Learning Life’s Lessons!

I heard or read somewhere that life will continue to give us lessons until we learn it.

Two weeks after graduating from college, I was already teaching college students.

I was so idealistic, perfectionist and wouldn’t tolerate students who were cheating, talking while I was teaching and not doing their work. Yeah, I was really mean! Many of my former students would attest to that!

The thing was even if I knew I needed to change, I continued on doing what I was doing because I was afraid if I lost my control, if I became friendly and acted my age (I was just 20 then!, some of my students were even older than me!), I felt my students wouldn’t respect me and may took advantage of my kindness.

So I continued on with my demeanor; I pushed my students to meet my expectations!

I abhorred cheating, if they did so (I was good at finding out; because all our activities were computerized), the next day they would find their names written in bold caps posted in the classroom! And I didn’t care about their feelings at all!

I was the authority; they needed to follow my commands.

I remember students in the hallway would just stop talking if they saw me walking towards them!

My students knew that they should to focus on my lecture; otherwise, they would be criticized, embarrassed and put down.

My style of teaching and behavior continued on for almost a year.

I was happy my students were struggling to study my subject! I was happy they couldn’t cheat, well, because I would make 3 sets of test for a single lesson!

But I also knew in time I needed to stop my “being so mean” and learn to find ME again.

I thought I was in control as I tried my best to change my students, when I should have been changing me.

It took time but, thank God, the change of heart, happened. I was sorry I affected my students in ways and depths I wasn’t sure. But, if it was all negative, I am sorry.

It was all inner work. I was operating in fear and negative vibes. It actually caused me to be stressed-out and not live a full life at all!

When I started to let go and found peace within me; when I allowed acceptance for people’s uniqueness, differences and varied levels of intelligence to take over, I found joy in teaching and making my students learn. I was freed!

I thank God for the 3 years of experience in teaching college students, that time of my life was pertinent for me to learn my lessons and to prepare me for what came next.

Lord, may You continue to guide us as we face life’s challenges. May we be freed from fear and negativity. Instead, may we open ourselves to love, trust and acceptance. In Jesus’ name.

AMEN.

NAMASTE.

Should We Shut Up or Tell the World Our Dreams, Plans and Goals?

 

When our desires are deep-seated, when we want something so bad, when we want our hopes and dreams to come true… what do we usually do?

Keep it to ourselves or let the whole world know about it?

My mom would always say that if you have plans, keep it to yourself. Let it be between you and God first, and when it comes to pass, then shout it out to the whole world!

I’ve followed that rule from ever since. I even posted about it here.

But really, what’s wrong with the picture of shouting out to the whole world your plans, goals, and dreams?

Just thinking aloud, is it because if we let people know the desires of our hearts, if we allow people to know our goals and plans; if we permit ourselves to be heard, is it FEAR that really holds us back?

Fear of people with negative vibes? Fear of people jinxing our plans? Fear of people who could take away our “power”? Lol!

OR is it more of an internal fear? Fear that if the plans don’t happen, people will be laughing behind our backs? and label us as failures?

OR is it more because by not shutting up, we lessen its impact on us and we become less motivated to make it happen?

Come to think of it, who cares if people know about our passions, the desires of our heart, our most precious dreams? Who cares if the whole world knows our wants and hopes? Who cares if they laugh behind our backs, it’s not our concern right? They can laugh all they want; it’s their choice, anyway.

I am sure they want the same thing, right? Or maybe, they have this super-duper negative energy that could take that dream away? Lol! That’s real power, huh?

When people with full trust in you share their dreams…

I dream of having a house and lot
I dream of becoming sexy
I dream of winning the LOTTO
I dream of having a green card
I dream of having a husband someday
I dream of becoming rich and famous
I dream of becoming a superstar
I dream of going home
I dream of traveling the world
I dream of speaking to thousands of men
I dream of a happy family life
I dream of going to US
I dream of going to Africa to help people

… starting today, let’s just bless them, let’s pray with them that it will come true, let’s be generous with our thoughts and give it to them, let’s just try to be kind and send forth our well-wishes even in our minds.

Because, it is God who planted that dream within them, and let’s just respect that.

Because, we are making a difference. In a world full of negativity, hate, and drama, we can still, in our own little ways, light a candle and shine.

Because, I still believe, for as we do to our neighbors, we do to ourselves… we do to God.

May our dreams come true today.

NAMASTE.

Reading and Loving it!

I love to read.

 

Growing up, I would just be in my room reading whatever book is available.
We have a mini library at home, super-mini but it was all-powerful books. The books mom compiled  and collected for us to read are all books on living, loving and learning.
I remember authors like Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale among others.

 

I have grown to love libraries; at least checking books out! Lol!

 

When I was working in Makati, Phils; it was a bonus that our office was near National Bookstore! I got to spend my excess lunch minutes just browsing Self-Help books. There I found some more powerful authors like Leo Buscaglia; Wayne Dyer; Andrew Matthews, our very own Bo Sanchez,  among others.
Up until now, I still try to read as much as I could; and am passing the habit to my kids.
There is just so much power in the written word. Reading allows us to broaden our horizon; look beyond our own “boxes”; get to know ourselves more and learn about our power within.

