Empowerment

I think this is a pretty good place to start. What's the point in trying to change your life if you don't really believe you have the power to? We ALL have the power to create the lives we are supposed to have. Us, just us. Nobody else. There's no such thing as fate in your way. If anything, you are standing in the way of fate. And God certainly isn't keeping you from happiness. No matter which god you follow, he/she wants you to be happy, most definitely! As for the 1%, all they are doing is taking your money, not your happiness.

This concept really is so powerful that sometimes I have a hard time grasping it and an even harder time following it. It is really easy to slip into the, "Poor me, why is this happening to me?" attitude. I think this stems from two things. Self-esteem and guilt.

We are not brought up to think of ourselves as so powerful. Little ol' me couldn't possibly change the universe! But we can! Each of us is just as capable as anyone else. I am not a Buddhist, but I love some of their beliefs. Each person is capable of enlightenment. Each person can become, for lack of a better word, a demi-god. Just as Buddha did, we have to let the negativity and baggage that we carry fall away. It has been our ballast our whole life. It is nearly impossible to get rid of it all, which is why there aren't Buddhas everywhere, but every little bit that you can eliminate will let you fly that much higher. And, just like you can't blame people for the bad things in your life, you CAN take credit for the good things!

As for guilt, that, for me, is harder to overcome. I don't like to think that it's my fault when things go wrong. It's the economy, it's the idiots that made my car, it's the dog's fault. No! I mean sure, it's not exactly my fault if my car breaks down. But it is absolutely my fault if that negatively affects me. It is a lot easier to blame someone else than to take a long, hard look at yourself. I don't like to feel guilty. I much prefer self-righteous outrage. I'm sure if you're honset with yourself you would honestly say you feel the same.

So, what is my exercise for myself today? I will not blame anyone for anything today. Also, I will take credit for the good things that happen to me (of which there will undoubtedly be a multitude!)