Intention for Today: Rejoice

Intention for Today is to Rejoice. 

Rejoice in the moments that fill your day. Knowing that all is well, rejoice! Do what it takes to rejoice in all that you are. Embrace life and rejoice in its infinite beauty. Today, is day to joyfully express your love and rejoice in the glorious sky that is above us. Rejoice for the fact that your life is full of loving people of integrity, courage and vision.

Thank you Rejoice for celebrating and dancing in the joy of being alive.

Gardeners of our Blossoming Soul

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.  

For many of us, the relationships with people in our lives are so important that we want so much for harmony and joy in how we relate to them. Indeed, there are wonderful people who have served and who are serving you consciously for your well-being. They are people who have said a kind word. Or given you a warm smile just when you needed it. They are people who have loved you even when there was disagreement and differences of opinion. There are people who have give you their ear for you to share it all. And then there are people who just make you feel happy when you are around them. How about a certain stranger who turned out to be good samaritan, giving you selflessly and anonymously. Can you think of a friend who admires you and just sees perfection in you? Or how about someone who goes out of their way to help you? These are the gardeners of our souls, bringing light and love into our lives. Who are these gardeners in your life? Send your thanks today.

There have been so many instances of benevolence and generosity of which I have been the grateful recipient. Just some months back in Cologne, Germany, we went to an Italian restaurant and after a delicious meal, we asked for Tiramisu. It was so popular that they ran out of it and requested us to come back again, which we did. We were delighted to get delicious piece of Tiramisu and as we asked for the check, the waiter shared that the Tiramisu was on the house as a thank you for coming back. Wow, that was so wonderful. We were smiling for hours. During those days, a Sushi restaurant would serve us an extra plate of sushi, just for no reason, repeatedly! Some weeks ago, as I picked up my friends from the Asheville airport, I excitedly shared with the attendant of the parking lot that my friends from the Big Apple are here. He said, for New York guests, the parking is on the house. Yes, he set a great, welcoming impression of the South to my city friends ;-). Not long ago, as I sampled the delights of the local farmer's market, the owner of one superb shop, offered me to take a cup of hot apple cider as I was heading out into the cold!

In the summer, when I was living in Nuremberg, Germany, I walked into the market admiring the beautiful fresh flowers. One florist looked at me and handed me a sunflower to take home, which I did happily. One day, I felt a strong urge to eat an Indian sweet called "gulab jamun" while I was living in Cologne. So, Cristof and I walked into an Indian restaurant during lunch hour and asked one question, "Do you have gulab jamun?" The gentleman serving us said yes and quickly brought two warm and absolutely delicious sweets. It was funny to go in during a busy lunch hour and order only the dessert. Yet they took it in stride and out of their hearts, and to our surprise, gave the sweets to us gratis! On the next two occasions when we dined there, the gentleman, brought the same sweet for us "on-the-house", just like that! Stories like that are just so sweet and in sharing them, I want to bring the sweetness to you also.

One summer, many years ago, my parents bought a new Mitsubishi Eclipse, back in my New Jersey days. The next day when parents were at work, to inaugurate the black beauty, the 18-year-old-me took it for a drive. About 15 minutes into the drive when we (me and the car) were on the Garden State Parkway, the car started to steam-up and began slowing down to a halt. I had no cell phone and no way to reach anyone, plus I was on the left-hand shoulder of a very busy highway. All I could do was to wait. In a matter of some minutes, a car zoomed past and came to a stop in front of where my car was parked. It was a good samaritan! He offered me help, lend me his cell phone and I called the AAA (automobile association in the United States) to help tow the car. Finally, me and Mitsubishi were rescued by a warm-hearted man who said that he would want some stranger to help out his daughters when in trouble too. I have no idea who this person is, or where he is now. It is over ten years later and I continue to send him my gratitude and love for his generosity.

Today, I wish to send a big, warm thank you to everyone out there. I appreciate all the generosity and uplifting of my spirit that you have gifted me. To you as the readers of this newsletter, I send a special thank you. Your kindness and your attention has helped me blossom over the last few months in the most amazing ways. My heart is filled with gratitude and love to you. I am blessed with the many gifts that I have received and I am blessed to pass it on, finding new opportunities to do so each day.

My love and warmth to you,

Sophia Ojha

PS: Share your Gardener Stories in the comments below. Join the Conversation!

Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you. -Walt Whitman

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.

Our shadows! As long as there is light coming from the sky, there will be a shadow falling on the ground. The shadow has been used as a metaphor for the dark and the unwanted in our literature, art and religion. Yet, what if, instead of looking at our shadows as unwanted entities to get rid of, we learn to accept and embrace our personal shadows. Wouldn't they also transform into a loving friend or a master guide who is here to show us our way? Our shadows are, indeed, here for us. They are here to show us where we need to shine our light of radiance. The question for us is: How vibrantly do we want to participate in this dance of shadow and light? How do we want to light the way? 

So what exactly am I referring to when I use the term, "our shadow". Essentially, the shadow is that aspect of ourself that we are ignoring, neglecting or abandoning. It need not necessarily be a bad habit or an addiction. It can also be something beautiful that we are not allowing, consciously or unknowingly, to take expression. It can be our ability to love: to receive and give love. If we have been hurt before when receiving love from someone, we may hide and suppress our openness to love and thus that aspect of ourself "open to receiving love" can become our shadow. When a characteristic of our self is not allowed to blossom, flourish and just be, then it takes on darker guises only to show up unexpectedly. Our shadow can be our brilliant mind. Let us say a really smart child has been teased and isolated because of her brilliance when she was growing up. The child may suppress this part of herself because she learns early on that being smart means being lonely. Her intellect can then become her shadow, if she doesn't allow it to be expressed.  

Reflect on your own life. What characteristic or voice inside you that is yearning to seek expression is feeling smothered, kept in the dark, admonished? Allow yourself to let it out. One way to do it is to give that part of yourself a creative outlet: like writing, drawing, speaking. See if you can do it bit by bit. Ask for help and guidance from those you trust. Make sure you embark on this as gently and safely as possible for yourself and others. If you feel that there are some things that may gush out of you like champagne out of a bottle, then prepare your closest friends and family or get help from a mentor or a counselor you feel safe with. You do not have to do this alone. 

Shadows are waiting to be enlightened. Yesterday, after our weekly visualization meditation, my friend Rachael and I spoke at length about how our beliefs that we have unconsciously adopted over the years, can sabotage our very dreams and goals. Let us say that someone is working on building financial abundance in their life. Yet, deep in their consciousness there is the belief that money is the root of all evil or that you must deserve it to earn it. Then no matter what their conscious actions are, they hardly make a dent in their efforts to create wealth and prosperity. One powerful exercise that I learnt from her, deals exactly with dissolving such deep unconscious belief systems. I would like to share that with you:

1. Take a goal that you are working towards. This is a goal that means a lot to you and you want it to become a reality. Write that goal down in a complete, positive and present tense statement. Example: I am spending my day doing what I love. Or: I easily run 5 miles each day to keep my body fit. Choose your own unique goal.

2. Then, write down the first reaction that comes to you. Allow it to just emerge without censoring. Remember no one has to see it. And you can even destroy this piece of paper after your exercise.

3. Then write down the positive goal statement once again. Once again allow any responses to come through.

4. Repeat the first three steps of this process as long as it takes in order to come to a state where your response and your positive goal statement resonate with each other. 

This exercise is designed to suck out the most negative and unconscious thought patterns that you may have towards this goal of yours. Do not censor it. Nor should you dwell on it. Let it come through and that's that. Move on. You have now given your shadows at least one healthy avenue to show up. 

Now regroup and refocus on the sunshine in your life, like Whitman encourages us. Come into a state of gratitude and into an abundance mind-set. And congratulate yourself for going through this intense process.

Let us celebrate ourselves and cherish the sunshine within us. Let us face the sun.

With love and warmth,

Sophia Ojha

Be Your Own Hero.

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". 

Around the time we were remembering Dr. King, Kute Blackson wrote on his blog and asked this profound question: What would you do if you became your own hero?

This question struck me. Yes, we are constantly inspired by people who have done amazing things in various fields of life. The Einsteins, the Gandhis, the Mother Teresas. The leaders, the artists, the philosophers. The poets, the musicians, the dancers. The mystics and the yogis of wisdom. And so many more people in time infinity who have accessed the depths of their inner truths to transcend and transform both themselves and their world for generations to come. 

