10 Seeds to Sprout Positive Thought

1. Your inner light, shining radiantly, is clouded by incessant thoughts. Be still, clear your mind and let your light shine!
2. When you feel an emotion, stop and listen, rather than react. Emotions signal that there is growth to be had!
3. Your business is an extension of your Self. Expand your consciousness, expand your client list.
4. If your job doesn’t inspire you, it’s time to find one that does. Inspiration is a gift; our compass to finding true fulfillment.
5. Ask the Universe for a raise. Not in salary, but in your consciousness. The sky is the limit!
6. Not only are we meant to embrace change, we are meant to seek it. What can you change in your life to bring about more fulfillment and joy?
7. How do you define success? If it only includes a ton of money, redefinition needed!
8. Open yourself up to finding your true purpose and it will, in fact, find you instead.
9. Don't settle for happy. To be joyful is to experience the full potential of spirit.
10. You are the embodiment of love and light. Spread your radiant energy wherever you go.
    

From Lawyer to Lightworker

I know how good it feels to follow your heart. The feeling was undeniable the day I quit my job as a lawyer at one of Canada’s top tier law firms. I worked hard to get to where I was, but I had to release the attachment to the time, money and effort I invested into getting to that point. What gave me the courage to do that? Inner strength, support  from my family, friends, peers and the Universe.

So there I was, articling to become a corporate lawyer. From the day I started, I had a feeling that it wasn’t the right place for me. I would go home drained of all my energy. It was affecting my relationships, with my self and with others. I was only excited to start my day if it was a Saturday or Sunday. That’s only 2 out of 7 days of the week, approximately 8 days a month! Puts the adage “life’s too short” into perspective. I began to realize that if there are people out there happy to start every single day of their lives because they were living their passion and according to their purpose, then why shouldn’t I?! As soon as I came to that realization, the power of the Universe presented itself to me in full force, as if it was just waiting for me to come to that realization on my own so that it could provide me with the support I needed to start living my dream life.

I came across synchronicities every day from that point on, each one confirming that I was making the right choice, each one bolstering my faith in Divine Guidance. Here’s one, powerful example. One of my files involved the surname Walton. I had been reviewing this file for the past 8 months, almost every day; however, it wasn’t until after I made the decision to leave the practice of law that I realized that Walton backwards spelt NOT LAW. I was in my office talking to one of my best friends about the synchronicities that were showing up when the words just seemed to jump out of the page at me!

The next step was to formally resign. Cultivating inner strength through meditation and spiritual learning allowed me to speak my truth, to stand up for what I believed in, to follow my heart and to be who I truly was even in the face of people who thought they were looking out for my best interests by swaying me from my path. I had others telling me that I had a bright future ahead of me in the practice of law, that I would be “successful”. Little did they know that “successful” to me didn’t just mean a healthy bank account. It included fulfillment and joy, something I definitely wasn’t experiencing in my current situation. “What about all those years you spent in school? The time and money you spent getting your degree?” Well, what about it?

Attachment is a dangerous, dangerous thing. If we remained attached to the past, afraid to let it go even though we knew it just isn’t working for us anymore, we would never move on. We would never change. We would never evolve. For some people, that’s ok. Not for me. Never was, never will be. I refuse to settle for anything less than joy. I realized this at the ripe age of 20. I had already been in a long-term relationship for 4 years when I realized that I was settling. I was content, it was familiar, but I wasn’t truly happy. Although marriage wasn’t on the radar yet, I felt the need to make a change. I tuned into my heart. It told me not to wait it out, but instead that it was time to leave. It was hard, but your heart always knows what will bring you true happiness. How did I know I was in an unfulfilling relationship? It didn’t inspire me. I realized that if a relationship, a job, a situation, doesn’t inspire you, it’s time to find one that does. Inspiration is a gift; our compass to finding true fulfillment.

Giving up attachment to the past, getting over the fear of being “alone”, opening myself up to new experiences led me straight into the arms of my soulmate. My current relationship with my husband inspires me every, single day. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect partner for myself if I tried. Open yourself up and Universe will give you exactly what you’re looking for, or something even better.

