As more and more people on this planet are awakening to the fact that we are all One, connected by Consciousness, the Divine Presence that lives in each of us, isn’t it time to create a better world? We are each a Divine Being having a human experience. We are all creating our world whether we know it, or not. Together, we can create paradise if we all live in peace within ourselves.

          Over the past several years, I asked a question to those who I trained and coached. The question is this: “If peace on Earth depended on your internal world, would we have peace?” I do not recall ever getting a positive response. Most people would respond with a grimaced face and uncomfortable body posture indicating that peace does not live in here. So, what is your response?

          We can look to the quote attributed to Gandi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” to give us a hint. If we want to live in peace outside ourselves, we need to live in peace within. I can honestly say that on most days I do live in peace. Some days are easier than others and some days it takes more work to stay in peace but on most days, I feel peace within.

          This feeling of peace within me comes from a connection to the Divine, an awareness that I am not alone. Let me tell you that there is nothing special about me, other than my individual uniqueness of being me, but as far as my connection to the Divine, I do not claim to be special in any way. Every single person on the planet is Divinely connected, unfortunately, many are just not aware of this fact.

          To become aware of your Divine connection you need to learn to quiet your human mind and this takes practice. Meditation is a great place to start but there are other ways if you do not feel the call to meditation, you just need to find something that works for you. Being outside in nature works for many people I know.

We all have a human mind and a Divine mind. It is easy for us to get caught up with the physical world stuff that we need to do, all the daily things that keep us busy doing, doing, doing. This is the stuff that keeps our human mind so busy. However, if you really want to bring awareness to your Divine connection you need to take a break from the doingness and take a time out to just be. Get out of your human head and find the silence. Try to hear your own heartbeat. Listen to some relaxing music. Breathing exercises are great.

Stop doing long enough to ask yourself the question, “What do I need to do to connect with the Divine within?” Then pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, listen to your intuition. So many negative feelings and emotions can block us from our Divine connection such as anger, judgement, stress, and the list goes on. Negativity just takes away from your life and blocks your own power within.

If you feel blocked here is a tool I picked up somewhere along the way. Make this intention: “I intend to erase all my beliefs, thoughts, and emotions that block the energy of God.” If the name ‘God’ does not work for you substitute what resonates with you.

When we make intentions, it gives us a direction to go in. Our mind has so many rambling thoughts daily, and many are contradictory to one another so when we make intentions it gives our mind a sense of what we want. Our mind will help us get to where we want to go if we give it a clear picture of just where that is. Imagine your dream already came true. Give thanks in advance to show your belief. You must believe in something before you can achieve it.

Think of it like a navigation program. A navigation system can only give you clear directions when you put specific coordinates in. Only then will you get directions. Otherwise, it can show you where you are, but it does not know where you want to go.

Once you connect with your Divine power, life gets much more fulfilling. When you use both your human mind and your Divine mind together it feels like a whole new dimension. Of course, this takes work and because we live in a material world, we get pulled back into our human story easily but like with anything else, it takes practice.

To start, just pay attention to your thoughts. Become aware. Then, ask your inner power to give you a sign. Give thanks in advance for the connection. I promise you that you are connected to this superpower within, you just need to learn to listen and tune in.

Years ago, before I began meditating, when the Divine messages came through, first, something would grab my attention, like I’d trip, or many times I would get a chill, and then a thought would come through my mind. When these Divine messages come through, trust me, you will know it. These thoughts come through with a knowing. No doubt. If you need to question it, it was not the real deal.

Today, since meditating for so many years my Divine communication just comes to me as easy as my own thoughts. The difference is there is always a knowing, a secure sense of calm. When you can get to a place of living from a Divine perspective, knowing and understanding that you are Divine Being and Awareness, your life will change forever. This does not mean all your problems will go away by any means, but you will be equipped to handle them without all the stress.