Yet, to ask who would I be if, instead of only looking at others, I looked at myself as my own inspirational hero, is thought-provoking. I often look at my younger self and admire the tenacity I have had to listen to my heart. Or the courage to change my country of residence three times in my life so far (and I know many more to come!). Deep down I know that creativity and vision are endowed to me in complete abundance. Yet, I have not even dared to come any where close to considering myself as my own hero.

What Kute is doing with this question is amazing. This question really pushes me in looking at things from a new perspective. It brings forth the idea that what we are looking in others is already within us and we too can become heroic in our every day lives. Marian, a friend of mine once said that what you admire in others is actually a characteristic within yourself. So, the heroic traits I see in my personal heroes also reside in me. And the same goes for each one of you. 

And to indulge in the question that is posed here, this is what emerges for me.

If I were my own hero, I would know always that my dreams can become a reality and that every second I am inching my way to its realization. If I were my own hero, I would trust in myself and in the Universe more. If I were my own hero, I would be at ease at all times, dreading no challenge and showing enthusiasm for all that happens. If I were my own hero, I would love myself more. I would forgive easily and remember no hurts. If I were my own hero, I would not be hurt by words spoken or actions not taken by others because I would know that each one of us is doing the best we can. I would know that there is no harm intended and all my challenges are my teachers in disguise. If I were my own hero, I would dare to speak my mind more openly. I would be comfortable in expressing myself, even to elders and to authority figures. I would know that no one threatens my individuality. If I were my own hero, I would be bold enough to take those steps, no matter how small. I would not put off things till tomorrow. If I were my own hero, I would be in the moment, enjoy my life and tap into the meditative silence of the Universe with deep resolve. If I were my own hero, I would be filled with happiness and serenity at all times and share that with everyone, bringing laughter and fun to countless others. If I were my own hero, I would not hesitate one moment to share my message with the world and know that there are people out there who love it.

Now, I need to do just do it! hero.

With love,

Sophia Ojha

Purpose Driven Accomplishment

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.

This is a great reminder for me. At times, I get into a flurry of activity- things that need to be done. In the doing of these things, I feel i am getting a lot accomplished. Yes, indeed things get done, projects get completed. Yet, I ask myself: Is this action in alignment with the big picture of my life? Is it a building block to the dream that I see myself living? Or is it a distraction that gives me transitory satisfaction of having "things done". This process is really useful to reduce my To-Do List down to the most essential. Then, I reflect on how I can move on to my thinking pattern. And here is the big assignment. How can I influence my thoughts so that I move positively? It all starts with my thoughts, at least that is what I believe. So how are my thoughts really helping me move in manifesting the life that I want to live, that is the question. Am I focusing on problems or solutions? Am I occupying myself with things in my zone of influence or beyond? And how fully am I feeding my spirit so that I can transform in the process?

This is of course easier said than done. How easy it is for us to complain, look at the drawbacks and look at how things are going wrong! Yes, we need to look at the "problems" in order to transform our world. True, we need to learn deeply about that which we want to influence. Yet, can we keep our focus on possibility thinking while we engage in all the problem-oriented activities? For me that is of essence. To keep focused on the positive and on the possibilities out there and to make this way of looking at things a habit. After all, our thoughts are all about habit. Nothing else. We can choose how and what we think, about ourselves, our life and our world.

Let us then, link our thoughts with our highest purpose, in order to create the change and create the beauty in our lives.

With love,
Sophia Ojha

Life is truly a boomerang. What you give, you get. -Dale Carnegie

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.

So what are you putting out into the world? What kind of feelings, thoughts and actions are your offering? If you can be absolutely sure that what you give is what you get plus much more, how would you change your behavior and your actions? This is something we may not be mindful of when faced with situations that we perceive as difficult, or when thoughts that drain your energy are entertained.

I know for myself how easy it is to slip into the slippery slope of doubt and fear and impatience. It is a slippery slope that quickly spirals. And by the law of attraction, one negative thought quickly attracts another and another until I become aware and conscious of how I am feeling and revert back the process. Just last week was one such example. I realized that keeping a positive attitude is a matter of habit and an exercise that needs to be kept up on a daily basis, just like brushing teeth and eating three times a day and all the daily actions revolving around our physical well-being. Our mental and emotional well-being is equally, if not more, important if we want to build a healthy life of abundance.

So think of Australia. And imagine a beautiful boomerang that you flip into the distance. Amazing how it returns to you! The question is what is it that you want it to bring to you?

