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Self-Evaluation of Seven Basic Beliefs Underlying Your Perceptions of Life – Part 1 of 7: Self-Worth

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Sandra Brossman

Image of large road sign against a background of blue cloudy sky that says SELF-WORTH

This week we are beginning a 7-part series in which you are invited to become aware of the Basic Beliefs Underlying Your Perceptions of Life. Even more importantly, you are offered the opportunity to transform your self-limiting beliefs of Separation and fear into self-empowering beliefs of Oneness and unconditional love.

Our Basic Beliefs are the fundamental concepts we have formed about ourselves and the world around us, based on the mental input we have received throughout our lives. They are the underlying thought forms deep within our psyche that support all our views of life. Our basic beliefs have a profound impact on the quality of our lives because they are the core of personal values governing absolutely every perception we choose.

Many of our Basic Beliefs generate self-limiting thoughts because they are framed within our childhood perspectives, rooted in societal training, and do not reflect our Whole Self.

The following is a Self-Evaluation of Your Beliefs about Self-Worth. As you scan through the questions, simply ask yourself, “Do I relate to the statements of Separation, or do I relate to the statements of Oneness? The perceptions of separation correspond with fear and lock us into self-defeating behaviors, while the perceptions of Oneness resonate with our spiritual truth of unconditional, universal love and open us to our greater potential.

It is best to trust your immediate, spontaneous responses to these questions. When we analyze ourselves and deliberate over the answers, we run the risk of falling into the trap of self-judgment rather than pure awareness.

Remember, this evaluation is not an exercise in self-criticism, nor does it involve judgment of others. It is merely a tool to shed the light of self-awareness on the foundation of beliefs upon which we base our view points of life.

BASIC BELIEF #1 – SELF-WORTH

Do I love myself?

Do I believe that I deserve to be loved, healthy, happy, and successful?

Separation: Feeling a sense of non-entitlement to the blessings of life; compulsively reacting to external demands; not acknowledging the need to recharge; looking to others for approval and validation; feeling responsible for the happiness of others.

Oneness: Realizing that unconditional love begins with self; feeling worthy of life’s blessings; treating oneself with compassion and kindness; being open to receiving the loving energy of the universe; taking the time to go inside of self for spiritual regeneration.

Which statements do I most relate to – Separation or Oneness?

Where does this belief originate? (I.e. parents, family culture, religion)

Is this my own personal truth now that I am an adult?

DO I CHOOSE TO CHANGE THIS BELIEF?

The following are affirmations to transform your perceptions of separation and fear into affirmations of Oneness and unconditional love:

Feeling of Separation: I feel unloved.
Affirmation of Oneness: I deeply and completely love and accept my unique self.

Feeling of Separation: I give much more than I receive
Affirmation of Oneness: As I give, I receive the unlimited, loving energy of the Universe

Feeling of Separation: I feel like I am a bad person.
Affirmation of Oneness: I choose to be compassionate and forgiving with myself and others.

Feeling of Separation: I don’t deserve to experience happiness
Affirmation of Oneness: I am worthy of all life’s blessings

Feeling of Separation: I don’t have the time to take care of myself
Affirmation of Oneness: I choose to create the time and space to nurture and regenerate myself.

Affirmations help us to develop the habit of consistent, positive self-dialogue. By making a commitment to the ongoing practice of repeating affirmations of self-love, you have the power to transform your self-deprecating beliefs about yourself into self-respecting perceptions that reflect the truth of your Oneness with Spirit and universal love.

I welcome any questions or insights you would like to share regarding your self-discovery process as you become conscious of your beliefs about self-worth.

Love and Light

Sandra

A portion of this message is an excerpt from the book, The Power of Oneness, Live the Life You Choose. To learn more about how you can align your life with spiritual truth, order the book at http://www.thepowerofoneness.com/products/

The e-book version, regularly priced at $9.99 is presently being offered for only $1.99.

The Power of Your Words

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Sandra Brossman

This is the image of a personified red hear with a megaphone

Most of us tend to underestimate the enormous power of words. Every word we speak sends out a vibration that carries forth an intention. Our words can be healing, loving, kind, comforting, and encouraging. We can also choose words that are cruel, damaging, depressing, and discouraging. We each have the power to choose whether we want our words to hurt or heal.

It is very important to understand that the way speak to others is the way we feel about ourselves. If we are feeling insecure and vulnerable, we are likely to reactively fire off angry words in an unconscious, futile effort to defend ourselves. Ironically, the people on the receiving end of our words of fury are typically the people who are in our inner circle of family and friends because these are the people whom we feel will accept us, no matter what we are saying. Not surprisingly, we can end up alienating the very people who are most supportive of us because it is exhausting and self-destructive to be around someone who is constantly hurling cruel words.