So, I formally resigned and felt like I was on top of the world! Setting out, unknowing of where I was headed was an exhilarating feeling. I truly felt like the world was my oyster! The fear of living with uncertainty can paralyze you or it can propel you forward. I chose the latter. There’s much power in our freedom to choose and I had to do some serious inner work to be able to be courageous enough to make that choice. I still had student loans to pay, an upcoming wedding to pay for, but instead of wondering how it would all happen, I just said YES to the Universe and let the divine plan unfold before me. The key was to let go of my need to control everything and that’s coming from an “A-type lawyer”. I even had to let go of aspects of my personality that I was hanging onto, including being an “A-type lawyer”. We are a product of our what our ego wants us to be, but only if we let it. So I stopped controlling even my personality, who I thought I “was” and fully opened myself up to learning all I could about my Self, that is, my true Self. Every day has been magical. I am discovering new things about my Self every, single day; things that are way more inspiring than being an “A-type lawyer”, “organized”, “punctual”, etc.

Rather than be regretful of my decision to study law, I am quite the opposite. I am absolutely grateful for the opportunity and learning that led me to where I am right now. And where I am right now is in a place of pure joy, happiness, fulfillment and freedom. Lightworkers.org defines a lightworker as any being dedicated to the cultivation of inner presence and the elevation of awareness in self and other selves.  Just reading that definition makes me feel wonderful; how I feel when I’m actually living it is indescribable.

When you choose to go where the wind takes you in the hopes of finding fulfillment and joy, life can change at the drop of a dime. Just go with it! Remember that tomorrow isn’t promised and in reality, why waste any time? There’s so much the Universe has to offer, but only you can make the decision to seize the multitude of opportunities there are to live your dreams.

What Occupy Wall Street Means to Me

I am not suggesting a solution, nor am I attached to any of the dogmas that have become the core of everyone's focus. In fact, I don't even watch the news about the protests. The most I've seen is a short clip of a friend that was interviewed for a couple minutes today on his way to work. This is about what the words "Occupy Wall Street" mean to me on a purely personal level and it's more about an era that we're approaching as a collective whole rather than about dichotomies or political views.


What I stand for is inner awakening, for people taking at least a second to reflect on what truly makes them happy and what is actually important to them. I am for loving your career, for feeling that after removing all thoughts of status, money and power, you are doing what makes you feel amazing. Whether that means to be the next Van Gogh or the next Johnny Cochrane, that is based on the service that you're offering others, not the size of the house you'll be able to buy.


We have been engrained to shoot for status and money. The focus is now shifting towards a heart-centered approach to what we do for work. There are people waking up to the fact that our work isn't a means to an end. It's not only about being able to pay rent, make our mortgage payments or buy the nicest car. People are realising that materialism isn't getting us anywhere in terms of our inner happiness. What will really make you happier? Buying the newest iPhone (only to buy another one in a couple years) or to make a new life-long friend?


The heart-centered approach to work gives us the opportunity to do what we love, to live our lives with passion for what we do. At the end of it all, more people are realizing that when we're on our death bed, we're going to be thinking about how fulfilled we felt in our lives, not how big our master bedroom was or our 4 car garage. I have nothing against accumulating wealth, but I'm striving for a career that will not only allow me live the lifestyle I choose but will also allow me to live the life I choose, which is one of fulfillment, happiness, passion and inner satisfaction.


When our generation was born, our parents had high aspirations for us to become doctors, lawyers and engineers. If someone were to tell them that one day, protestors in North America would be occupying Wall Street and Bay Street, in hopes that people would learn to chase their dreams rather than the next pay cheque, they wouldn't believe it.


At this point, you might be thinking that this is just a phase. The world has woken up for a second, but it's going to turn over and go back to sleep. Think again. More and more, people are asking questions like, "what's my life purpose", "how can I make a difference in this world", "how can I help the impoverished third world?" It's no longer a touch-feely discussion that comes up on stage at a Miss Universe pageant. These are real questions that people are asking, because we've seen people, sometimes friends and/or family, die from illnesses way before they thought it was their time to go. Your life can change in a second. There may not be time to chase a few more paycheques before you start asking how happy you really want to be for the rest of your life.


We spend 1/3 of our day at work. I choose not to spend that 1/3 of "work" time living someone else's life. To me the Wall Street Movement has less to do with rising up against the system and more about taking control of our own lives. This starts from within, from deciding not to waste another day at a job that doesn't allow us to express our creativity, to do what we love to do and to feel empowered and passionate. 


