Open your Heart to the Possibility for Change

Are you choosing to do things in your life that are unnecessarily difficult? Do you sometimes feel like you stress and struggle in secret? Perhaps you are in a job that stresses you out to the max, or in a relationship or friendship that burdens you. Maybe you find yourself hyper-focusing on your environment: staying up late to clean your house, do laundry and chores to the point of exhaustion. Ask yourself, "do I really want to be doing these things? Do I really want to be doing ________" or be in a friendship with _________. Do these things uplift me or drain me? Of course, we can't always just abandon these things, jobs and people, entirely. But open your heart and your mind to the possibility that these situations can heal, change and the stress can be lifted over time.

A few nights ago, I had a one of those dreams that you almost forget when you wake up and then, while laying in bed snoozing the alarm, realize the importance of it.

I was with a small group with a child. We were trying to get from the very top of a huge cliff down to the bottom. And for some reason, we were trying to do so quietly so that no one knew what we were doing. We climbed down treacherous rocks at almost a 90 degree incline.

By the time we made it to safety and reached the bottom of the cliff, I looked up and saw a huge, long, paved driveway directly next to it. I said, "why didn't get go down the driveway?" For some reason it was clear that we didn't want anyone to see us and we went down the difficult path for that reason. Then I woke up.

What are the things, situations and people that are in your life that make you feel like you are climbing down a steep cliff? It's hard to imagine the smooth, paved road nearby when things feel so rocky. This is where our awareness and intuition steps in.

Your negative, stressful or painful emotions are your indication that there is a smoother path to take. This is your internal emotional radar giving you clear messages and permission to take a step back and seek more balance, peace, relaxation.

We are not meant to constantly struggle. Yes, life is challenging and there are situations that are out of our control that cause us stress. But, what are the stressful situations that you can control? This might be friendships, relationships, our attitude, self-care, or choosing to do or not to do things that we absolutely do not want to do.

And furthermore, how can you strive to control the stress that surrounds situations that are out of your control? For example, if you do not like your job, while looking for another one, how can you practice good self care in order to manage the stress of the current job?

When we feel like we have no choice but to be miserable in our current situation, we cannot see the paved path that's right next to the cliff. Sometimes we must rely on faith that there is another option out there for us. And the only way to see that paved path is to quiet our minds and tap into our intuition. In the quiet, solutions are presented.

If you are quietly struggling, climbing down the cliff in secret so that no one notices your pain, have faith that there is a path nearby, calling your name.

Quiet your mind and find solace in your breath, and in the stillness, the path will be revealed.