"I have lived my life according to this principle: If I'm afraid of it, then I must do it." — Erica Jong
Don’t let fear stop you; conquer it. The only way to conquer fear is to face it. Meet your fear head on, and it will begin to diminish before your eyes. You will learn new skills that will eliminate some of the uncertainty, you will learn about the issue before you and knowledge is empowering. Don’t be afraid to be afraid.
‘The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” – Muhammad Ali
Your success or failure in life is determined long before you’re tested, long before you reach the cross road that asks you which way you want to go. How committed are you to your goals? How much passion is driving your desires? How much do you want your dreams?
"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself." -- Robert Frost
It is not easy to take your life into your own hands and not let others define you, but when you do your life changes. The ability to let go of your inner child’s need for approval gives you a real experience of power and freedom. You are now at the helm of your life and no longer limited by the fears of others – this is your journey, make it your own.
‘We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing’ – George Bernard Shaw
We become old when we stop learning new things, when we forget how to laugh and have fun. Why do you think we have children and grandchildren, they remind us about the wonder of life and how to laugh at simple things. Joy and the ability to play with life is an art that keeps one young. So remind yourself that play is as important as your career, your clean house, and your problems. Too many people become successful and along the way they forgot how to play and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.” --Erica Jong
"Those times in life when you're terrified are the mastery times" -- Jim Carrey
There is nothing wrong with being terrified, just don’t let it stop you. Fear only indicates your familiarity with the problem and how much you believe you are in control. When you are not in control, you discover great new things about yourself. Lessons that are learned when you are afraid are learned well, they are etched in your minds and never forgotten. So embrace the terror from within and let it guide you to becoming more masterful in your life.
"I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay." Madonna
Learning how to accept all of yourself, the good, the bad and the ugly is one of the biggest challenges of life. We tend to judge ourselves because others don’t approve, or we don’t meet their expectations. But it is your own expectations that you should meet, your own heart you should follow, and when you can be present for yourself without guilt and judgment, then you will radiate love, strength and an energy that will draw others to you. Paying attention to your own needs doesn’t make you selfish, it frees you to see others more clearly and it releases a desire to share and give from a satisfied heart. So start each day by paying attention to the most important person in your life – yourself.
So many times we don’t start something because we think we don’t have enough time, or because we believe we must wait – even if we don’t have a reason. The more we teach ourselves to jump in and trust our instincts, the more they speak to us and the more we learn to do things by being guided from within and above. More often than not your instincts will be correct. They are always the first messengers to reach you before your mind jumps in and takes over. Learn to trust that first message, don’t dismiss is as inconsequential, and you’ll find that your success rate and what you are able to accomplish has greatly increased.
Life is a challenge. The journey is not easy but the attitude you adopt to cope with the ups and downs is essential to your happiness. The key is acceptance – embrace the challenges. There is nothing more disempowering than to believe that an obstacle in your life was placed there because you are cursed or don’t deserve good things. If what you believe you create, then your thoughts can either lift you up or bring you down. Learn from everything that happens to you and keep your sense of humor. There is nothing that gets you through the hard times better than laughter. When you don’t take yourself so seriously, you gain distance and this allows you to see the bigger picture – and yes, you have more options. Train yourself to enjoy it all; we’re not here long enough to worry about the small stuff. And as someone wise said “It’s all small stuff.”
It’s amazing how we all procrastinate somewhere in our lives. The last few weeks I have been encouraged to translate ideas into action immediately, and because of this I have felt my resistance and hesitation. There was no need to wait, except to make me feel better about adding something new to my schedule, but I wanted to. The momentary discomfort I felt, made me look at my resistance. Why not do it now? Why wait? Life is all too short, and when you complete one step you always see the next. The fastest way to move something forward is to act now. It gets the energy moving and things start to happen. It’s changed me forever. So stop putting off for tomorrow what you can do today. This is a choice you’ll never regret.
It’s one of life’s tragedies that we become aware of what is missing from our lives early on, rather than focusing on what we love, what turns us on, and what makes us happy. Actually, happy people know their pleasures, they are clear about what brings them joy and so they attract it to them. If you haven’t found your passion yet, then chances are you’re holding back from simple life experiences. Passion is felt by surrendering, by throwing yourself into life with abandonment and allowing yourself to go deeper. The reason this process is often avoided is because when you go deeper you also reach pain and sadness – by the way they are connected to joy. To have one you’ve got to accept the other. So meet life with a fearless attitude, meet your challenges head-on. Embrace it all and the joy will rise to the top like cream, and you’ll get the best out of everything you do.