When we use our words to mindlessly vent our feelings, not only does this hurt the people on the receiving end of our words, it ultimately proves to be very hurtful to ourselves because the words we send out to others actually forms an energy field around us. This can prove to be an endless cycle of mindlessly projecting damaging words, only to discover that we are attracting the same type of responses from other people. When this happens, everyone involved is in high drama, and we are not likely to accomplish anything in our interaction. We may have found an outlet for our feelings; however, everyone has gotten hurt in the process.

By now you may be asking yourself, “How do I speak kindly to others when I don’t like the person to whom I am speaking?” Actually, communicating with others with kind intention is not dependent on how you feel about the other person. Mindfully choosing your words is a healthy habit that you develop because you respect yourself. Creating a verbal battleground with others does not create the quality of life you want to live because you are likely to feel guilty most of the time, so what are you gaining?

The bottom line is that if you want to experience peace and love in your world, it is imperative that you choose words that are in harmony with these qualities.

You can develop the habit of consciously choosing words that are constructive for yourself and others. The following are a few points that can help you to communicate in respectful, kind ways, no matter who you are talking with and no matter what the situation:

Take responsibility for how you communicate – The quality of your life is a manifestation of the energy you are projecting. If you are communicating with people in a respectful way, that is the quality of life you are creating. If you are mindlessly reacting to people and situations with anger and negative intentions, then this is also the reality you are creating. Once you take responsibility for this, you can change your reality for the better.

Speak kindly to yourself – Since we project to others the way we feel about ourselves, it is essential that you begin to practice talking to yourself the way you would like others to speak to you. Our minds are like computers, recording our self-dialogue into our subconscious minds. If you feed your mind with self-affirming, kind words about yourself, you will naturally respond to others in the same way.

Think before you speak – Ask yourself: Am I talking to this person the way in which I want to be spoken? We all have a split second, at the very least, to engage our minds before we open our mouths. Once our thoughts are spoken, it is not possible to retract the energy we have projected, so it is well worth our while to do a quick mental edit of the words we are thinking before we say them.

Be conscious of what you are trying to accomplish through your communications – If you are clear about what you want to create or resolve with another, you will become aware of the words you need to use to create your desired outcome. This will help you to steer clear of getting into the “negative zone” of engaging in hurtful verbal exchanges with unproductive results.

When you mindfully choose words that are in alignment with love, respect, and cooperation, you will discover that you are able to attract people and situations that coincide with the energy you are projecting. From a spiritual perspective, this is the quality of life you were meant to live, and you have the power to create it!

Love and Light

Sandra

The e-book version, regularly priced at $9.99 is presently being offered for only $1.99.

What Matters Most Is How You See Yourself

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Sandra Brossman

This is the image of an orange tabby cat with his paw on the mirror as he looks at his reflection

When you look into or pass by a mirror, what is the first thing you do? If you are like most people, your first response is to criticize the image reflecting back to you.

There is a huge full-length mirror in an elevator lobby in my building that compels anyone who is waiting for the elevators to catch a glimpse of themselves. I always find it interesting to hear what people say: “Boy, I look tired,” “My hair looks terrible today,” and “Ooh – I am really gaining weight” are a few of the most common things I hear. I don’t think I have ever heard anyone say something positive about their own reflection.

Of course, it is rather uncomfortable to say aloud that you think you look wonderful when you are in a public place. So the question is: Why do we think it is all right to say something negative about ourselves in a public place?

Most of us have been socially conditioned to worry about how other people think of us. While there is nothing wrong with trying to emulate the qualities we admire in others, we do ourselves a great deal of harm by judging and criticizing ourselves when we think we are not measuring up to our perceptions of other people’s expectations. Chronic self-criticism produces guilt and shame, and shame is an emotion that continues to perpetuate a negative self-image.

So where does our self-image originate? Beginning early in our childhoods, we are mentally programmed with beliefs which have been influenced by years of social conditioning, religious doctrines, family structure, teaching institutions, and customs. When we were young children, we did not have the mental capabilities to screen what was our personal truth and what was someone else’s, so we unconditionally accepted the perceptions of our parents and people around us as absolute truth. If a parent consistently scolded us by saying we were “bad,” or a teacher in kindergarten told us we were “not bright,” we most likely accepted these statements as gospel. Because we needed to look to others for our survival when we were young children, we tended to adapt our thinking and behavior to gain acceptance and approval from others.

