What does it mean to live in God’s presence in this spiritual sense unless we first make up our minds to take time out to think of God. And nobody, not even God will make up our minds for us.

What does it mean to have someone present to us in this mental sense? Does it not mean, before everything else, that the person is on our minds? In the deepest sense space and time are irrelevant here, because we are talking about spirit being present to spirit; it is immaterial. That is what spirit is: the reality which is independent of space and time.

Vivek Pradhan wasn’t a happy man. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel and had to travel in the a/c compartment of shatabdi express. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin guy, it was the savings in time. He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

“Are you from the software industry sir,” the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop.

Who comes first, you or your relationship? Although answering “the relationship” may sound honorable and based on a deep level of love and commitment, its an unhealthy and destructive way to live. It is only when you can honor and love yourself first, that the relationship can be a truly loving one and not one based on need, dependency, fear, or insecurities. When each partner comes to the relationship whole, the relationship becomes an enhancement of your life and not life itself.

One day I was feeling particularly miserable and guilty about not working hard enough. I was so sick of feeling guilty I just wanted the feeling to go away.

I do some of my best thinking when surrounded by nature so I put on my sneakers and went for a long walk. A 5 mile walk to be specific. I decided the best way to look at my guilt was to examine specific incidences where I felt guilty. As I made the turn down the street onto the gravel path, I went back to my earliest memory of guilt.

Awareness is the first step in the creation process. As you grow in self awareness, you will better understand why you feel what you feel and why you behave as you behave. That understanding then gives you the opportunity and freedom to change those things you’d like to change about yourself and create the life you want. Without fully knowing who you are, self acceptance and change become impossible.

Having clarity about who you are and what you want (and why you want it), empowers you to consciously and actively make those wants a reality. Otherwise, you’ll continue to get “caught up” in your own internal dramas and unknown beliefs, allowing unknown thought processes to determine your feelings and actions.