Day 1

Awareness

Almost all of us will one day become aware of something in our lives that we want to change or make better. We may have a desire to lose weight, buy a new home, change our job, or simply learn a new skill. When it comes to making a change, the first step is usually a simple awareness: "I need to make a change." Awareness is bringing something into our consciousness. It is a state of perception or feeling that helps us to realize that we need to take an action.

We cannot get to a different place by remaining in the same place; we have to make a change. Old, worn-out thoughts and emotions keep us in bondage and keep us living in the past. The past cannot hurt us because it is just that—the past. We can only learn from it, not change it. The only moments that we have are now, and in each moment you have the ability to create new thoughts, habits, and patterns that can profoundly change the way you think and feel. The choice is yours. We are infinite choice makers and can, at any moment, change the entire direction of our lives.

The things that keep us in bondage and held captive are the things that we have made to be bigger than life. We say to ourselves all the time if only I could, or when I am this place or that place. In reality, all we have is now. Now is the time to bring issues, past hurts, pains, desires and anything else that you want into your awareness and make the necessary steps to change your life. We have all that we need to make our lives what we want them to be. Stop telling yourself that you are a failure or that you do not deserve to be happy. As you impress upon your mind, so shall it be. Make the choice to live now by increasing your awareness of all your thoughts and ensure that they are in alignment with what you truly desire. Always, in your daily life, become aware of the way that you think. Thoughts have organizing power.

Reflection: Experience shows that the spirit is nothing but awareness. Whoever has greater awareness has greater spirit. When the spirit becomes greater and passes beyond all bounds, the spirits of all things become obedient to it.

—Rumi, The Sufi Path of Love

Awareness Affirmation

Infinite Spirit, open the way today for increased awareness. I am aware today that I need to make a change in my life. I lift my awareness to a higher place, a place that allows me to create new thoughts about all that is within me and all that is around me. How much I do and what I become is a direct result of my thought process. As I think positive thoughts, my life becomes a positive reflection of my inner awareness of who I really am. I affirm today that I am a reflection of the divine and of all that is possible within me. And so it is with my heart today.

Day 2

Acceptance

Possibly one of the hardest concepts is for us to accept the way that our lives, situations, things, and people are. We are constantly in the process of changing things and people to make them fit into how we think things should be. Our minds tell us that we should be this, or we should be that, or that our kids should behave this way or that way. Each day we are bombarded with thoughts of something else for our lives and those around us.

When we stop judging ourselves and others, our hearts open to love. We begin to let go of jealousy, anger, hate, and pain. When we accept our lives as they are in the moment, this is the time when true radiance shines in our hearts and we can begin to see all that we really are. The quickest way to healing our lives and our hearts is to accept ourselves and those around us unconditionally without any judgment.

Acceptance is the process of absolute and whole-hearted surrender to a situation. When we surrender to the divine within ourselves, the miracles of life can happen. We come from a source that equipped us perfectly with all that we need for this life. It is only after human conditioning that we begin the search to find something outside of ourselves to make us complete or whole. In every moment we have the opportunity to change our thoughts around the concept that we are where we need to be in every moment and this will become your moment of transformation into all that you are capable of being.

Don't waste another moment thinking about what you think you should be or how you think your life should be. Accept yourself and situations as they are and watch the process unfold magically. You will become what you are meant to be.

Reflection: The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change into who I need to be.

—Carl Rogers

Acceptance Affirmation

Infinite Spirit, open the way today for complete and total acceptance. I accept myself, people, things, and situations as they are. I affirm that it is when the façade begins to fade away that I am completely surrendered to what is. I allow things to unfold with complete detachment to the outcome. When I allow things to happen as they should, miracles begin to be a part of my everyday experience. I am at peace with total acceptance. And so it is with my heart today.

Day 3

Breakthrough

When we are not free, we are in bondage. We are in bondage to our thoughts, to our past, to our pain, and to anything that keeps us from moving forward. Bondage can be emotional, mental, or physical. The greatest thing that happens to us when we are in bondage is fear—fear of living, fear of freedom, and fear to choose a better existence. Fear is the greatest theft of life.