If you have had a lot of positive programming as a child, chances are that you have developed a healthy sense of self-esteem by learning how to focus on your strengths. If you have had a lot of criticism as you were growing up (and most of us have), you may have developed the habit of constantly looking for your shortcomings. You can spend your whole life living backward by blaming the people who passed on their fear-based beliefs, or you can move into present time by living your life according to your own authentic values. If we truly want to heal, at a soul level, we need to transform the foundation of all of our beliefs from fear to love, beginning with ourselves.

The next time you look into a mirror, look into your own eyes and tell yourself what you most need to hear: “I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” If you are at home, say it out loud. If you are in public, think it to yourself. You cannot say or hear it too often because the most basic human need we all have is to be loved and accepted. If this is a message we want to hear from others, it is a message we need to first tell ourselves. This practice will help you to develop the habit of focusing on your light and inner beauty because it is based on the unconditional love of Spirit.

One of the most touching and simply written summaries I have ever seen regarding self-esteem was written by the 8-year old daughter of a close friend of mine. Her assignment was to look at a cat looking in a mirror, with a tiger reflecting back. She was asked to look at the picture and explain her thinking on the following statement: “What you think of yourself is more important than what you think others think of you.” Following is her response:

I think that the statement and picture mean that you need to be proud to be you and to think of yourself as amazing, talented, and very, very special. Do not worry about what other people think of you. If YOU think you are great, smart, and doing well, that is probably what other people will think of you. If not – no worries. In conclusion, be happy with who you are. Your opinion of yourself may not be the same as others, but that does not matter. YOU ARE STILL SPECIAL!!

Love and Light

Sandra

Are You Feeling Like Your World Is Dramatically Shifting? PART TWO

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Sandra Brossman

This is the image of a blue cloudy sky with a question mark shaped cloud in the middle

Even though the status of the world may seem overwhelming and out of our personal control, we each have the power to contribute to the healing of the world, beginning with our personal lives, starting in this present moment. Like a drop of water, every single thought we have ripples out into the massive sea of the collective thoughts of all humanity. By choosing thoughts of love, we automatically unite with other like-minded souls in forming a field of energy that has the infinite power to exponentially create an entirely new world that is the essence of love, kindness, peace, respect and cooperation.

Since thought is creative, whatever we focus on expands.

The emphasis is on the word “create” because love is a sense of well being that originates from the inside, beginning with the intention of the heart. If we are “looking” for it, we will not be able to find it because a peaceful, loving world is not something that comes to us from the outside. The condition of our physical world is a giant mirror reflecting back to us the collective thoughts of every person who is part of our earth family. Since thought is creative, whatever we focus on expands. Therefore, what we are seeing is an indication that part of our human society is predominately focused on judgment, violence, greed, and crime. We can point a finger of blame wherever and to whomever we want, but it does not change the truth that each one of us has played a part in creating the condition of the world in which we live. Perhaps it has been in seemingly minor, passive ways, such as getting caught up in the turmoil and conflict of the world by watching and listening to endless news reports of violence and acts of desecration. Or, it could be as intensively aggressive as being a perpetrator in a massive heinous crime. Judging who is “most wrong” renders us powerless and only creates more separation and discord between us and within our lives.

All change begins at the level of self, when we change our individual lives, the world around us changes as well.

We can only change the quality of our collective personal reality by taking personal responsibility for the part we have each played in creating it. When we accept this responsibility, we also expand to the much more self-empowering realization that we also have the power to change it. Each one of us is innately gifted with the ability to contribute to the healing of the world by healing our own personal lives. All change begins at the level of self, when we change our individual lives, the world around us changes as well.

In order to heal our personal lives, it is imperative that we let go of the past and get in touch with the infinite wisdom of Spirit. No matter how much confusion and change is going on around you, you can create a space of peace and spiritual connection within your life. The following are some suggestions as to how you can “step into the new world,” beginning with your own life:

Meditate – Create a space of at least 20 minutes every day to sit in a place of peace and quiet. Your meditation can be as simple as sitting on your sofa and focusing on your breath. The importance of this cannot be overstated, for it is within the silence that you can remember your mind and body connection with spirit. Trust the wisdom and insights that will come through to you through your intuition.

Pray – Ask for divine guidance as to how you can best bring peace to the world; envision what a peaceful world looks like. Most importantly, imagine the feeling of peace within your own heart.

Forgive – Let go of the need to be right. All conflicts, whether it be in personal relationships or between countries, originate from the perception that one party is “right” and the other is “wrong.” The most effective way we can release the past and move into a world of love and peace is through the process of forgiveness. For greater insight on forgiveness, you may wish to reference my previous blog, The Greatest Gift We Give To Ourselves.

