“Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.” ― Dalai Lama XIV

Happy Wednesday! (Thursday if you live down under)!

What a wild month we have spent awakening our hearts and our truth! Our community is bursting – growing by leaps and bounds. We have members from more than 100 countries from five continents. We are this beautiful collective of personal expressions of the divine universe. And when we can flow that divinity that comes into us with each breath from the universe…we get to flow it back out into the world with every word, thought, and action. Imagine! We are the individual expression of the divine breath of the universe.

We’ve spent this month awakening our most divine Self through cultivating the practices of acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, and compassion. And, where attention goes…energy flows. This doesn’t mean we are saintly or godly or enlightened. It simply means we are aware. Aware of the thoughts we think, the words we speak, and the actions we take. This doesn’t make us better than anyone else – but it makes us better than we were ten minutes ago. It makes us understand where our strengths and weaknesses fall. It gives us permission to accept, forgive, have gratitude, and flow compassion on a more consistent basis. Today on LIVE! from the SweetSpot, we’ll go deeper into the process of integrating these divine traits into our Being. In the meantime, here are five easy steps to effortlessly live our divinity.

First, a quick review.

Acceptance. The state of being open and receptive at the intellectual and heart level so that whatever arises is welcomed and appreciated. Acceptance is truly welcoming something into your being as a friend would invite another friend into his heart, with arms wide open– owning every moment of the experience. Accepting is different from tolerating, which is more like allowing something to enter your space rather than inviting it in. Do you see the subtle difference?

Forgiveness. When we forgive, we free ourselves from the ties that bind us to the one that hurt us. Yet, how can we forgive others if are not willing to forgive ourselves first? How can we open our hearts to others if they are closed off to ourselves? We must open ourselves to self-forgiveness, so we can then forgive others. If we can’t forgive ourselves, can we really authentically forgive others? If we do not believe we are worthy, how in the world could someone else be worthy?

Gratitude. Starting each morning with gratitude ensures that we move through the day with grace and ease. And that’s the space that I choose to live my life from. I am not always so graceful or so easy, but my morning gratitude practice starts me off on a sweet, forgiving, compassionate, grateful path. And when I find myself in grievance mode…gratitude brings me back to the present moment. And then it’s up to me to stay on course or find my way back when I’ve strayed throughout the day.

Compassion. True compassion is the ability to be sympathetic, empathetic, as well as having the desire to alleviate another’s pain and suffering. Beyond living life at the level of “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”, compassion looks to heal others even in instances when you would not heal yourself. There are many people we like, even love, yet the depth of our compassion for them is shallow. Perhaps fear, jealousy, resentment, guilt, or anger colour our perspective and each carries with it a certain attachment that prevents true compassion. True compassion is independent of attachment. Imagine if our compassion could transcend our relationships and the attachment we have to them – pure sympathy, pure empathy, and pure desire to help others heal.

How do we activate these divine qualities? Here are five easy steps:

1) Upon waking – as you open your eyes, ask, “How can I be more accepting today? How can I be more forgiving today? How can I have more gratitude today? How can I be more compassionate today?” Spend one minute on each question and let the answers flow.

2) When you hang up the phone or hit send on an email or text – throughout the day, as you end an interaction, ask, “How could I have been more accepting? How could I have been more forgiving? How could I have been more gratitude? How could I have been more compassionate?” Just sit for a minute and see what pops up.

3) At around noon or lunch – at the mid-point of your day, take five minutes and ask, “How could I have been more accepting this morning? How could I have been more forgiving this morning? How could I have been more grateful this morning? How could I have been more compassionate this morning?” Just let the answers flow. You’ll be amazed what unfolds.

4) At the end of the day – on your commute home – assuming you work outside of your home…and if you do spend your day at home, get up and take a five-minute walk. The key is to physically separate yourself from the space you spent most of the day, and then ask, “How could I have been more accepting today? How could I have been more forgiving today? How could I have been more grateful today? How could I have been more compassionate today?” Just let the answers flow. You’ll be amazed what unfolds.

5) Right before bed as you lay your head on the pillow – this is when we get to reflect on who we have been for the past 12-18 hours. Gently repeat the following affirmations: I accept. I forgive. I am grateful. I am compassionate. Like a set of sutras, silently repeat the four affirmations over and over until you fall asleep. Sometimes I wake up repeating them right where I left off!!!

This powerful set of tools provides me with an evolving foundation for reflection, growth, and deeper understanding of myself and of those around me. By implementing these daily rituals throughout the 18 hours you are awake each day, you will learn to make more conscious, nourishing choices in your life and you will progressively awaken the divine within!! Keep it real and keep meditating!! I’ll see you in the gap. Peace. -davidji

PLEASE BE PATIENT WHILE THE VIDEO LOADS