Creating space before we react and space before we make decisions is what allows the “real” us to come through. If not, our old reactions are coming from the old, less experienced, hurt version of us and we’re just recreating more of the old life. Creating space for the new allows us to respond from who we are now and creates the life we want in the future.

Life is nothing but a learning process, and all learning starts with listening. Loving is listening. Creating is listening. Everything that ever is or was came from listening. Most of us don’t even know where to start.

Smiling for only 30 seconds can alter our brain chemistry to “trick” our brain into believing we’re happy and then causes your body to produce chemicals to make that true. You are literally creating a chemical reaction when you smile that will radically change your life. Why isn’t this taught in schools? Something so simple yet so important is so easily overlooked as unimportant, when truly it’s the most important thing.

Plans put you on the right path, but who knows where those paths lead. Maybe you want to end up on that path but maybe you’ll change your mind. All paths have detour which (usually always) ends up getting you to an even better place that you weren’t even imagining.

Breathing: sometimes that’s all you can do, and sometimes that is all you need to do. Belly breaths are more medicinal, grounding, re-centering, and self loving than any spa or mineral bath. It’s your connection with your inner world and it connects you and you. The “breath of life” isn’t a fancy name in the church or spiritual communities: it’s your connection to your life force and all you need to do as many times a day as you can is return to that.

You don’t have to “agree” with what you life is. You don’t have to “affirm” that “it’s always been this way.” You don’t have to “remember” how it was your family. You can SAY what your life will be, and make that happen. You can make choices to create the life you WANT even if it isn’t in alignment with the circumstances you were given. Don’t forget that your life is up to YOU.

Putting your foot down is more than just a saying, it’s a life instruction. There’s a reason cliches are cliche. Putting one foot down in front of the other, putting one step forward at a time is what’s going to get you where you need to be. Not worrying about next week or month or year, but just the next step. Just the present moment. Just on your body, here and now.

It doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you always know who you are. Stay true to you, and everything will find a way to work itself out.