Live consciously – Align your thoughts, words, and actions with the spiritual values of love, respect, peace, and cooperation. This requires diligent practice and is the most effective way to live a life of spiritual enlightenment.

Be mindful of what you feed your mind – Stop watching violent entertainment shows and videos and modify the amount of time you spend following the news. There is a difference between being informed and immersing yourself in the fears of the world. Instead, spend more time reading, watching, and listening to information that inspires you and nourishes your soul. What you put into your mind is what it feeds back to you.

Commune with Nature – Spend more time outdoors in the beauty of nature. Nature regenerates your body, mind, and soul and balances your energy.

Every person who is in the world at this time has been divinely gifted with access to the universal wisdom that empowers us to harmonize our energies to bring wholeness to this earth.

Not only CAN we do it – this is our spiritual mission!!

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

Love and Light

Sandra

You may find it helpful to review Are You Feeling Like Your World Is Dramatically Shifting? PART ONE if you missed last week’s blog.

The e-book version, regularly priced at $9.99 is presently being offered for only $1.99.

Are You Feeling Like Your World Is Dramatically Shifting? PART ONE!

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Sandra Brossman

This is the image of blue sky with cotton like clouds with one shaped like a question mark.

Many of us are living in a state of disorientation, as though the world, as we have known it, is gone. Sure, we have always been challenged by having to face the unknown. It is a well-known fact that the greatest fear we humans have is fear of the unknown. Although change causes us to be uncomfortable, we also know that change is the nature of life and provides the impetus that challenges us to expand in our mental emotional, and spiritual growth. Even with this awareness, the “new world” we are facing somehow feels different.

The vast majority of our population is sensing a highly-charged current of change which is indiscriminately affecting everyone everywhere. No matter who we are, where we live, or what our role is in life, everyone is personally feeling the repercussions of a major shift. We are presently being challenged with unprecedented levels of upheaval and uncertainty as we cope with economic volatility, globalization, major natural disasters, and phenomenal technological growth. Many of the social institutions to which we have long subscribed are in a state of great upheaval. Whether it be within the areas of our government, corporate structure, health care system, educational system, religious organizations, or the family unit, the traditional institutions which, for centuries, have been perceived as the mainstays of our lives are no longer providing us with the kind of security for which we long.

There is a world not only outside of us, but within us as well.

The changes we are witnessing are not only in our external existence, but within our personal lives as well. The outer world is a giant mirror reflecting back what is going on in our individual lives. Many of us are experiencing turmoil in exactly the areas which, in the past, seemed to have provided us with the most stability: job security, personal relationships, positions of power, and financial wealth. There seems to be a relentless hunger deep within us that cannot be satiated by the usual physical gratifications of food, money, power, sex, and fame. In some ways, it feels as though the very foundation of our security is vanishing.

The social changes we are experiencing are not issues within themselves, but evidence of a major shift in our collective thinking. We are moving away from the external values of materialism and moving toward the human inner values of Spirit.

After centuries of looking to our outer world for our sustenance and power, we are remembering a place deep within our souls where we have limitless access to unconditional love, support, renewal, and inspiration. Our soul is our connection Spirit; and it is within this space that we have a sense of correctness that is our truth. As we get in touch with our inner truth, we are coming to realize that many of the external conditions of our personal lives do not coincide with our spiritual values. If our personal lives are not reflecting our truth, then the external social institutions which we have created in this frame of mind do not reflect our truth. Since many things in our lives are changing at the same time, we may feel that we have lost the points of reference which, in the past, have kept us centered.

Humanity is evolving to a higher level of spiritual consciousness.

The brilliant ray of light shining through all of this confusion is that the chaos we are experiencing is a burst of energy giving rise to a more enlightened world that is redefining the center of its existence to coincide with the qualities of spiritual love. We are becoming aware that we need to find our security internally rather than in external institutions. Instead of looking to our outer world to define and control us, we are increasingly taking personal responsibility to turn to our inner spirit to reveal who we are and why we are here. Our souls are uniting in a common desire to create a new sense of world order that resonates with the spiritual values that reside within the deepest level of our being. This desire is for a sense of order within our minds, not just in the conditions around us. We are longing for a life of self-respect and peace and are becoming mindful of the fact that these qualities are a reflection of our internal state of being, not of external conditions. We are yearning to reclaim our sense of self and our passion for life, and we are realizing these are things that can be found only inside of our hearts and minds, not in a material world outside of ourselves.

The crisis we are experiencing is an extremely encouraging indication.

