguided. We start to believe in the fads, trends, “new” gear, and technology. Now, don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciate technology in most of its “forms”, but sometimes I think it’s important to take a break and really listen to nature. To completely indulge into something or anything at that matter, takes diligence and patience, but what you specifically indulge in is what makes the difference. Many studies show that it takes on average 66 days to form a new habit, which means approximately 2 to 3 months of very hard consistent work. However, research can only predict for the “average”. Sometimes it takes 266 days… or weeks! And not to mention, sometimes we have to break a bad habit before creating a new one. All I’m saying here is it’s all dependent on YOU and when you’re ready to begin your self-care.

Okay so, let me bring us back to the beginning when I said:

“I think there's a major confusion out there. We're all walking around not truly understanding the purpose of this life - indulging, but never truly feeling satisfied. When we connect on a more pure and positive level there's a vibration that links us to the rest of the universe. It’s our soul: our link to eternal happiness.”

As I continue on this journey, creating my story, I hope it enlightens you to dig deeper into your existence. Why are YOU here? And when you start to understand that LOVE is our human power, you’ll begin to realize that those connections and energies that connect your individual cells are feeding off of your thoughts, beliefs, interactions and experiences. So, I want to make it clear that it doesn’t matter what kind of spirituality you study, whether it's the words from the Stoics, Gurus or Jesus, what’s important is you understand that the same message is being taught:

The Discipline of Perception: Love yourself first.

The Discipline of Action: Spread love and give love to others.

The Discipline of Will: Life is temporary

Hallelujah!

Life is good.