I Am vs. I Have

The essence of our being vs. all the things and people we attach our identity to. I'm sure, at some point in our lives, we have all asked ourselves, who am I? Often when we meet someone new, and they say, "tell me about yourself", we start with our name and then begin to list the belongings we have in our lives, where we live, the accomplishments we made, the places we've been, our jobs, maybe the people we surround ourselves with. These are the pieces and actually merely the side effect of the choices we have made and the path we took, the life we are living, not WHO we are. When was the last time you sat in silence and asked yourself, if all of my lifestyle, as I know it, was stripped away and I stood here as I am, "who am I"? Dada Bhagwan said, "The essence of human life is to come into one’s nature of the Self (Soul), get awakened and remain only in ‘Self’".

When we release attachment to the things that come and go within our lives, we reduce the opportunity for suffering. Nothing in this world is ours to keep or possess. So, the question then becomes, if I am not all of the things I have surrounded myself with, who am I? What is that piece within all of us that makes us our unique being?

"If One comes into the authority of the Self (Swa-satta) for even a moment, the essence of time (samaysaar) is realized!"

~ Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan

Connecting to our innate being, our values and the essence of how we show up in life is a more accurate description of who we are. Often, tuning into who we were as a child, can show us a glimpse of how we came into this world before experiences shaped our perspectives, and what in life, feels authentic to us.

If we aren't in tune with who we are, how can we decide where we want to go and what we want to experience along the way.

I invite you to sit, connect with and get to know your essence. Ask yourself these questions:

• What feelings do I want to feel over the course of a week? Is it love, adventure, freedom, peace, excitement?

• What do I value most in life? Is it family, connections, expansion?

• If I had any and all resources at my fingertips and could go anywhere and do anything with my time for 3 whole months, what would I do and how would I spend your time?

If we don't know how we want to feel in our day to day lives, how do we know what choices or decisions are best for us? How can we introduce ourselves to someone and know if these are relationships we want to tend to, and share our valuable time, space and energy with?

What if the next time we introduced ourselves, instead of talking about all the external things and events that make up our environment, we spoke of our passions, dreams, values and love languages? What if we allowed vulnerability and viewed it as a superpower to unfold the life of our dreams? I wonder how that would feel and what opportunities and experiences would show themselves to us.

May you see, and may everyone who sees you, recognize the beauty and light that shines from within and know that it is love.

All the love,

Pamela

Attachment

Have a mind that is open and connected to everything and attached to nothing. Buddha said, "The root of suffering is attachment". When our mind or ego becomes attached to the idea or feeling of something, that is the moment we lose the true essence of what we are able to experience in the present moment. If we can adopt an approach of allowing everything to be as it is and everyone to be as they see fit, we can then find our own path that feels true to us and live in the flow of that. From that place, we have the pure joy and pleasure of enjoying and taking from each experience, exactly what was intended without allowing the fear of "what-if's" to creep in. When we allow ourselves to attach, we become enslaved to that which we were trying to control in the first place.

I once read this phrase, "learn the difference between connection and attachment. Connection gives you power, attachment sucks the life out of you."

When we allow ourselves to go with the flow and learn from the rivers, which are always flowing, ever changing and seek the path of least resistance, we can open our hearts to the truth that we own nothing and control no one and feel the true connection to what is happening in the here and now. Everything we own was once owned by someone else and will someday, again be owned by another. Once we can relax into this truth and allow our boat to float downstream or better yet, become the river, it frees us from the stress and worry of the false perception that we ever had any control in the first place.

"When you move amidst the world of sense, free from attachment and aversion alike, there comes a peace in which all sorrows end, and you live

in the wisdom of the self"

~ Bhagavad Gita.

What if the next time we felt the urge to control something, we just paused? Let's see what happens. What if every time we feel the pressure to take over, we took a slow deep breathe instead? What if the next time we felt the fear of losing something creep in, we reminded ourselves that every season comes and goes and we fully trust that the joys and challenges that came with each segment of the year, will find their way back to us once again. Instead of clinging to the past or trying to freeze time we can find peace in the truth that attachment to keeping things just as they are is actually preventing us from enjoying the pleasures of the present moment. Yes, we do have preferences and fulfilments that bring us great joy and love, but what if we imagined that the best is yet to come. What if we believed that if something beloved falls away, it is only to make room or support what is in alignment for us next? What if we believed that the values, and intentions we hold deep in our hearts are always guiding us and things are always working out exactly how they should be, whether we can see it in this present moment or not? How would that feel?

May all your thoughts, words and actions be in alignment with your highest, most authentic self and manifest all of your deepest desires swiftly, by the path of least resistance, whatever that may be!

All the love,

Pamela

Intentions

Most have heard the aphorism "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." These are not the kind of intentions I'm referring to and you might wonder, well what is the difference. When we make decisions or receive an idea or impulse from an ungrounded place or from our ego mind, we can often get confused and convince ourselves in believing that we had "good intentions" behind what we did or said, however that is a very different "Intention" than when I speak of what I use as the foundation of all my coaching as well as my own lifestyle. We must first develop and connect with the version of ourselves that makes us the most proud or excited when we envision living our best life. When we live our lives with intentions grounded in our core values, it is like having a quick little manual in our back pockets that we can refer to when we are faced with any decision throughout the day.

"When our actions are based on good intentions, our soul has no regrets."

- Anthony Douglas Williams.

When we discover our truest "why" behind all our thoughts, words and actions, our intention statement becomes like a beacon of light always leading and guiding us in the right direction towards our most authentic, best life that we envision for ourselves.

Creating an intention statement is my favorite go to practice that I recommend to clients, friends as well as use for myself. I personally have my long-term intention statement, when I journal each day, at the top of my page, I write my intention for how I intend to show up and use my energy for the greater good, in this one day. I also set an intention statement for any project I am about to create so that I can always come back to it when there are any decisions to be made. So, what is an intention statement? First let's start with an intention.

An intention is:

• a mindset or way of being.

• connects to a greater purpose.

• aligns with your authentic self.

• focuses on how you want to feel.

• is about the journey, not the destination.

• provides the foundation for effective goals.

Creating an Intention Statement is a structured way to have all of this information condensed down to a paragraph or two. This is always the first and one of my favorite parts of my coaching because the process takes a little time but always uncovers your deepest desire and aspirations and leaves you feeling more connected with your values, purpose, passion and can function as a road map for the journey ahead.

I invite you to take a moment to sit without distraction and write down a few of your genuine core values. Focus on how you want to feel in life, not what you want to have. What is the feeling you are looking to experience in this lifetime that excites you? Is it love? Passion? Freedom? Peace? Balance? All of the above? If you were living your best life every day, how would you show up and how would that feel? With this one step you are beginning to lay the foundation for making every day, the best day of your life so far, and believe that the best is yet to come!

May all your wildest dreams and desires be drawn to you, swiftly!

All the love,

Pamela