Your inner light is that part of you that you may feel has gone by the wayside, a part of you that you thought was lost. We've almost all been there; many of us can relate. We've felt insecure, or weary, or not good enough at various times of our lives, and it can be debilitating.
So many people refrain from taking a yoga class, getting a massage, joining a gym, or even going out at all socially, because they feel that they are not worth it. People refrain from empowering themselves because they feel they don't have it "in them" to do that. For all of the people who may stumble onto this site, if this outlines you in any way, even if you feel a slight apprehensive feeling before participating in ANY program that benefits you, then this is for you.
If you have a spirituality, be it Christian, Jewish, Buddhism, or any spiritual base at all, start reading your scripture.
While doing so, also reconnect with yourself. It doesn't matter where you are specifically, and we do not need to address anything specifically; what does matter is that you begin to work on that inner fire so you can start to create the life you deserve.
Here is a plan of action; get your fire to work!
Dreams/Goals
Dreams and goals are like love letters to your soul. They are a part of who you are, part of your blend of gifts, desires and aspirations. If you felt ever that you had to push those dreams and goals aside, it's time to reconnect with them. Open the drawer, blow the dust off of them and hold them close to your heart. As you do reconnect with your dreams and goals, you will feel a range of emotions but one emotion is clear- you will feel a sense of one. Your dreams and goals are a part of you, do not deny them. Figure out a way to make them a part of your life, even if you need to adjust them, or compromise a little, that is fine. Just don't push them away again.
What dreams or goals have you let slide? Remember back when the dreams made you feel alive and the goals seemed more attainable. Close your eyes and imagine that inner fire working to make your dreams come to life. Now, make an outline on how you can bring it into your life. For instance, perhaps you wanted to be an opera singer as a child. Maybe you are in your fifties and that never happened; are you able to bring the love of opera in your life by teaching voice or simply visiting the opera? Goals can change but dreams are there to stay alive.
Treasure your Happiness
All too often, people focus on their unhappiness. Even in many therapies, the focus is on the weakness, sadness or struggles. Celebrating the happiness and strengths we have actually helps to eliminate our less than productive aspects to create more of a balance. For instance, if you are very creative but not organized, simply find creative ways to organize. You don't have to organize the way others deem you should. Find ways to celebrate your every pore.
What nourishes joy in you? What can you celebrate?
Encourage Suffering Release
When we visit a doctor, we may focus on an ailment. The doctor looks at the ailment and then we get confirmation it is real. Then the doctor helps us to lesson the pain or symptoms. This is the way out, the release. We can do this with our lives. Look at the real suffering you have and be very real about what is suffering and what is simple boredom or mild displeasure. Find a way out of the suffering. The more you release suffering and find that release, the more you have a lessoning of overall symptoms of the "small things" that may pile up in life. Life happens but suffering can release. This does not mean the suffering is gone, it means you release it's negativity and see what it brings to you in terms of character and endurance.
What has suffering taught you and is there any way you can embrace even a part of it?
Stop the Sarcasm
Some people never are sarcastic and others are and "mean nothing by it". If you find yourself finding sarcasm toward yourself and others amusing, that is actually anger laced with a smile. It is meant to be negative, regardless of how you want to view it, that is why it is called sarcasm! Right thinking and right speech are two very important yogic focus areas that help you to feel better about yourself and toward others. You will find as you curb your sarcasm and stop judging people with a mindless chuckle, you will feel better about yourself and better about others.
Do you use sarcasm or, have you heard sarcasm around you? Do you feel you present yourself well when you use it? What does sarcasm mean about you? Where did you learn sarcasm?
Accept
Accept yourself and accept others. We all disagree and come from such a variety of backgrounds, thoughts, opinions and so on that it would be unrealistic to even find one person who always agrees with you. There is no need to do anything but accept this. Mostly, accept yourself. Accept who you are, right now. Right now you are possibly as perfect as you will ever be, and you need to be alright with that. You do not know what the next second brings or day. We change constantly, so while we change we need to just know that we accept ourselves or we will continually judge and frown upon who we are, who we are becoming, and the people around us.
What do you accept about yourself and what do you not accept? How about with others? How can you learn to accept?
Inner Fire
Every time we practice self love, we turn our back on self hate. When we accept someone else, we turn our back on judging them. When we trust ourselves, we turn our back on insecurity.
What do you have right now, that is your moment to turn your back on? What would you love to turn your back on? What would you like to replace it with? What is stopping you?
To do: Inhale and stretch your arms upward. Exhale and bring them down.
Do this several times a day to remind yourself that you are reaching to the sun and also reaching inward to remind yourself of your spirit.
To realize: You are not denying your experiences.. memory retains living experience. This is why we can think of things in the past and still "feel" them. Allow your memory to be a tool for empowerment. Learn from the past and embrace the lessons.
This is just a small plan, but a plan that helps you to begin working on yourself if you are too apprehensive to join yoga (anywhere) or a gym, or go to lunch with friends, or anything actually... you are surrounding yourself with cold thoughts, bringing ice upon yourself numbing yourself, but, you can begin to think warm thoughts, thaw your emotions, practice working on your inner fire, and embrace who you are.
Glass can be pretty tough, but it can shatter - yet it can be repaired. Glass, often beautiful, was once just sand, and needed fire to come to be. Next time you look at stained glass, realize even in the dark, it is beautiful, and when the light of the sun, a ball of fire, shines upon it, it takes it in, and becomes something that inspires and creates warmth.
