Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.   – Steve Jobs
 

My greatest wish is that you awaken each morning energized and ready to take on the day – that you love where you live, how you spend your time, and the people you spend your time with. If this doesn’t describe your life today, ask yourself “What’s holding me back from living a life that inspires and fulfills me?”

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting to know the new group of students enrolled in my Advanced Mediumship Courses. I’ve been so impressed with their Spiritual gifts – and I can’t wait to help them to develop them even further. More importantly I want to give them confidence in their own unique abilities, dreams, and desires.

So many people have difficulty separating what is in their heart from the expectations of others. It’s no wonder! After all, practically from the moment you’re born, you receive positive reinforcement by pleasing others. But focusing on what other people expect of you can leave you stuck in a job, relationship or situation that is in conflict with your own true self.

This passage from The Power of Love illustrates what happens when the belief system you are brought up with conflicts with the truth you know deep in your soul.

At one of my workshops, I met Bill, a man in his mid 50s who seemed to have an incredible gift of insight, healing, and mediumship. But Bill was afraid to explore his abilities. Throughout the week, we did many exercises in self-empowerment and opening up to our souls’ work. I noticed that Bill understood many of the things I was speaking about but had a hard time incorporating them into his world. It wasn’t until I lectured, “What other people think of you is none of your business,” that I saw Bill break down and cry. He said, “I think I am possessed and an instrument of the devil because I see dead people and can heal the sick.” Immediately, I realized that seeing spirits was against his belief system. The work we had been doing had brought his fear and guilt to the surface to be healed.

Bill explained that he was a Catholic priest. “I had nowhere to go but to your workshop. I knew you had your own history of attending seminary school.” (In my first book, Talking to Heaven, I described my early Catholic upbringing and my enrollment in seminary school to prepare to become a priest. My being a priest was actually my mother’s dream, not mine. After one year of seminary teachings, I knew that the God of the Bible was not the God I kept in my heart—the Oneness of unlimited love, compassion, and acceptance.)

I told Bill that all of us bring a history of prior lives and experiences, and no matter what we learn in this life, if it does not apply to our prior knowledge, it will not work for us now. “Your truth is your truth,” I explained. Bill felt that the dogma of the church went against everything that Christ stood for in his heart. I told him that evil is a concept of man that is intended to produce fear and allow control over others, and he agreed. Bill then said something quite profound. “It has taken me fifty-four years to finally see the truth— the church is man-made, but God is spirit-made.” Everyone in the class stood up and applauded.

You must do what is in your heart. No one can give you your own truth but yourself. Because of this priest’s breakthroughs, several other students came forward and acknowledged their powers.

In  The Power of Love, I talk about love in all its forms – but to me, it starts with loving and honoring yourself. Self-love is not selfish or indulgent, it takes commitment and courage – the ability to filter out the noise and static of the outside world so you can hear the truth that you comes from your own heart and soul. Listen to your intuition, and it will lead you to your true path.