What we are seeing is what we have thus far created together, largely in an unconscious way, through our thoughts and actions. We can perceive this crisis as social destruction and random confusion. On the other hand, we can choose to see our world in a new light. Indeed, the word crisis, defined by Webster as a turning point for the better or worse, is derived from the Greek root word, krisis, which literally means decision. We can decide to make this a turning point for the better by making a commitment to our own personal healing.

Although this may all sound a bit overwhelming, take a deep breath – we are all in this together. Each one of us can make a tremendous contribution to the healing of our world. Because we have all played a part in creating the physical reality we are presently experiencing, we each have the power to contribute to the healing of the world by healing our personal lives to integrate with the values of the unconditional love of Spirit. As we change our individual lives, the world around us changes as well.

So how do we navigate our personal lives to align with a “new world” of spiritual integrity? We will discuss this in next week’s blog, Part Two, of “Are You Feeling Like Your World is Dramatically Shifting?”

Love and Light

Sandra

The e-book version, regularly priced at $9.99 is presently being offered for only $1.99.

Are You Living In Your Spiritual Truth?

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Sandra Brossman

This is an image with the word TRUTH in bold with light shining behind it.

If you were attracted to this blog, chances are that you have often read and heard of the importance of “living in your spiritual truth.” You may be at a point in your spiritual evolution where you are contemplating these words carefully and wondering – where do you actually “find” your spiritual truth?

There is a Hindu legend which says that at one point in time humanity had abused its divine powers so greatly that the gods convened to discuss what to do about it. They decided the best course of action was to remove it and hide it–but where? After careful consideration, they unanimously decided there was one place where divine power could be hidden where humans would never even think to look–deep within ourselves!

This story calls attention to the fact that spiritual truth is within each one of us and is discovered through our personal soul connection to Spirit. For ages we have looked outside of ourselves to find it, when, indeed, we have always had it inside of our hearts. Spiritual truth is not something we need to be taught–it is the memory of who we truly are and why we are here. We access our truth through our intuition.

What is Intuition?

Intuition is our direct communications link to divine love and wisdom. It is the inner voice constantly whispering messages that guide us to make choices that are in alignment with unconditional love of self and others. Because we are all one Spirit, what is in the greatest good for one of us is also in the greatest good of all of us. Intuition is our innate human power to instantaneously access universal intelligence without conscious reasoning. In essence, we are each a conduit for a constant stream of limitless wisdom flowing to us from the Universe. Because intuition is a right-brain function, it isn’t something we can analyze with our minds; rather it is something we sense with our hearts. We sometimes refer to these feelings as gut level, sixth sense, inner wisdom, inner knowing, and flashes of imagination.

How Do We Sense Intuition?

Many of us actually experience physical sensations when we hear or see something that coincides with our truth. You may suddenly get goose bumps, feel a tingling sensation, spontaneously take a deep breath, feel an electrical current going up your back, or sense an overall wave of energy. These sensations are indications that your mind and body are literally resonating with the energetic frequency of the truth of Spirit. You might also get physical indications when you are experiencing something that is not aligned with your truth. Usually, it is a contracted feeling, such as a knot in the stomach, a tight throat, shortness of breath, or a sudden chill.

Although we all sense it in different ways, and some of us deny sensing it at all, every person has intuition – it is part of our human nature! The reason it appears that not all of us have intuition is simply because some of us listen to and act upon our inner messages; whereas others simply dismiss them as insignificant. We many times ignore our intuition because we want to validate our intuitive messages with our left-brain logic and analysis. When we attempt to do this, we choke the flow of intuitive information spontaneously coming through to us because messages of the Spirit are coming from an infinitely larger perspective than the logical paradigms of the human mind.

What is the Difference Between Intuition and Impulse?

When we get an impulsive message, it is usually initiated by our ego in the form of a whim to obtain quick gratification, whether it is constructive for us or not. Impulsive behavior is usually a superficial reaction that does not address our underlying genuine needs. Our impulse may be to indulge in an addictive behavior, such as overeating, or running out to buy something that we do not really need or cannot afford. If we stop and take a deep breath, we may realize that the true feelings beneath our behavior might be loneliness or anger. Be gentle with yourself. Whatever you are feeling is OK. We all react impulsively at times in our lives. What is quite amazing is that when you are completely honest with yourself about your true feelings, you automatically restore your intuitive connection with the flow of spiritual truth! Another way to discern the difference between impulse and intuition is that impulses usually pass if we wait for a little while or sleep on an idea.

Intuitive messages, on the other hand, are messages of Spirit that come through the soul guiding us to make choices that are aligned with kindness and love. Because they are rooted in truth, intuitive messages are relentless and persistent. Even when we ignore them, they have the tenacious habit of resurfacing time and time again. When we listen to and act upon our intuitive messages, we generally feel peaceful and like we are in our correct space even when our “spiritual assignments” are very challenging.