Jordana, my daughter, suggested that I start recording some of my thoughts daily, short ones and she gave me the title -- Coffee Thoughts. She reminded me that I have a very unique way of seeing the world and it would be nice to share. Astrology has certainly contributed to that uniqueness, and it is true that I see life through my own vision. In fact, each of you do, you just don’t always pay attention to it or value it more than someone else’s opinion. The key to happiness is in your ability to separate your individuality, desires and ideas from others, especially those you love or those you want approval from. The reward is nothing less than freedom, the freedom to be you. Freedom has nothing to do with space or money, it has only to do with the way you think, the beliefs you live by and the choices you make based on what you believe to be true or possible. So honor yourself today by listening to yourself, that inner voice that is always trying to be heard above the noise and chaos of the opinions of others.
There is a battle going on, and it looks as if it will not be resolved as early as I had originally hoped. Change is never easy to implement, because it requires the removal of those who are and have been in power. No one gives up power easily, even when they have been exposed as deceitful and unworthy. The irrevocable change that I’m talking about began in 2008 with the entry of Pluto into Capricorn. On this momentous occasion, banks and financial institutions that were not solid from within, came crashing down. What seemed so invincible, suddenly no longer existed – and it all happened so quickly. I had hoped that the exposure of the problem, would lead to a resolution, but life is never that simple. Greed is something our society seems to value or not want to put limits on. And so if nothing was changed, then it may fall again. Pluto’s energy requires a restructuring, not a quick fix. This struggle to reorganize the laws and regulate business may take us into 2016. This does not mean we have to have a recession, but if we believe that this can be fixed without sacrifices and a joint effort from opposing political sides, then those unreal expectations will meet a harsh reality over and over again. False expectations lead to quick disappointments, and that diminishes faith and faith and confidence is what drives the stock market up and down.
With Pluto in Capricorn, consequences to the misuse of power are seen rather quickly. We just saw the badly handled debate over raising the debt limit in America end with an immediate down grading of their credit rating, the first-ever in history. The old ways are falling away and the good news is all our sacrificing and suffering is meant for positive change. The purpose is not to bring us down, but to create a greater world order. 2012 is almost upon us; the new energies astrology has been talking about are trying to emerge. Nothing really new comes into being without resistance. From now and until 2016 the old and new will wage a war, I have total faith that the new energy will win, but it can be done with cooperation or with a costly battle.
Since the entry of Pluto into Capricorn in 2008, we have a new player – Uranus in Aries, it left the sign of Pisces and entered the warring sign of Aries on March 13th of this year. With its entry, revolution broke out in the Far East, a rebellion against the old order. Uranus is the planet of change, revolution and invention, it also brings enlightenment or a higher sense of awareness. It loves to shock, be unpredictable and is often seen as erratic. Pluto, on the other hand, represents globalization, transformation, destruction and renewal; its effect is always ruthless and extreme. Both of these planets operate without compassion, their mission is to get the job done. The boundaries of our lives have changed, we saw this happen even in nature. A rare Polar bear attack happened to campers and one was killed – global warming forced it to seek food in new places! The sooner we can accept that change is here and meet it with dignity and courage, the easier this transition will be.
The last time Pluto squared Uranus was during the Great Depression. Are we headed for another one? I don’t believe that it has to be so. What has to happen is a restructuring of our lives. A new vision is emerging, not just for the world, but in each of our lives. Don’t waste time licking your wounds, or longing for what no longer exists. If you don’t have your old job, create a new one. Find your passion, your path, and yes, try something new. See change as opportunity, see struggle as a chance to grow strong. When we are too comfortable we actually become lazy and our expectations and sense of entitlement increases. A struggle is with us for a few years, even if we are financially secure, change must occur. Quick fixes will no longer work; the structure of our lives needs realignment. So go with the new, reach out to seeing a more positive world. Use the internet, global networking, and whatever resources you have to create a new reality and put your talents out there, make them work for you. Take calculated risks for what you believe in, and don’t be discouraged by the first few “no’s.” You’re stronger than that, and your belief must take you beyond the known, you are asked to have faith enough to bridge the gap from where you are to where you need to be. If you’re not sure of what that means then turn inward and listen to your own heart, for within you is all the answers. Change can be painful, but it also opens up amazing new opportunities. Find a new position in your life that reflects a greater you. This is your opportunity to rid yourself of the past and step into a better future. Change is always challenging, but it can also be inspiring and give us all hope that what lays ahead is a new and better tomorrow.