This past year has been a challenging one for me to say the least. Last September I lost my job due to budget cuts which was a shock to my system. I intentionally took the rest of the year off and enjoyed a family vacation and the holidays. I have been doing physical therapy for the last year or more for pain in my hips and shortly after the new year I discovered that I needed both hips replaced. All the therapy in the world is not going to help.

Now, how am I supposed to land a new job? I went on a few interviews and was truthful about my surgeries that I needed. When asked how long I’d be out I responded with anywhere from four to eight weeks. And shocker, I did not get any offers. I then decided to wait until at least the first surgery was behind me.

So, my human mind was playing all kinds of games with me. Between the pain, the upcoming surgery, the job search, where is my next paycheck coming from, with all these thoughts it was easy to be overwhelmed and mentally and emotionally spin out of control, if I allowed that. Let me tell you, I had some low points but somehow, I managed to get past the negativity.

I put all my tools to work. I had to keep reminding myself that God has my back and when I begin to worry about the future that I am not trusting in the Divine power within. Easier said than done, but I managed to live in peace most days knowing and believing all is well.

My future is still not known to me, but all I know for sure is that everything turns out good for me. Even though I do not know what is ahead, the best I can do for myself and the world around me is to keep the peace internally. Create paradise.  I have all I need in the moment. In tough times, actually all the time, to stay in the present moment is the best thing we can do. Right now, is the only moment the Divine can assist you.

Another great habit to gain internal peace is to begin your day filled with positivity. Take ten minutes before you leave the house and fill yourself with gratitude, love, and joy. Just ten minutes is enough to make a difference and get you in a positive, vibrational state. Imagine the best outcome for this day. Imagine you coming home from work being overwhelmed with joy. Then hang on to that feeling for as long as you can.

Next, on your way to work and throughout your day, look for joy along the way. Joy surrounds us. Remember: “What you look for in life affects what you see, so look for blessings and blessed you will be.” One of my favorite quotes. You can find joy in a child, an animal, trees, flowers, a green light, beautiful weather, the rain, a friend, just look for joy and you will find it. It really makes a difference in how you feel and how you feel has a huge effect on what you create.

How you feel is in your control. Many times, we react to certain situations and play the victim. We become helpless when we are reactors. Please do not give your power away like that. You have the power to generate whatever feeling and emotion you desire. You are a powerful creator.

One fun game I like to play when driving in my car is that I shoot love darts at people with my mind. Sounds silly, I know, but it makes me feel good. I just imagine a dart filled with love shooting from my mind. I used to use my fingers but realized someone may interpret that negatively, so I stopped and began to use just my mind. Once I arrive at my destination I am filled with love and feeling so happy. The more love you give the more you get.

 I invite you to create paradise with me. It all begins with the peace within. I urge you to do whatever it takes for you to feel the peace within. Live in the consciousness of Oneness. You are totally loved. Knowing that we are all cells of the One body. When you help another person in any way you are helping yourself.

Friends of mine tell me this dream of mine in creating paradise is absurd and will never happen with the state of our world today but I know better than to listen to the naysayers, I believe we can open the pearly gates. It can compare to a caterpillar in the cocoon, many are screaming, “Dooms Day! Dooms day!!” while others see the butterfly. I definitely see the butterfly of paradise.

Sometimes things need to fall apart before they can fall into place and that is how I see our world right now. Our world is falling apart so that the broken parts can be fixed, healed, or left behind, so the New Earth can rise.

The more people who wake up to the Oneness, and begin living from the Divine perspective, the closer we get. And the good news is that when an awakened being shines their light, others can see and wake up to their true nature and Consciousness spreads. This is happening all around the world. So, where do you stand? Will you join me? I sure hope so.

Can you imagine Paradise? We are really closer than it may seem. Once again just begin with your internal world. If you do not go within you go without. I will end this chapter with a few lines from John Lennon’s famous song, “Imagine”

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will live as one

I wish you peace on your journey! All happiness to you.