Why protest and complain about what you don‘t want, instead of actively doing something about it? What can we do? We can CHOOSE!


Einstein said “Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.” Free yourself of what others think of you. Detach yourself from the opinions of other people and societal pressure. None of that matters. What matters is how you feel and how happy you are. That's freedom. Free to be your authentic self.


I'm not hurt by the oppression that the protestors are on about. I'm hurt to see people who are talented in the arts, great painters, writers, poets, that waste those talents working 9-5 at a job they hate. Many have something they complain about every day. Visit downtown during lunch hour and you’re guaranteed to overhear someone complaining about their job.


I ask that you take a second to think about what you're doing that's actually free will and what you're doing that has been imposed on you from the beliefs of others. In law school, I was told that if I bought the recommended text book, the supplemental text book, the work book, the CD-ROM, that my grades would increase. Not only that, but it was in my best interest to buy  the newest edition because something might have changed since last year. In simple terms, my success was directly related to the amount of money I spent. After two years of following what the "norm" was, I decided to block out these recommendations for success and in my last year, didn't buy a single book. My grades were the best out of all 3 years. Top 10% of my class. Point of this anecdote? Don't be afraid to go against the grain. Don't think that you have to be like everyone else. Think more with your heart and less with your head. Live more, worry less. Celebrate your uniqueness.


If you feel that it’s right to protest on the streets, do it. If you feel that it's right to sit at your desk in your box in the sky, do it. But the key is determining what you feel is right and not what you think is right. This takes real courage. The world is shifting from thinking to feeling, from logic to emotion. From science to faith. Yes, you can think your way through everything, but never settle for mediocrity. Live the life you were meant to live, one that actually makes you feel alive and not like a drone. Wake, eat, work, eat, work, watch reality tv, pay bills, eat, sleep.


You meet with friends and complain about your job. You see family, but you’re exhausted so you’re short with them. You talk to your significant other, but you fight because you’re cranky and overworked... sound familiar? I choose to be grateful for my significant other, not uselessly fight, waste a day being angry and then make up because we forgot what was so important that we fought in the first place. I choose to love my family, not be annoyed or short with them. I choose to have inspirational conversations with my friends that better our lives, not gossip and complain. I choose to live each day like it's my last day on Earth and take advantage of that, not act like I'll live forever.


Believe it or not, all the "problems" in your life that you complain about stem from how you feel about yourself and how you feel about yourself has a lot to do with how you spend that "working" 1/3 of your day. A job isn't just a job anymore. A job isn’t meant to just get you to retirement, so that you finally live in your old age, if you ever get there. A job is a way to express yourself and to meaningfully contribute to your society. Meaningful contribution that will inspire others and touch their hearts.


I know someone who could be a chart-topping singer that is slaving away at a job she hates, singing under her breath during meetings. I know a motivational football coach that is slaving away at a job he hates, just waiting for the work day to be over so that he can coach over at the local high school. I know the next Da Vinci that is slaving away at a job she hates, doodling during conference calls. I know a cutting edge fashion designer that is slaving away at a job he hates, googling fashion blogs on his 15 minute coffee break.


However, I also know a great lawyer who is passionate about what he does and is authentically and truly making a difference through his work. Each profession has people that are listening to their hearts and truly living. Passion can be found in any profession, it's about choosing which is right for you. Not what will bring you the most money, status, respect or power. No. Choosing the "right" one has everything to do with what will bring you the most fulfillment, the most satisfaction, the most self expression, the most happiness and most importantly, will allow you to serve and inspire others. We are all here together, there is no division. We are all family, all brothers and sisters, all one. Let's inspire and motivate one another. Let's want for others want we want for ourselves instead of compete and become jealous and envious when other have what we desire.


At the level of our heart, there is no difference between someone wearing a tie and someone wearing a tee. The ties need to put down their pens and the tees need to put down their signs and we all need to reflect on what our true, authentic selves want us to do. We all have the type of freedom that will truly make a difference and that's the freedom to choose. Choose happiness, choose purpose, choose life. Detach yourself from the opinions of other people and then, as Thoreau said, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams."


You won't be disappointed. Once you choose to follow your passion, success will come. Other people can sense when you're doing what you truly love and will be attracted to you like moths to a flame. Do what you love and you will fly.