CHAPTER 1

Recognise

For so long, many of us have been on a journey to discoverour deepest truths. We all get tired of living in a world soroutine, where material possessions seem to win out over thepower of love. We often get so caught up in it all that we find ourselveseventually realising we are not fulfilling our true lives and that we areliving for others.

We so often live in fear of judgement; it is a fear that we will letdown all those who have ever loved us. We slowly allow these thoughtsand fears, as well as our egos, to change our own perceptions of whatwe wish our lives would be. We continue time after time to forget ourown worth. Many of us are raised to grow up and go to college, get ajob, marry someone we love, have children, continue a generation, andthen pass on. We don't take risks, and we don't redeem opportunities.

What kind of a life is this?

Will we one day look back at our lives and believe that we dideverything we were supposed to do, or will we realise we have reallybeen living for another?

So ask yourself, from deep within your heart, what is your truth?

What are your feelings? Are you feeling hurt, angry, anxious,depressed, nervous, impatient, insecure, misunderstood, unworthy, orashamed?

You are not alone.

Recognising these feelings allows you to grow. It will give youstrength that will help you to understand and gain a deeper knowledgeof yourself.

How can you ever discover who you are if you don't recognise thereal, honest truth of your feelings first?

You may be familiar with some of the feelings that arise; others, youwon't recognize. Many of us don't truly know what it is to be completelyhappy, to feel accepted, or to be in a genuinely loving atmosphere. Someof us are ten steps ahead at a very young age. Regardless of the journeywe wish to undertake, our background and are choices will all directthe path we wish to take in life.

Some of us go through life doing everything in our power to ignorethe truth and ignore the pain—to cover it up like it never existed.

To recognise why you are feeling differently than you wish to befeeling is to be on the path of self-discovery. When you are being honestand open with yourself, it will hurt; it will start to cause emotions deepinside your soul that you never imagined. This is good; living in truthnever came easy.

This feeling could be a deeply rooted loss of trust, faith, oracceptance from a childhood memory or a kind of dispute or maybeeven the breakdown of a relationship or friendship. Whatever its cause,recognising that you still hold any kind of resentment can unfold yourheart and open it to inner peace and true acceptance.

Our hearts cannot feel peace if we are holding on to bad feelingsstemming from memories that we need to eliminate from our minds;yes, memories are amazing. I believe they are the imprints of who weare and what we become. We must not let them overcome us, overcomeour minds, and change our future realities.

* * *

Only you can bring yourself happiness. You are the creator of howyou wish your life to be; others are only a part of the story.

You will never be who you are if you never let go of who you thoughtyou were.

I walked alone, not because I had to but because I chose to. The oneswho change the world do not follow; they make a path where the grassseems too long. The road is never too short, and their journeys, beforethey take them, are completely unheard of. Be different. Be daring. Bereal.

* * *

There is a difference between a glimpse of a memory and livingthrough the memory.

You will learn to recognise this difference in the journey—torecognise whether the feeling is from a memory you are reliving orfrom a memory you have not yet accepted and let go of.

If the situation you are remembering still brings feelings other thancontentment and peace to your heart, then you are still in the process ofhealing this negative energy.

By living through the memory, you are growing hate, anger, anddeep emotions of resentment and anguish. You are slowly closing yourheart to its true potential as you hold on to these lost feelings. You arechoosing your path of fate without realising it.

Someday, these emotions will come back in forms other thanthose they started in. At this present moment, I ask you to freely writeyour thoughts on paper including all your fears and negative feelingsregarding any situations you are still holding on to.

Remembering a memory is powerful; in any situation, no matterwhat it is, you should always embrace open communication and openmemories.

Talking about our memories helps us understand and recognise whowe are, what we have learnt, and what we accept for our future lives.Memories are in the past; they are the purest reactions of you.

Memories are beautiful; cherish them.

If you meet a soul who gives you problems as you relive memoriesabout him or her, that person doesn't deserve you.

We are born pure, content, and loving. We are all the same—filledwith acceptance, harmony, and grace.

Each one of us has different lessons and guidance embedded into ourminds and thought processes. So as we age, we all deal with differentexperiences in such different ways. This is no reason to give up on ourfutures or to use a tough past as an excuse. Everything that happens toeach and every one of us is a lesson—either a karmic rebirth or a lessonthat will change our minds and help us reach a higher consciousness.

We are all on this earth together—not in competition with oneanother, but to congregate together as one with the loving energy, weall need to heal in this life.

We are all on a journey to complete our souls, to recognise that weare here on earth to feel pure and loving.

There are many ways to start to recognise your emotions and feelings.(Must I state that it is okay to know how you are feeling? Who are youto ignore your own emotions? Always remember that we attract whatwe are.)

Art is one of the many ways to tap into self-discovery; it allows yourconscious mind and your subconscious to work as one.

Write a dream on paper and imagine optimism in...