When I counsel young people on their challenges with being bullied, or with building healthy relationships, I always start with the following truth: You are with you for the rest of your life. You cannot control anything in this world except your reactions and your actions. The sooner you get to know yourself, and to truly love yourself, the sooner your life will improve and the bullying will stop and your relationships will improve. But, it all starts with the self and these lovely centering nuggets can really speak to us and set us on the right course… sooner than later
Finding Your Center
By taking a journey inside yourself, you can find the source of all your energy and wisdom. That is your Center. But… before you find your Center you have to understand the rules.
The Rules for Being Human
You will receive a body. Like it or hate it, it’s yours for this time around.
You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or you may think they are stupid and irrelevant. You’re going to get them anyway.
There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growing up is all about the old trial and error thing. Experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as important as the “successes.” (Maybe even more important.)
A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented in many different forms until you learn it. Only when you learn one lesson can you go on to the next one.
Learning lessons never ends. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned. Always.
“There” is no better than “here.” When “there” becomes “here,” you’ve just moved your body. But if you are looking outside of yourself for happiness, or for a feeling of fulfillment then where you are will never be good enough. Here is where you are and now is all there is. Make it work.
Others are just mirrors of you. You can’t love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. (Think about that for a minute.)
What you make of your life is totally up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. It’s your choice, and it’s your movie.
The answers to Life’s questions are inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
The time is now.
You will forget all this.
You can remember it whenever you want.
Okay. Now while the rules are still fresh in your mind, you’re ready for the first step… close your eyes and take a slow deep breath.