Let your inner Fire Work.
So many people refrain from taking a yoga class, getting a massage, joining a gym, or even going out at all socially, because they feel that they are not worth it. People refrain from empowering themselves because they feel they don't have it "in them" to do that. For all of the people who may stumble onto this site, if this outlines you in any way, even if you feel a slight apprehensive feeling before participating in ANY program that benefits you, then this is for you.
If you have a spirituality, be it Christian, Jewish, Buddhism, or any spiritual base at all, start reading your scripture.
While doing so, also reconnect with yourself. It doesn't matter where you are specifically, and we do not need to address anything specifically; what does matter is that you begin to work on that inner fire so you can start to create the life you deserve.
Here is a plan of action; get your fire to work!
Dreams/Goals
Dreams and goals are like love letters to your soul. They are a part of who you are, part of your blend of gifts, desires and aspirations. If you felt ever that you had to push those dreams and goals aside, it's time to reconnect with them. Open the drawer, blow the dust off of them and hold them close to your heart. As you do reconnect with your dreams and goals, you will feel a range of emotions but one emotion is clear- you will feel a sense of one. Your dreams and goals are a part of you, do not deny them. Figure out a way to make them a part of your life, even if you need to adjust them, or compromise a little, that is fine. Just don't push them away again.
What dreams or goals have you let slide? Remember back when the dreams made you feel alive and the goals seemed more attainable. Close your eyes and imagine that inner fire working to make your dreams come to life. Now, make an outline on how you can bring it into your life. For instance, perhaps you wanted to be an opera singer as a child. Maybe you are in your fifties and that never happened; are you able to bring the love of opera in your life by teaching voice or simply visiting the opera? Goals can change but dreams are there to stay alive.
Treasure your Happiness
All too often, people focus on their unhappiness. Even in many therapies, the focus is on the weakness, sadness or struggles. Celebrating the happiness and strengths we have actually helps to eliminate our less than productive aspects to create more of a balance. For instance, if you are very creative but not organized, simply find creative ways to organize. You don't have to organize the way others deem you should. Find ways to celebrate your every pore.
What nourishes joy in you? What can you celebrate?
Encourage Suffering Release
When we visit a doctor, we may focus on an ailment. The doctor looks at the ailment and then we get confirmation it is real. Then the doctor helps us to lesson the pain or symptoms. This is the way out, the release. We can do this with our lives. Look at the real suffering you have and be very real about what is suffering and what is simple boredom or mild displeasure. Find a way out of the suffering. The more you release suffering and find that release, the more you have a lessoning of overall symptoms of the "small things" that may pile up in life. Life happens but suffering can release. This does not mean the suffering is gone, it means you release it's negativity and see what it brings to you in terms of character and endurance.
What has suffering taught you and is there any way you can embrace even a part of it?
Stop the Sarcasm
Some people never are sarcastic and others are and "mean nothing by it". If you find yourself finding sarcasm toward yourself and others amusing, that is actually anger laced with a smile. It is meant to be negative, regardless of how you want to view it, that is why it is called sarcasm! Right thinking and right speech are two very important yogic focus areas that help you to feel better about yourself and toward others. You will find as you curb your sarcasm and stop judging people with a mindless chuckle, you will feel better about yourself and better about others.
Do you use sarcasm or, have you heard sarcasm around you? Do you feel you present yourself well when you use it? What does sarcasm mean about you? Where did you learn sarcasm?
Accept
Accept yourself and accept others. We all disagree and come from such a variety of backgrounds, thoughts, opinions and so on that it would be unrealistic to even find one person who always agrees with you. There is no need to do anything but accept this. Mostly, accept yourself. Accept who you are, right now. Right now you are possibly as perfect as you will ever be, and you need to be alright with that. You do not know what the next second brings or day. We change constantly, so while we change we need to just know that we accept ourselves or we will continually judge and frown upon who we are, who we are becoming, and the people around us.
What do you accept about yourself and what do you not accept? How about with others? How can you learn to accept?
Inner Fire
Every time we practice self love, we turn our back on self hate. When we accept someone else, we turn our back on judging them. When we trust ourselves, we turn our back on insecurity.
What do you have right now, that is your moment to turn your back on? What would you love to turn your back on? What would you like to replace it with? What is stopping you?
To do: Inhale and stretch your arms upward. Exhale and bring them down.
Do this several times a day to remind yourself that you are reaching to the sun and also reaching inward to remind yourself of your spirit.
To realize: You are not denying your experiences.. memory retains living experience. This is why we can think of things in the past and still "feel" them. Allow your memory to be a tool for empowerment. Learn from the past and embrace the lessons.
This is just a small plan, but a plan that helps you to begin working on yourself if you are too apprehensive to join yoga (anywhere) or a gym, or go to lunch with friends, or anything actually... you are surrounding yourself with cold thoughts, bringing ice upon yourself numbing yourself, but, you can begin to think warm thoughts, thaw your emotions, practice working on your inner fire, and embrace who you are.
Glass can be pretty tough, but it can shatter - yet it can be repaired. Glass, often beautiful, was once just sand, and needed fire to come to be. Next time you look at stained glass, realize even in the dark, it is beautiful, and when the light of the sun, a ball of fire, shines upon it, it takes it in, and becomes something that inspires and creates warmth.
Let your inner Fire Work.
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