The way out of bondage is a breakthrough. Breaking through is an act of thrusting forward through or past something. I am talking about the kind of breakthrough where you push past all pain and obstacles that are holding you back from achieving a satisfying life.

In my field of work we have breakthrough workshops where we as leaders are challenged to elevate our thinking and thought processes beyond the old ways of working. In leadership, we realize that the world is always changing. Therefore, our thinking and behaviors must be innovative to keep up with the challenges of the changing world. It is the same with our personal lives as well; we must have breakthrough moments to get into alignment with our deepest longings and desires. The biggest human desire or need is to connect with the soul. I have found that no matter where I am or who I am with, the thing that matters to me the most is my soul's longing for something higher than myself.

When you are faced with a challenge or problem in your life, push or break through the situation until you are free from it and you are where you want to be. Summon up the courage to let go of the things that no longer serve you, whether it is a job, a relationship, or just a way of living that no longer serves you.

Don't stay dead to the past, but break through to the present, which is a gift and is the only moment that we have.

Reflection: Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

—Howard Thurman

Breakthrough Affirmation

Infinite Spirit, open the way today for a breakthrough. I affirm that I am now having breakthrough moments that allow me to change my old thoughts, habits, patterns, and ways of being. I no longer hold on to thoughts and feelings of lack or insecurities. I affirm that if I have a negative thought, I will break through that old thought that no longer serves me and replace it with a new, more positive and life-affirming thought. And so it is with my heart today.

Day 4

Creation

It has been said that all artists create from a place of inner stillness. As the artist creates from a place of inner stillness, we also create our own lives from a place of quiet mediation and stillness. Each day there is an affirmation that allows you to get quiet and seek divine guidance for creating the type of thoughts that will elevate you to a life of being instead of ever having to become again.

Creation is the act of bringing something into existence; the act of taking an idea from the mind into reality. We are creating our realities in every moment just by our thoughts. If we want to create a masterpiece, then our thoughts must be masterful thoughts of wholeness, healing, love, and peace. Ideas form the way that we live and these ideas were once a thought. We are ultimate choice makers in every moment of our lives. Each moment is an opportunity to create the types of experiences that we want to have more often.

When we begin to create wonderful experiences in our lives, those around us see the immediate results and marvel at what has happened in our lives. We become vehicles for the divine to inspire and encourage others to live a deeper and more profound life as well. The creative forces can only conspire with us when we are in a place to receive creative inspiration from the divine.

Reflection: The highest level of creativity consists in being, not doing. When the being is intense enough, the doing will automatically follow.

—Marianne Williamson

Creation Affirmation

Infinite Spirit, open the way today for divine creation. I affirm that in each moment of my life I have the ability to be a creative force for the universe. I am an infinite creator when my plans and goals are aligned with my true purpose in life. I create the kind of life that benefits my soul and, therefore, benefits the universal consciousness. And so it is with my heart today.

Day 5

Courage

As we grow older and our life circumstances take on new directions, we realize it is time to make a change. Not all change is planned because certain life events force us to change. Decidedly, as you have to make life changes and you grow beyond the once comfortable places, you will begin to feel that you may not be able to move forward.

Making changes in our lives takes courage. If you have ever decided to live in a different place, state, or country, you know that it took a lot of courage and faith to pick up your life and start fresh. Courage is the bravery it takes to face difficulty or fear. Courage requires faith and discipline to be able to overcome the obstacles that we face.

I remember when I had to write my thesis for my master's program. I had the worst fear of not completing my research in time. I would always have to stare my fear of writing in the face, push through, and get it done. It would take me some time to work through the fear, but in the summer of 2013 I graduated with my master's degree. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. Do not ever give up in the face of obstacles, but instead have the courage to push through the difficulties and get things done. What are you waiting on? The time is now. This is your life, so make it happen. There are no do-overs.

Reflection: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.

—Robert Frost

Courage Affirmation

Infinite Spirit, open the way today for increased courage. I have the courage to move beyond any obstacles that may be holding me back from living to my fullest potential. I was not given a spirit of fear but of love, peace, and a sound mind. Whatever I am faced with, I will seek within myself for a resolution knowing that all answers reside within me and are just waiting for me to ask all of myself. And so it is with my heart today.