-Sophia Ojha

Successful people take the liberty to make the commitment. -Cristof Ensslin

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.

I love the above quote from my beloved, Cristof Ensslin. When he first mentioned it, he was preparing for his first event that he lead which took place just a couple months ago, in November 2010. He conceived it and set out to do it and within a month, he had gotten the enthusiastic partners, wonderful locations and a crowd of people hungry to listen to what he has to say. He put this saying into action. He took the liberty to make the commitment to hold these events and he served the community in more ways than one.

It is indeed a matter of liberty to make commitments, even if it sounds counter-intuitive. How is it that it is our liberty? Everything is a choice. How you describe your life and your situation is a choice. You can choose what thoughts you have and which ones you want to change. You can easily point the finger at another complaining about how they have not met your expectations, but it is your choice to look at any situation favorably, in a way that favors greater harmony for all. That is a matter of commitment to living in higher vibration as well as a matter of your liberty. This is something each one of us is endowed with, so that we can stay afloat on the sometimes rough waves of this life. It is the liberty of choice, the liberty of desire and the liberty of dedication that is the prelude to making a commitment. You express your choice for love, for harmony, for abundance when you make such a commitment. And making a commitment is a clear sign to the people in your life and most importantly to yourself that you mean business. And this takes courage.

There are multitudes of people who continue to inspire me. People from the history books. Artists and thinkers, poets and philosophers, people of service and the unsung heroes who break their limits and inspire us all to do the same. I am very fortunate to have in my life, one such inspirational hero who by his example has helped transform me: Cristof Ensslin, the man who inspires every core of me, the one I love. He is a man who keeps his word, shows his commitment to harmony and love through all the things he does for his loved ones and for the people he serves, and he gives unconditionally of himself to both people and animals. Besides the doing of things, Cristof manifests in his being, the unending qualities of love, forgiveness and compassion, and thus sets a shining example for me and all whom he touches with his bright, glorious radiance.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Cristof!

-Sophia Ojha

Intention for Today: Lighthouse

Today the intention is Lighthouse.

Today seek the Lighthouse that you need. Look for that shimmer glow of light in the distance bekoning you to carry-on this journey. Reach for it and hold on to it. By doing so, you absorb the qualities of the Lighthouse. You become that lighthouse for others, shining your light on the path of people you might never even meet.

Thank you Lighthouse for being the anchor we need to keep going.

Intention for Today: Awareness

Today Awareness is called on as our Intention.

Become aware of the abundance in your life. Notice all that you do have as treasures in your life. Shift attention from overwhelming lists and agendas to all that you have already accomplished. Remind yourself the difference you have already made in lives of people you have interacted. That one word of kindness you said most likely changed someone's life. Become aware of the love, light and blessings you are currently being cradled in. 

Thank you Awareness for showing us our fortune and abundance.

Intention for Today: Belief in your limitless potential

Belief in your limitless potential is the Intention for Today.

Today, no matter what your situation is, no matter what your experience is and no matter how you feel, believe that you have limitless potential. Believe that your dreams can manifest anytime. You don't need to be perfect, you don't need to have taken care of x, y and z before it happens. All you need to do is to BELIEVE. 

For your beliefs are the predecessors to your thoughts and your actions. With the knowing that you are a part of the unbounded field of consciousness, relax and allow yourself to experience that which you desire. 

Thank you Belief for showing us how to have complete faith.

Intention for Today: Translucence

Today's intention is Translucence.

May our life be filled with the power of translucence. May you be able to see through obscurity. May you see things with crystal clarity. May the shine of trasnlucence shower on you. Translucence in all our endeavors is the intention for the day.

Thank you Translucence for your clarity.

Intention for Today: Momentum

Momentum is the intention for the day.

See yourself surging forward. Feel the momentum. Ride the wave that brings you to the place you wanna go. Go for all you want. Take the step. Bring your gifts into this world. We need it. You need to do this for your own growth and fulfillment.

Thank you Momentum for showing us what natural pace feels like

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt

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.

 

You may have thought these based on a single experience you had. Then when another situation came about where this statement could become real, you thought this statement again. Or you may have subliminally picked these thought patterns from people around you and adopted them to become part of your belief system. Your belief system is composed of all the thought patterns you have adopted, created and assimilated as you experienced life. Subsequently, life offered you more and more evidence of what yo were thinking. For example, if you thought people cannot be trusted, you started distrusting people. You were then placed in situations were you encountered people who acted in a way that your statement was confirmed.

