Today, a story of encouragement. If you wonder about results, or about what you might be accomplishing, read this. Though this is my story, your efforts will bring your own successes in your life.

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Guiding Thought

Love is unconditional. Choose to be unconditionally devoted to the Love which is unconditionally devoted to you! Embrace life in Love as your True nature. Connect with All in Love. Stand boldly in your heart-center, unwavering in your dedication to Unity of Life in Love.

Reflection

I’d like to share a breakthrough moment with you. When contemplating why I was doing a Journey of Courage, I mentioned that I want the courage to be absolutely at peace in the face of fear, as represented primarily by Daniel of the Old Testament. Can you imagine the stress of going to the lion’s den, but being perfectly at peace? I had a moment of experiencing this. Here’s how it went:

I was confronted at my job by a person higher in the chain of command than me, about an “issue”. The solution was simple and obvious, and I conceded to the solution immediately, yet this person continued to badger me with words and looks of contempt.  It was a very classic authoritarian situation, where one person (my colleague) is in power and dominant, and the other (me) is powerless and subordinate: think parent-child, police-suspect, teacher-student, supervisor-employee, etc. Do you have an idea of the dynamic?

You might imagine there was stress and tension. I could feel my brain begin to “short-circuit”, as the biological effects of stress kicked in.

And yet, I also felt an underlying calm and peace. A part of my brain was aware of the conflict-induced stress, yet another part of my brain was noticing how at peace I was. In the midst of conflict, I found myself thinking, “This is how it happened with Daniel. This is less intense than going to a lion’s den, but this is the same phenomenon. What I am doing is working!” In that moment, I understood the possibility of being calm in the face of fear. I can do this.

I was not trying to be at peace. I was not even thinking about Love or God or Mantra. The peace felt completely natural and effortless. Of course, all of the effort went in prior to the incident, but the effort paid off. Let me reiterate: This was an understanding of the feeling, with an intensity that I could handle. Now that I have experienced, or accomplished, this level of intensity, I can continue to cultivate the mindset that brought it about for higher levels of intensity. The practices matter! The practices bring results!

In addition to a feeling of peace, I had this thought, which was a bit of a bonus! “This is also how financial freedom works. Do you see how natural and easy this feeling of peace is? Do you feel how you are doing nothing, and you are aware of your inherent fullness (of peace)? Financial freedom is this feeling of ease and naturalness about money and abundance. One day, you will find yourself in the middle of an experience of fullness of money and abundance, and you will feel this feeling, as though you are totally at peace, and the experience is completely natural, and you are not doing anything to ‘make it happen'”.

This feels like a nice confirmation, as well as a nice step. I know I have to keep working, continue diligently. And let me tell you: I am really inspired to accept and embody today’s Guiding Thought. Love is unconditional. Choose to be unconditionally devoted to the Love which is unconditionally devoted to you! Embrace life in Love as your True nature. Connect with All in Love. Stand boldly in your heart-center, unwavering in your dedication to Unity of Life in Love.

Love returns to those devoted and dedicated to It.