Day 6

Daring

It is very easy to be comfortable with our daily existence. We get up, have breakfast, get dressed, go to work or school, spend time with friends or family, and then start all over again. Many of us never even leave the place that we call home. Reaching beyond the familiar and comfortable allows us to take chances and be daring.

Daring means to be bold, to take risks, to venture out. I can remember as a child having dreams that there was a place far out beyond my imagination. It was not until I left my childhood home in South Carolina that I realized that not only was there a place out there beyond my imagination, but that I could begin to experience all things unimaginable. After I graduated from high school, I moved to Philadelphia and it was there that my life changed forever. I went to college, got married, and had my beautiful daughter. I have since lived and worked abroad, traveled to over twenty-five countries, and added an African Safari to my adventures. As I began to take small risks at a time, those small risks became even bigger opportunities for my own growth and evolution.

You will be amazed at your life when you begin to dare, take chances, and do some of the things that you may have only once imagined.

Reflection: Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what's next, or how. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take a leap after leap in the dark.

—Agnes de Mille

Daring Affirmation

Infinite Spirit, open the way today for me to be daring in all that I do. I set aside all my fears and take a leap of faith to be daring in my life. I affirm that I will stretch beyond my limitations and be bold, be daring, and take chances. I affirm that my fear of failure is less than my fear of succeeding. I am imaginative and creative. I now create situations that will challenge me to be a daring person. And so it is with my heart today.

Day 7

Enlightenment

Most people think that in order to be an enlightened being they have to move to some faraway place and live a life of aestheticism. This is far from the truth because true enlightenment can happen to us every day. The key to understanding what it really means to be enlightened is to know what enlightenment really is.

The word enlightenment comes from the root word light, which means to illuminate. It is a self-realization of your own consciousness or the light within you. Enlightenment is when we have the power to control our thoughts because this is where real change takes place. We have all heard of the conscious and the subconscious mind. The subconscious can be thought of as the involuntary, or the part of the mind that controls the process that we do not think about— it is where our memory is stored. The conscious mind is considered the voluntary part of our mind and is sometimes referred to as the gatekeeper, or the watchman. This is really powerful because if we use the conscious mind to guard our thoughts before they reach the subconscious mind, we can begin to transform our lives to live fully and acutely at all times.

For example, when you breathe without being conscious of the breathing process, your subconscious mind is in charge. If you start to control your breathing on purpose, your conscious mind has taken charge.

There really is power in the ability to be able to control what comes in and out of our minds. We literally begin to change our lives as we change the thoughts and ideas that are constantly bombarding our thoughts every day. This is why a daily practice of affirmation and silence will calm the mind and allow you to become aware of the types of thoughts that you are thinking. Try meditating for fifteen minutes each day and I can tell you that it will be life changing. It is difficult at first because your mind will tell you of all the other things that you should be doing. Stay with the practice because there is power in affirmation.

Reflection: God sleeps in the rock, dreams in the plant, stirs in the animal, and awakens in man.

—Ibn al-'Arabi

Enlightenment Affirmation

Infinite Spirit, open the way today for me to experience enlightenment. I affirm that enlightenment is available to me as I begin to quiet my mind and seek it out. I am present right where I am here and now. I don't need anything outside of myself except to let the spirit awaken within me. I move from a place of thought to a place of quiet acceptance about all that is available to me. And so it is with my heart today.

Day 8

Faith

According to the Holy Scriptures, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It admonishes that the righteous shall live by their faith. I have really come to know that faith works. When we desire something that we hope to achieve, we put it in our minds, and with faith, hold on to the vision until it becomes a reality.

Faith can be defined as a deep trust or belief that something will happen. Most of my life has been spent in search of meaning and purpose. I have always had faith that one day I would come to know the true meaning and purpose for my life. I was able to find my purpose when I decided to take greater risks and leave behind thoughts that did not serve me. I had an unshakable faith that whatever I decided to do, whatever I put my mind to, would become a reality for me. Things have not gone wrong yet. I don't want you to be misled into thinking that everything that I believed I needed actually happened for me. I just learn to trust in a higher power for my greatest good.