Steph's Ripples

Something I have come to realise deeply this year is that the universe is always working with you. However, most of the time we remain closed to its blessings. We cannot see the positive and instead focus on events not going our way. Having expectations is one of the main cause of unhappiness, as well as entitlement. The universe is always giving us what we need, providing for us and give us reason to love life. I found that I for myself, never truly believe in the goodness of the universe. I was ignorant and of little faith. I failed to recognise all the good. It's so easy to cave in and make excuses and judge- so easy. It takes courage to live fearlessly.  Once you realise that the universe is your friend, it's like a veil lifted and you can finally see clearly. "What you believe is what you create". Once I was ready to overcome those made-up thoughts, I was able to see all that life does for me, all that life has to offer and all that I have to offer. It w...

You are born to stand out. Nothing good ever comes from following the crowd, doing what everyone else is doing because you are told to, force to or fooled into. What everyone else is doing should not be the determinant of your actions. Trust your intuition, believe in yourself and remain true to yourself. By being someone you are not, you fail to acknowledge all the goodness, talent and power you already possess. You are special in your own way.

This is inspired by Louise Hay: How to love yourself. We are so quick to criticism and judgement due to fear. Th only way you can heal yourself is by accepting and loving yourself. Don't take anything that happens to you more than what it is, creating the worse scenarios. Be kind and gentle with yourself. Select thoughts that will empower you. Nurture. Plant good positive seeds. It's ok to make mistakes while learning. Everything takes time. Anything you do the first time will feel uncomfortable. Be kind to your mind by doing positive affirmations which build you up. Don't be judgemental on your thoughts. You are lovable because you exist. Don't blame yourself. Do not fall into the pattern of guilt, punishment a pain. Respond to life in a kind way. Relax. Breathe and breathe out, let go. Release all fear, tension. Be patient, be open. Everything will be revealed to you when you are ready. Allow things to happen.

I was astounded upon reflection to our ephemeral existence. Our lives are sheer and fleeting. It's ridiculous to think of ourselves more than what we are. Live simply in the moment. Choose to be content with the now. Life is too short to live in pain. Embraced life as it comes. Enjoy every moment of it and appreciate all that exist. Life happens in the now, not in the future.

Each one of us is blessed. Although, it's hard for us to see it. We are so close and focused on everyday life, tasks to be done, our issues -most of which are self-created- that we cannot see our blessings.  Keep in mind that you are blessed. It's such a positive affirmation and reinforcement. When you realise and fully embrace that, it's like a weight lifted. You will then truly realised how blessed you are. 

One of the things that prevent us from doing is doubting. There is always that voice inside our head lurking making us second-guess ourselves. No matter how strong we can be, it's something we have to be aware of.  We doubt because: We don't want to get hurt if something doesn't go the way we want (protection) We don't want to feel ashame or unworthy (worthiness) We do not know how the future's going to unfold (unknown/ future) We fear of not being enough- comparison trap (whole person) We associate the present with prior experiences (past) When you feel doubt, accept it as a normal emotion. Do not view doubt as a negative feeling you have to get rid of. Do not resist. Accept that you are having doubts, and there are valid reasons why you are feeling like that. Elaborate more on those reasons and balance everything out. It might not be as bad as you think. After you take in time to reflect, let everything out. Slowly begin to doubt your doubts and let...

Breathe in breathe out. It's a simple healing action. Take a deep breath in,  let the fresh air flows inside your lung and body, take in all the goodness that life holds and exhale noisily. Let out all the resistance, negative thoughts, everything that is holding you back. Repeat a few times and notice the change.

One of the most beautiful thing I experienced this year is the power of gratitude. I have always been one to thank life when things go right or work out. However, I wouldn't do it daily. It would occur to me,  but it hasn't been a routine of mine. This year I discovered this daily habit ans I decided to incorporate it into my life. For some unknown reasons, I'd always feel compelled to give grace. I was not aware then that gratitude has healing powers. I only did it because it felt right. When you thank, you are filled with love. It help us to love ourselves, love life. When we are being appreciative, we embrace life. There's nothing to hide. Practice gratitude. Life is too short to not see what is in front of us.