Because life offers to you what you think about and what you focus on, it is so vital that we focus on things we really want. So, let us say that you do want to trust people, but in your life your wallet was stolen. Now, instead of focusing on this one event as evidence of distrustful people, shift your focus on all the people you know who are full of integrity. Think of the millions of occasions when your wallet was safe and sound. As you do that, you are placed more and more in situations where you experience the trustworthiness of people. You are more and more able to trust people and experience the beauty of human integrity.

Create Affirming Statements To Create Your Beliefs

Now see if you would rather choose these statements as part of your belief system:

Life is easy and fun.
Making money comes easily to me.
I live a long and healthy life.
I am loved and understood.
I find the love of my life in divine timing.
All my efforts to make things happen are blessedly fruitful.
People have a good heart and are full of integrity and I trust them.

Wow, what a fantastic change in energy that is! Just writing these statements fills me up with a lovely feeling.

So when you come up with a dream that you want to manifest, look at your belief system. Do you have belief statements that are not conducive to manifesting your dreams? Then, without judging yourself, work on releasing these beliefs. Write down these statements and do what I love to do: burn them! Then, begin creating a new belief system by thinking repeatedly new set of affirming thoughts.

Below you can see what these beliefs may look like and how you can replace them with new thoughts. These reflect the experience of

-someone who want to change jobs, or go for a new career.

-An entrepreneur who has taken the first few steps to following their dream but is faced with doubts and uncertainty.

-Someone who is yearning to create balance in her life while working and having a family.

-Or someone who is desiring to build greater financial abundance in their life.

For example:

My dream of a successful (insert your dream here) career in the arts seems so far away.
I can have a successful career in the arts starting right now.

It is hard to have (insert your dream here) a sold our rock concert/sold out products/job I like/love of my life/financial freedom/have peace on earth.
It is extremely easy to  sell-out my rock concert/make profit from my products/find the love of my life/ live in financial freedom/have peace on earth. 

My business (insert your dream here) does offer something valuable but people don't seem to need it.
My business makes a valuable contribution to the community and people are hungry to contribute financially for my products/services/projects/events.

I don't know enough about marketing (insert something you need to know for your dream to manifest).
All that I need to know comes to me easily and at the right time. 

Making my business (insert dream here) successful takes up a lot of time in the week, leaving none for my family, friends and other interests.
Making my business (insert dream here) successful helps me free up time for all the things I love to do and have complete balance in all aspects of my life. 

I wonder if I will enjoy this (your dream) in 10 years. 
Following my dream now will make it easy for me to always do what I enjoy.  

I know how it feels at times when you are just not sure about your life and are hit by waves of doubt and uncertainty. In such a situation, keeping a positive outlook seems next to impossible. Yet, that is exactly when we need to hold on even stronger to our beliefs that help us grow and make our dreams come true. This is the time when we need to keep moving towards our goals even when we do not know what path to take. We need to grab firmly to the strings of complete and unwavering faith in the universe and its benevolence and in our own infinite potential that lies within us. When your dream is to make a positive contribution to the people in your life and beyond, all of the universe comes to your aid. 

Here is an analogy of the kind of faith I am talking about.

How a Road Trip in Fog Taught me About Belief

I just made a 2 hours and 15 min road trip from Charlotte to Asheville yesterday. When I left Charlotte, I had my goal clear: Asheville. From previous knowledge, I knew that the city of Asheville exists and also knew that the US government had build fantastic network of roads to get there. So I headed onto Interstate 85 (South) towards Asheville then took the exit to 74 W. On 74 W, I was driving through lot of fog. I needed to reduce my speed and be extra alert as the visibility was low, only a few feet ahead of me. Also, it was pitch black with hardly any other cars for reference points along the road. What I did have helping me were the fog lights on my car and reflecting lane markers on the road. Along this road, I could not see my path all the way to Asheville. Certainly, did not see the entire road when I began back in Charlotte. I needed to begin taking steps based on my complete faith that I will arrive in Asheville on this path. Especially now when I had encountered some fog, I needed to keep moving. I could only move as far as I could see, a few feet at a time. And that is all I needed to make progress on my journey. It did not matter that I could not see the entire path. I just needed to watch out for the relevant signs, slow down when I needed to slow down, speed up when the sight was slightly clearer and constantly make progress. What would have happened if I parked on the side of the road and waited for the fog to disappear. I may not have gotten to Asheville at all that night. What would have happened if I just gave up and went back to Charlotte? Well, I would have to start all over again anyways, if going to Asheville was really important to me. 