Our intuitive connection is unconditionally available to us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; yet we are sometimes so frenzied by outer stimulation that we have to create a personal space of silence in order to move into a receptive frame of mind that enables us to listen. This can be done through prayer and numerous types of meditation, or by doing things that are as simple as taking a deep breath, sitting still and focusing on your breath, taking a walk in nature, or taking a soothing, warm bath. We can use any technique we choose – the important thing is that we find a way to balance ourselves and become centered in a peaceful frame of mind so that we that we can become conscious of our intuitive messages.

While it is very enlightening to become aware of our need to tune into our spiritual truth through intuition, what is even more important is to develop the habit to constantly forgive ourselves when we forget our ability to connect with our inner divine wisdom.

By doing this, we automatically move back into alignment with the flow of spiritual truth. Because intuition connects us with our Oneness of Spirit, the messages it reveals to us are always rooted in unconditional love and pure truth. You can develop a sensitivity to perceiving these internal messages by listening, trusting, and acting upon them. The more you do this, the more you empower yourself to live in your spiritual truth.

Love and Light

Sandra

The e-book version, regularly priced at $9.99 is presently being offered for only $1.99.

Living From the Inside Out

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Sandra Brossman

This is an image of words written in the form of clouds that say CORE VALUES

We live in a physical world where there is a great emphasis on defining ourselves by title, power, money, and material possessions. This model of life is based on living from the outside in and centers around ego gratification, trying to control other people and outer circumstances, and material accumulation. If we are living from the outside in, we are likely to feel that we never have enough of anything and that no matter how successful we are, there is a sense of emptiness within our souls. It is not surprising that many of us have adopted this perception of life because it is based on the competitive, survival-oriented way of living which is the predominant model that has been demonstrated and taught to us by our parents, caregivers, and teachers.

As we expand in our spiritual evolution, most of us are seeking to realize a deeper purpose for our lives and are longing for a sense of inner peace. This requires that we reverse the center of our lives from the ego-based desires for outer approval and material gratification to centering our lives around our inner core values. In others words, we need to shift from living from the outside in to living from the inside out.

What Does Living From the Inside Out Mean?

Living from the inside out is a model of life which evolves from viewing the world from the Perspective of Oneness and is based on spiritual values and cooperating for the good of the whole. When you see the world from this vantage point, you remember that you are connected to the Source of Divine Love, as well as to everyone and everything. When you live from the inside-out, you are living in integrity, which is to say that you are integrating every aspect of your being – Soul, Mind, and Body – with the values of spiritual love.

Soul – Your soul is your connection to Spirit and becomes the center of your existence and the highest authority for how you choose to live your life. You access your spiritual wisdom by listening to your intuition and honoring your “gut level” feelings. Your self-worth is determined by your connection with Universal Love, not by how others perceive you.

Mind – You choose perceptions that are based on the qualities of Spirit: unconditional love, respect, cooperation; and you use your energy to create the quality of life you choose, rather than to fearfully react to others and your outer world of experience.

Body – Your body and material world align with your spiritual values and you create a physical reality that is in harmony with the values of your soul. Because you are reflecting your true self, you attract people and situations that resonate with your True Self.

Living in integrity from your spiritual core center incites motivation, passion, and inspiration because you are honoring your commitment to bring the gift of your Essential Self to the world. When you live from the inside out, you are living in harmony with the Oneness of Spirit, creating unity and harmony within your inner personal life, as well as the world all around you.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

Do you have any insights that you would like to share with us regarding how you have learned to live from the inside out?

Love and Light,

Sandra

For more information on Living From the Inside Out, order the book, “The Power of Oneness, Live The Life You Choose.”

The Person You Most Want To Be Is Who You Already Are

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Sandra Brossman

Text of the word Beautiful with YOU highlighted

Do you ever find yourself using other people as a point of reference for establishing your identity? For assessing your value as a person? For measuring your level of accomplishments?

Most of us do this at one time or another, and perhaps even most of the time. Looking around and comparing yourself to others ultimately results in a game of self-judgment. You may decide that someone else is more beautiful, thinner, more important, healthier, more successful, wealthier, happier, and more powerful than you are. Of course, this may be true; but it is completely futile and irrelevant because the person you most want to be is who you already are! We all have special gifts, and the whole point to your life is to explore the many facets of yourself.