One of the most enlightening moments in my life was to realise that we all have what it takes. However, we are close to that ability. We are not willing to see it. So, instead of swimming into that beautiful pool of resources, our potential, we sink to the bottom hole. We focus on what we fear we don't have. We focus on the negative thoughts, emotions. We are more prone to associate ourselves with 'I can't' rather that I can, I am ready! It's not entirely our fault. We are surrounded by 'Nos' since our births. We take it for granted that we are not enough because we're never told we are enough. All the accumulation of doubts, fear of unworthiness and negative emotions always appear in our moments of sadness. We are no longer in control. Always remember that you have all that it takes. You have the power within you. Most of the time, it only needs a gentle push to be awakened, to let it out. Experience true happiness and freedom when you do.

You've got to be consistent in whatever you do. To improve, learn, and be successful, you've got to be committed and consistently do what you must, in order to move in the direction of your dreams. Consistency will determine the value of your determination and how far you will get. Of course, it's not an easy task- to stay focus and not lose faith. Hang in there, 0.1% improvement is always better than zero. Over time it compounds and leads to unexpected results. Be driven by the system, by the action, by what it takes. Persevere and be consistent. 

There is always a duality to things- good and bad, plus and minus, yin and yang, heaven and hell, the list goes on. Why should we be aware of those? Simply because we are always struggling to find a balance. We keep moving back and forth towards each extremity and that is no right. This takes away lots of energy.  One thing I realised is that one cannot exist without the other. It's like light. Without darkness, there would be no light. I really like this anology because it emphasizes on how we always have a tendency to  go closer to eitherone side. When we start questioning life and our existence, remember that what seems like a bad thing also holds good. Everything comes as a blessing in disguise. We only have to be willing to see it.  Be open and don't let yourself close in front of everything that happens before you. Most of the events in life can't be controlled, but you get to choose how you want to react. You don't want to give any power to those nega...

I'm in the process of reading the book 'Life loves you' by Louise Hay and Robert Holden. I'm deeply fascinated by the approach of the book. It feels like you are on this writing/self-discovery journey with them. This personal account of every step seems genuine and inclusive.  Live loves you. This is a such a positive affirmation. There is no judgement, no justification, no criticism. It's a simple statement with so much power. Truly, I feel like sometimes the world is working against us for some reasons and even though you know it's all made-up in your mind, you can't let go of the suffering. You have to give time to let the thoughts go, emotions fade away and breathe. During that instant, remember life loves you. There is no one against you. If you don't let the sunshine in and remain in darkness, that's only because you chose to. The sun is going to shine whether you feel good or bad. It's always there. However, if you chose not to le...

I found that plenty of us like to complain. We complain about everything, from the weather to the news., little mundane things to bigger aspects of our lives. It's as if we are constantly on an edge, waiting for the next opportunity to attack, get a go at something- a sad attempt at letting go of what's bothering us.  What we fail to realise is that complaining is not the solution. It's never is. Complaining puts us in a victim position, where we feel we are at the mercy of circumstances and have no control whatsoever in taking action. We are at the mercy of what's happening to us. We are being reactive on what we can't control instead of being focused on what we can control. Your ability to choose a way to make things better is always present. Complaining looks like it will make us feel better, but it doesn't. Actually, it gives more power to pain and suffering. So stop complaining and accept everything that happens as they do. Choose to enjoy life as ...

One of the biggest learning curve in my journey was to realise that I have everything that I need. As soon as I acknowledged this fact, I stopped holding onto unnecessary material or longing for what I felt I needed. It was a huge release because I was not clinging onto a made-up world anymore. I accepted everything as it came. I felt content and so peaceful. I used to rely on external aspects of life to make my life meaningful- external support, approval, material possessions. Those things are entirely out of our control. They place you in a victim role. You expect life to unfold in a certain way, you believe that owning such and such thing will make you happy and hold onto those limiting beliefs. It's like holding onto a running water, slipping away- no control.  Once you realise that you have all that you need inside of you, it's a liberation. You don't need anything, anyone, anymore. You simply 'be'. You start living when you let go of everything that i...

Do what you can and do it with great joy. There's nothing better in life than being appreciative and full of life. No matter what happened, what life throws at you, unexpected circumstances, be always grateful. With this attitude, you are able to tolerate anything. Joy brings happiness. Do what you can every day. Don't wait for the perfect time because it doesn't exist. By living in the future, you allow fear to set in (the what ifs). By doing, you release the fear. You tapped into the unconscious mind that tells you that you can't. Do what you can to the best of your ability. There's no greater reward than the sense of achievement. This is gain by giving everything your best, from simple to difficult tasks. Do what you can with what you have. We often fail to appreciate what we already own. We all are rich with beautiful things. When we take a moment to reflect, we realise we have all that we need. Do what you can because you can. Doubt your doubt. Challeng...