When I was on the road yesterday, I realized this is what complete faith looks like. When you set out on a journey to achieve a goal, first we need to know clearly where we want to arrive, or what we want to create or achieve. With this clarity, we begin. We get into our car and start moving in the direction of our goal. So our body is our car and we begin to move it by taking an action towards our dream. Then we make progress, bit by bit. When an obstacle comes our way, such as fog that makes things uncertain or unclear for us, we keep moving in whatever pace feels right, but we keep moving. We rely on the help we have, the strengths of our body and mind, the faith of our spirit and we ask for road reflectors for guidance. The road reflectors are people who can guide us, point us our way. Road reflectors are also our intuition and our inner voice that tells us what the next step is. We work with all that and keep on moving. We may not know how our journey looks like. We may not know which exit to take. But we keep moving forward with all that we do know. We hold the belief in our dream, in our target strong and firm. Just like we trusted that the road exists all the way to Asheville, we trust that the road to our dream manifested exists all the way. All we need to do is keep moving and keep believing.

So, are you willing to believe? Then, let us do it. Let us believe as Eleanor Roosevelt inspires us in the beauty of our dreams. And let us keep moving. 

Intention for Today: Dream

Today's intention is to Dream.

Dream your best year so far. Allow yourself to get into that space from where all dreams are possible. Revisit the place of childhood within you who dreamt big and fully confident that it can become physical reality. Dream your best year so far. Dream your ideal life. What does peace manifest in your life? How does abundance look and feel like? Imagine. Dream. Dream away.

Thank you Dream for showing us the vastness of possibilities.

Intention for Today: Gratitude

Today, my intention is Gratitude.

Let us be grateful for each moment. Let gratitude fill our hearts as we walk through our paths. Remember that the Universe is a friendly and all that happens is happening for your growth and evolution even if it may not be obvious at the moment. Thank the Universe. Be grateful for your blessings.

Thank you Gratitude for showing us how to fill our hearts with joy.

Intention for Today: Breathe

Today's intention is to Breathe.

Breathe through each moment. Take your time with every single act. Make yourself present. Enjoy the timelessness of breathing. Feel the breath happen to you. With each exhale release the tension and allow for ease and lightness to fill your being.

Thank you Breath for your life force.

Intention for Today: Connection

Today Connection is the intention.

Connect with people today. Say a kind word. Give a smile. Know that bonding and connecting comes naturally to us humans. It is our strength and our life support. A community of connected people is a blessing. So create, join, participate in yours!

Thank you Connection for the strength of your bonds.

Intention for Today: Inauguration

Inauguration is the intention for today.

Today let us renew and refresh and recommit to our lives. Add greater vigor, vibrancy and color to all that we do. Bring stillness, reflection and contemplation in our being. May the spirit be our guide.

Thank you Inauguration for starting anew.

Intention for Today: Sun

Today the intention is to recognize the Sun.

Let the strength of the Sun seep into you. May you be filled with love and radiance of the Sun. Light, Love, Brilliance and Magic to you.

Thank you Sun for your light.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mahatma Gandhi

An indomitable will can drive an athlete to break world records. It can make a leader unite nations. It can inspire a mother to travel as long as it takes to find safety for her children. It motivates a nation to land on the moon. Surely an indomitable will can do wonders. 

Mahatma Gandhi is called the Great Soul. His indomitable will inspired justice and self-rule to return to a British Colony. But, what else besides the indomitable will did Gandhi have? What about his faith in the supreme being, God, the Universe, the Creative Energy, whatever name you want to give it? Gandhi led and inspired an entire people with his profound belief of what is right and just. Without trust in the goodness of people how could he have fasted for days to stop the violence that was happening across the Indian subcontinent? Without faith in himself and in the higher power, how could a man reach beyond himself to influence and inspire so many with beauty and grace?

During this festive time of the year, I send you my warmest wishes. May you feel the God, Universe, the Creative Energy present within you always. May the indomitable will of yours be supplemented by the unfathomable divinity that carries you each moment.

-Sophia Ojha