 

These authors influenced and changed my life! They continue to do so.
Someday soon, I hope to meet Wayne Dyer; Andrew Matthews; Dalai Lama among others and be inspired!

 

More so, I’d love to meet the greatest author of our lives someday – not soon though! Lol!
NAMASTE.

Stop the DRAMA

Every person who shows up in our lives has something to teach us – and usually these are NOT the people who tell us good things; who appreciate us and who are kind to us – BUT people who irritate, anger and push our buttons.

I remember the saying, “He who angers you, controls you!” 

So, it won’t help even if we run away and move someplace else! Because, until we learn the lesson, He/She, They, It will still be there in whatever form – to annoy and mess our lives! Lol!

They are our teachers! Our great teachers! 

I have my own great teacher too! Who is? my very own husband! Lol!

Well, it think we are soul mates, since he said I do the same to him! Lol!

But then really, sometimes we need to pick our battles. 

Until we master self-control, patience and tolerance, I guess, we will always have reasons to get angry, annoyed, irritated and sometimes it’s not about the other person, but about how we are feeling deep inside. 

Come to think of it, if we are at peace, accepting and loving, I am sure we will be feeling otherwise. Right? 

Nobody could hurt us without our permission. But if we are, then there’s a lesson there.We may need to learn, heal from it or recognize its existence.

Bottom line: We will all see the purpose of the experience and we will all learn the lesson in time. 

I just hope and pray that it happens soon, so we won’t have as much drama or “tele-novelas” with our lives.

NAMASTE.

…because I crave for polvoron

I would like to believe that my experiences are simply because of pure luck or coincidences but are they really?

I was wanting to eat Goldilocks polvoron, really simple story, lol!

I asked my husband about maybe asking a friend to buy it for me, since she left to visit her family in the Philippines. Great timing, right? But, decided not to.

The next day, guess, what happened? I visited one of the schools, I was assigned to, and was greeted by one of the Filipino teachers working there, out of the blue, she pulled out a plastic bag full of goodies and gave me Goldilocks polvoron!

Did I attract it? Mmm…

Here’s more:

I was so sleepy and decided to sleep but I was afraid somebody might call me, so I turned my cellphone to a silent mode. Just minutes after I went to bed, somebody knocked on the door looking for me!

How lucky could I get?

If there are no coincidences… then, I guess, with just my THOUGHTS I was able to attract the simple Goldilocks polvoron that I yearn for and my fear of being disturbed actually brought me the very thing that I did not want!

Maybe, there is really some truth in the Law of Attraction.

.. and maybe, I could make good use of that law in bringing about people, things and places that I want in my life.

Interesting, huh?

Minding our minds!

 ”The only way that I will ever be great to myself is not what I do to my body but what I do to my mind.” – Ramtha from the documentary “What the bleep do we know”.

Hey, it’s all about infinite possibilities, how powerful our mind is and how our thoughts can become our reality.

I remember being scared of just the thought of “infinite possibilities” – since it also equates to anything can happen…AS IN, anything! Just like an ocean full of possibilities, vast, large, powerful.. scary!

I know I can just focus on the positive extremes but knowing there is the negative extreme too can be “goosebumps-maker” indeed!

Nonetheless, I think cleansing our thoughts of negativity and addiction matter a lot too!

Our bodies are basically the manifestation of our very own thoughts.

Our bodies may already be telling us something, and we are still not aware of it, until the last-minute… we may already be feeling its effects but have forgotten about the cause.

Sometimes, until we do something with our minds, how we think, what we think about, how we react, how we let things go, how we work with our ego and pride.. until we do some soul-searching and reflection.. our bodies won’t heal.

If we don’t like what’s happening to our bodies, then we need to take responsibility and address its cause – which is all in the mind.

It can really get complicated this “body-mind connection”, so maybe up to the level where we can still choose, let’s think wisely.

Time is short to hold grudges, so let’s not; amongst others.

NAMASTE.

For everything is possible!

So, what if after following “..whatever-your-mind-can-conceive-and-believe, it-will-achieve” mindset and just tried to focus on what we want, STILL the result isn’t what we want? 

 

What will we do next.. and how come it didn’t work?

Well, I’ve just read THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne book again, and interestingly, my question, just got answered:

Quoting from the book, page 146: 

 

Don’t become mesmerized by the pictures that have appeared if they are not what you want. Take responsibility for them, make light of them if you can and let them go. Then think new thoughts of what you want, feel them and be grateful that it is done.

Now, here’s my point of view:

Maybe, just maybe, it didn’t happen because for a thing to manifest, it actually needs our emotions in it. The feeling of being happy about it.. the feeling of ecstasy.. because we really want it!

.. and another rule of the thumb is never to ever let any negative thoughts come into play. No negative energy what so ever!!

 

Just block it.. focus, focus, focus!!! Lol.. but really it’s not that hard.. we simply need to be grateful for the blessings, for the love and light that are with us now.

 

If it still won’t happen, then let’s continue to give praise and bless the situation. God for sure has better things planned for us.

No, not that we are letting go of what we really really want, but we are just setting it aside, as we focus on another beautiful, positive and lovely thing.

 

Now, that’s what I call.. living an abundant life of blessings and praise.

 

May God continue to shower us with His mercy, love and compassion as we hurdle life’s challenges and mystery.

 

NAMASTE.