Let Your Heart Sing and Your Spirit Soar

Journey to Self Discovery Newsletter

March 2005

Volume 1, Number 3

 

A wise man will hear and increase in learning and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel 

Proverbs 1:5                                            

I.        Welcome

 

 

I blinked for a moment and suddenly spring is around the corner.  March is such a wonderful month. It welcomes a season of rebirth and

 

Spring is a great time for renewal and revitalization, especially for those of us who have had a rough winter season. This is the time we set aside to put away our winter things, do thorough cleaning in and outside the house, begin to schedule spring breaks and possibly even summer vacations.

 

In a family newsletter I did in 1999, I wrote the following about Spring:

"The seasons is like the cycle of life. In the Fall the seed is planted into the ground. If the seed has been properly planted into the ground, God's earth will nourish the seed throughout the Winter. In the Spring, buds begin to make their way above the ground and flower start to bloom. You begin to see an array of colors sprouting from the ground. By the time Summer comes along the earth is filled with color, a celebration of life seen by flowers of different types, shapes, and sizes."

I believe Spring is also a time for spiritual renewal.  We celebrate Easter if we follow Christian traditions and Passover if we follow Jewish tradition.  A great time to reflect on our spiritual journey, the past, present and the future. It is a time for contemplation, prayer and action.

 

May March be a month of new beginnings, renewal, revitalization and excitement for you, your family and your friends.

 

Blessings,

       

                                          Millie Padilla                                        

II.      Quote of the Month

 

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The Serenity Prayer

 

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference

 

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III.    Things to Reflect

 

Excerpt taken from “Things to Reflect, Journey to Self Discovery – My True Self– Book Two”

 

Acceptance

 

Definition: (1) approving reception; approval, acceptability; (2) belief in; assent

 

I wasted a good part of my young adult life trying to control every situation and my family. Can you imagine the frustrations and angry moments I went through when things did not go the way I wanted? 

 

When I find that I am trying to take control I pray, “Lord, I leave this in the palm of Your hand.” This leaves me with the choice to enjoy every moment I spend with all my family and friends.

 

May I suggest that like it says in the Serenity prayer, accept the things you cannot change and change the things you can.

 

Your life will be truly blessed.

  

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IV.    Article:                      

 

The article below is from my website, www.coachmillie.com

 

DO I REALLY DESERVE TO BE HAPPY

 

I was talking with someone about life, family and the future.  They asked me if I believed I “really” deserved to be happy, and what did I do to earn that happiness.  They wanted to know how I knew I was happy. I was unable to give a quick and resounding yes to that question, and did not have a response to the other two.

 

You can imagine how surprised I was not to have responded immediately with a quick and easy yes and answer the questions.  That moment’s hesitation made me realize there may be a small part of me that still felt some uncertainty, a little unworthy.

 

For a few days after that conversation, I thought about these questions.  I could not help but think about it since, as often as I made that statement in the past, I never really asked that question of myself.  I thought, I prayed and I meditated about the concept of happiness. 

 

I made a list of all the things that made me happy.  My list consisted of things that brought me a sense of peace, a sense of joy, and most importantly, a sense of completeness.

 

My Old Self

 

I believed that in order for me to be truly happy I would need to be successful.  Again, I felt a sense of incompleteness with this statement. I realized at this point that I had the most common definition of success and not one that was true for me, Milagros (Millie) Padilla.

 

I wondered how many other women (or anyone) had believed that for them to be truly happy they needed to be successful and used the “common” definition that I had used.

 

Here, let me give you an example.  My definition of success was:

 

1.      Have enough money to do everything I wanted - financial freedom. 

2.      The time to be able to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted – freedom.

3.      I had a job that made me feel good – satisfaction.

4.      Great relationship with my family and friends – love and friendship

5.      Enough money in the bank for my retirement - Security

6.      A close relationship with God – Spiritual oneness

 

Now, understand that there is nothing wrong with any of the above goals.  They are all good and admirable and would bring almost anyone fulfillment.

 

However, I want you to think about these questions:

 

  • What are the things I really, really want to do and how much money do I need to make it happen?  How much money must be coming in on a weekly/monthly basis in order for me to make these things happen?
  • How much time do I want to spend doing each of the things I want to do or what is the minimum amount of time needed to appreciate what I am doing.
  • How will I know that my business (or career) is bringing me satisfaction? What do I need to do to ensure that I will continue to feel a true sense of satisfaction?
  • What criteria am I putting in close to ensure that I have a great relationship with family and friends?  What am I going to do to keep these relationships harmonious and exciting?
  • At what age do I want to retire? How much money will I need to retire? What are my goals for my retirement?
  • What have I planned or outlined for my continued spiritual growth?  How will I know (how will I measure) that my connection to God is continuously growing? How do I keep love and joy alive in my heart?

 

I would imagine that it would be hard, if not impossible, for anyone to achieve any of their goals unless we know why these things are important to us.

 

Take the first one above, for example.  What specifically do you want to do and by when?

 

  • Do I want to travel to every country in the world? Do I want to visit every state in the US?  If I visit one country each year, how many weeks will I stay in that country?  Have I done enough research on the country and do I know/understand their laws? Am I going alone or with family or friends?

 

  • Do I want to write one book, ten books? Will I write one book a year or ten books within 5 years? 

 

  • Do I want to volunteer with an organization to help in another country for one week, three weeks per year?  Will I want to do this every year, or just for five years?

 

  • How much money do I need for each venture?  Where will the money come from?  How will I spent the money (how much for souvenirs for others, how much for my home, how much on lodging and food)?

 

  • Most importantly, do I really want to do these things? Why do I want to do? Is it something others are doing and I want to be part of the crowd?  What do I believe it will bring me? How will it make me feel?  What are the short and long- term benefits to these goals?

 

  • What values are playing in my goals (adventure, freedom, love, strong relationships, etc)?

 

My New Self

 

In order for me to answer the question I posed above, “Do I really deserve to be Happy” it is necessary for me to know that I am able and capable of achieving what I really want.

 

Yes, I deserve to be happy. I deserve it because I am a child of God, and all loving parents want all the best for their children.

 

Therefore, unless I create goals based on people, things, and places that bring me joy then I am fooling myself.  I will be acting in a way that states that I do not deserve to be happy and demeaning God’s love.

 

I sincerely believe that we are all capable of being truly happy.  I believe that we have the ability to create a phenomenal and exciting life. I also believe that we know how to design a life that includes all those aspects of living that brings us real and powerful joy.  We only need to let our hearts and spirits soar with faith and without fear.

 

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Often, we stay focused on the past and we do not fully live in the present, nor truly prepare for the future.  Are you ready to take responsibility for your feelings and actions, and create a future of love and peace?

 

As a Life Coach, I can help you rekindle the light of love in you that will help you move into the present and help you create the future that you deserve.  If you are ready to reveal your true self, call me to schedule a free half hour consultation.