This essential point became very apparent to me when I was recently attending a numerology course. I use the example of numerology because numbers are objective. Also, it is a widely accepted scientific and metaphysical premise that everything and everyone is a vibration of energy, and vibrations are numbers. What is so beautiful about perceiving people through the lens of numerology is that it made me realize that everyone, in all the world, is special. We each have a particular name and a specific time that we are born to this world.

These very personal factors have an enormous impact on your soul’s mission, how you think, your personality, and your life lessons. This is so amazing! There is no “right” or “wrong” way to be who you are! In fact, YOU are the ONLY person who can be the expression of your soul. We were all born in the energy of unconditional love, and you are here to be the exquisitely unique expression of the energy you were destined to bring to this lifetime. Your life purpose, the color of your eyes and hair, the shape of your body, your brain, your emotions, your talents, the people whom you attract into your world of experience, as well as how you experience life, are all expressions of the very special version of who you were born to be. Even your challenges in life have been designed by the Universe to keep you on track with becoming more Whole. For example, if your soul’s mission in this lifetime is to become more open to change, you may find that you are presented with many situations that require you to be very flexible and willing to grow.

Who you are is not determined by how you compare to other people. Your True Self is the remembrance that you originated from the energy of Universal Love. Because love is creative, it is expressed in many ways. Each one of us has an innate talent and predominant gift to offer, whether it is in “loud” or “quiet” ways. Your mission could be to be a peacemaker, to be of service to humanity, to create the foundation from which to build new ideas and forms, to be musical and artistic, to be a pillar of love for family and humanity, to be adventuresome, to bring revolutionary ideas into being, to be a messenger who brings the light of spiritual truth to the world, or all of these and even more!

One of the most effective ways you can live in your truth is to consciously align the decisions of your mind with the spiritual values of your heart. Follow your intuition and accept how the gift of your presence naturally unfolds every moment of every day by having the courage to be yourself. You are not here to win a popularity vote! Contrary to our inclination to think that we are “not enough,” there is nothing you need to add to make yourself more of your True Self. Spiritual healing is simply a matter of shedding the many layers of fear that you have used to cover up the perfection of your core being.

It reminds me of what Michelangelo said when he was asked to explain how he was guided to sculpt
the “Pieta”:

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

Love and Light,

Sandra

How Do We Let Go of the Past?

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Sandra Brossman

This is an image of the past, the future, and a person in front of the word NOW.

In order to heal our lives and move forward, we need to let go of the past. How many times have we heard this statement? Yet, most of us feel at least a little resistance at the thought of letting go of the past. In truth, most people feel a great deal of reluctance to “let go of the past.”

Why do we resist?

Many times we hold on to the past simply because we are afraid of change. We have an amazing propensity to hold onto the familiar–even if it is causing us harm. How often have we clung to a destructive relationship, a job we have long outgrown, or even a consistently poor performing financial investment just because we are afraid of change? Generally speaking our greatest fear is of the unknown. Since the very nature of life is change, we are powerless to remain in the status quo. Our choice is to be victimized by the changes that are naturally evolving all around us or to make conscious choices that coincide with the quality of life we want to be living in present time.

Isn’t it important to remember the past?

Of course it is. Healing our lives does not require that we forget the past. But remembering is not the same thing as becoming entrapped in old patterns of behavior simply because we are afraid to make changes. Past experiences, both positive and negative, serve us well when we learn from them and use these lessons as a springboard from which to launch new thought patterns that promote our health and growth.

What we need to let go of is our tendency to continue to focus on the painful memories of the past. Since whatever we focus on is what we create, every time we give our attention to a painful situation from the past, we give our energy to repeating the same patterns of behavior. For example, if you habitually focus on childhood abandonment, you are likely to find yourself in many relationships where you are abandoned. Just as importantly, it is essential to realize that every time you focus your attention on painful memories of the past, you re-create the stressful mind and body responses that you associate with that memory, such as grief, depression, and heartache.

How Do We Let Go of the Past?

Forgive Yourself – Free yourself from your bondage to the past by forgiving yourself for the many choices you made that you now perceive as “mistakes.” Sure, in retrospect, you might have done things differently. Remember, you have gotten wiser with every experience you have had, so back then you didn’t have the same basis of knowledge that you now have.

Forgive The People Who Have Hurt You – Take back your power! Every time you blame someone for painful experiences in the past you are allowing them to rule your thoughts!

(You may find the blog on “Forgiveness, The Greatest Gift We Give Ourselves,” April 23, 2013, to be very helpful.)

Be Conscious of Your Thinking – Become aware of when your thoughts are focused on negative past events and situations. Simply acknowledging where you are giving your attention empowers you to return your thoughts to present time.

