Can you think back to your childhood right now and think of your fondest memories? What did you love to do? And can you remember what you wanted to do when you grow up? Your Big dream? Think about it for a few minutes before reading on.

When I was a kid, I was interested in so many things. I loved making paper boats. I grew up in India and for three to four months of the year, the monsoon season would rage all its might. Opportunities to float the boat were plenty. We lived on the second floor of an apartment building. I remember making different paper boats and aiming each one at various puddles that had collected downstairs. And then, I would watch them race each other. I loved it. And I continue to have a special connection with boats and with water.

In each moment, we embody the spirit of the caterpillar as well as the butterfly. 

I believe that transformation is as much a personal choice as it is a natural way of change. Like a caterpillar that can transition into a cocoon, we have an innate ability to step into our own cocoon of transformation. As our conscious choices lead, inspire and nudge us along, it is up to us to pick up the inner desire for change and be the gentle stewards of our own metamorphosis. This choice is in our hands at all and any moment in time. Right this moment as you read these words, you can consciously with complete awareness choose on inhabiting a new aspect within yourself. An aspect that can give you wings, add grace to your movement, and bring joy to how you navigate this life.

The gardeners of my soul are plenty. My husband has been one and continues to be that caring gardener, tending to the soil that I grow in, removing the weeds and nourishing me with love and attention and admiration. My mom has been a gardener and is one, caring deeply for my well-being at all times. So is my dad, wanting to give me only the best of everything. And there are countless people along my path who have watered my soul when it was thirsty or sheltered me when the sun was too strong. People have come out of nowhere in the past few weeks, for example, to encourage and appreciate the words that I write. Emails from people with kindness and love have filled my heart up. There are those people in my life who inspire me with their thoughts and actions, who push the envelope for themselves and bring all of us further. Recently, I also interacted with wonderful healers who connected me with the depths of my being, bringing messages and healing to my soul.  

Give voice to your shadows as you face the sun.

 

Yesterday, I went for a walk with my neighbor friends: a sweet mom and two of her lovely kids. It was a bright and sunny day and quite windy. As we were walking along the path, the kids invented a game called Shadow-Tag. All four of us cast these long shadows that fell on the ground leading our path. As each of us would walk on one another's shadows, we would declare, "I got your shadow! I got your shadow!". It was quite a fast-paced and entertaining game. And no matter how fast or how slow or in which direction we walked, there was a shadow attached to us. At one moment, the shadows started to feel like loving dogs who don't cease to follow you.

 

What would you do if you became your own hero?

Earlier this month, it was the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King and like every January, Dr. King's legacy was being remembered and celebrated across the United States and around the world. Dr. King is one of my personal favorite heroes of all time. I admire his courage, his integrity and most of all his BIG DREAM of a time when people are "judged by the merit of their character, not the color of their skin"

In essence, for me this quote from James Allen means one thing: Align my mental attitude with the big vision or dream that I have for my life. Without this alignment, the accomplishments I am striving for is just not going to be or feel the same.

As you sow, so shall you reap. What goes around comes around. What you give is what you get.

Can you recall a moment when you were standing at the edge of a cliff and called out in the distance. You heard an echo from far away coming back to you. Or even an empty hall where any sound you made would rebound on the walls and ceilings. Just a few months ago, I heard a dog barking relentlessly in our neighborhood. Instead of just a single bark, one could hear the exact same bark echoing twice into the distance. It seemed as if the dog was barking at himself/herself. This is how it feels at times when the energy you put out into the world seems to come back to you two-fold or three-fold in magnitude. Call it a boomerang. Or call it Karma.

Last month, we quoted from Emerson who reminded us that once we take a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. This means we lay our firm belief that what we desire is going to manifest. With this foundation, we can move forward in taking action. Action is the lifeline of the universe. It keeps the momentum going and with momentum, tides turn. This week's quote reminds us that making a commitment is a matter of liberty which successful people take. In so many ways, there is much that comes from making the choice towards harmony and towards success.

Life gives you what you think about.

Take a look at the following statements. Do you ever think these?

Life is not easy.
Making money comes with struggle.
I will not live a long life.
No one really understands me.
Finding the love of my life is a matter of luck.
My efforts to make anything happen are useless.
People cannot be trusted.

Which one of the above statements have you made in your life? In essence these statements are thought patterns.