Express gratitude for the lessons learned – Focus on how you have learned and grown with every experience you have had.

Choose to be in present time – Savor every moment of your life journey. Since the past is over and the future is not yet here, the only time that is “real” is NOW.

Where you are in life right now is the result of your thoughts from the past. Being fully present empowers you to make new choices that can change your reality. In fact, whatever you are thinking in this moment is creating your future!

Love and Light,

Sandra

You can access more insights to letting go of the past by ordering the book, The Power of Oneness, Live The Life You Choose™.

Do you have any experiences you would like to share that have prepared you to live in present time? As always, I welcome your thoughts.

How Can We Overcome Loneliness?

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Sandra Brossman

This is a black and white photograph of a little boy alone on a swing in the park

If you are struggling with loneliness, you are not alone.

Every person experiences feelings of isolation from time to time.

Being alone and being lonely are not the same thing. It is very healthy for each of us to create some “alone time” every day, away from the external commotion and daily demands of family and work. Alone time, in this sense, feels good because we are honoring our need to nurture and regenerate ourselves through our mind/body connection with Spirit and to feel the peace that lies within the silence.

Feeling lonely, on the other hand, generally does not feel pleasant. It is accompanied by a sense of sadness and disconnection from other people and life in general. Being around a lot of people is not necessarily an antidote to loneliness. In fact, loneliness can feel even more intense when we are in a crowd of people or in an unhappy personal relationship. Ironically, even in our present world of technology where millions of people can connect 24/7 via email, Facebook, and Twitter, we can still find ourselves feeling intensely lonely. How can this be?

In order to understand why we are lonely, it is important

to become aware of what is causing it.

Sometimes people choose to be loners because of childhood developmental factors:

If one has been abandoned by one or both parents, there is a strong tendency to be reluctant to commit to intimate relationships.

Being raised by critical or unaffectionate parents may cause a person to be emotionally withdrawn.

If one has been raised in a family environment of substance abuse, there is a likely tendency to become distrustful of others.

Even without these factors, some people feel innately disconnected and simply never learn to communicate well or have a low self-esteem and avoid socializing for fear of being rejected.

There are also many situational factors in life that can cause us to feel alone:

It could be that you are experiencing the deep, irreplaceable loss that comes with the death of a loved one.

Suffering from a disability or long-term disease can cause one to feel that no one else could possibly understand how much courage and endurance it takes to just survive on a daily basis.

You may be experiencing the huge void that frequently comes with divorce, or you may be feeling alone in your exhaustive, seemingly never-ending search to find the ideal partner.

It can also feel very isolating to change jobs or to relocate to a new area, perhaps causing you to leave family and familiar friends and co-workers.

A financial set-back may leave you feeling that you are alone in a world with fewer choices than you once had. Maybe some social setbacks have caused you to believe that no one else would be interested in your company.

Understanding the many factors that cause loneliness helps us to understand why all of us, at one time or another, feel like we are all by ourselves in a sea of humanity. While any one and all of these situations and conditions are compelling reasons for feeling lonely, they are merely symptomatic of a much deeper loneliness that is being felt at a soul level by humanity at large. We are longing, at a core level, to connect with something infinitely larger than ourselves and return to the Oneness of Spirit.

The only way we can ultimately fill the void within our hearts

is through the energy of unconditional love.

So how can we heal our loneliness?

Pray and Meditate – Commit yourself to create at least 20 minutes of silence every day to pray and meditate. This is essential in order to remember that, no matter what you are experiencing, you are unconditionally connected with Universal Love.

Be compassionate and kind to yourself – Let go of the self-judgment and allow yourself to just BE. Every person on earth has “their story” of the infinite ways in which they are being challenged. Life is not a pass/fail contest – it’s all about becoming whole.

Change what you can change – Be your own best friend and ask yourself what you most need to feel less lonely. Would it help you to schedule more social time with friends? Join a special interest organization? Attend church? Join a spiritual community? Go to the health club? Volunteer with a local charity? Spend more time in nature? Get an animal companion? Whatever it is, be conscious of ways that you can best help yourself to enjoy life more and then act on it.

Accept what you cannot change – While it is true that we don’t get to pick all the circumstances that challenge us in life, we can always choose the attitude with which we experience this spiritual journey. Cultivating an attitude of focusing on the lesson rather than the problem will help you to maintain a positive attitude that will attract other people who have optimistic outlooks.

Most importantly, remember that you are NEVER ALONE. We are all brothers and sisters walking this earth together, and we all have the same mission – to integrate our minds and bodies with the love of Spirit. Each of us is doing the best we know to do for now – in our own time – and in our own way.

Love and Light,

Sandra