To forgive is divine. This is so true! I can’t say it any better.

What I can say is what happens to you if you do NOT forgive.

Refusing to forgive fills you with resentment and resentment is a form of anger. Living with a load of anger in your life is the best way to cut yourself off from happiness. Why is that? Because anger is an active form of fear. It is an absolute truth that when you fill yourself with fear, you cannot make use of divine love, or any of the laws that come with the divine presence in your life.    [continued below picture]

Many people also have a sense of righteousness around their resentment. This idea of righteousness makes the resentment doubly difficult to live with, because you must always boost your self-esteem by putting someone else “in their place” instead of finding your true worth as a living sliver of the divine on Earth.

It doesn’t matter what has taken place in the past: all that matters is where you are now. So ask yourself, would you rather be filled with life-limited anger, or would you rather be expressing your true nature as a divine spirit?

If you chose the latter, I suggest you make a point of forgiving everyone around you, everyone from your past, and everyone in your life now, including yourself.

This week spend at least 5 minutes each day forgiving just one person in your life. Starting with one person makes this entire task seem less daunting. Take these steps to help the process:

1. Think of that person. Bring up a mental image of that person.
2. Put yourself in their shoes. Ask yourself, what must that person have been feeling to act as they did? Really do this, it is key.
3. Now try to feel those feelings in yourself. Really feel how you want to act and how you want to treat people around you if you feel like that. In many circumstances, feel what it must have been like to interact with you at that time, in the state YOU were in.
4. Now realize that to live with those feelings must be difficult.
5. Now forgive, let go, say out loud if you must that you understand that neither you nor this other person are perfect and that human emotions are hard to deal with at times.
6. Now forgive: Forgive that person and forgive yourself.

If you truly find forgiveness from this be grateful and move on to another person the next day. But, if you come out of this exercise not quite there yet, work on this same person the next day. Do this exercise with each person you hold resentment toward until you are clear. You will find a wellspring of happiness and a lightness of being permeate your life as you continue down this incredibly healing road of forgiveness.

Many people think of meditation as a scantily clad person sitting on a rock someplace contemplating their navel. In fact meditation is so important to becoming a conscious person that it is a recommended essential part of your life.    [continued below picture]

Meditation can be many things. There are moving meditations, done while exercising, such as with running, yoga, or tai chi. There are musical meditations done while singing or playing an instrument. And there are meditations done while sitting still and allowing the presence of the divine to fill you. If you already meditate every day, good for you, keep it up. However, if you haven’t yet brought meditation into your life I suggest you do so right away.

This week allow the presence of the divine (God, the universe; whatever term you use is fine) into your life by consciously meditating at least 5 minutes a day. While this may not seem like much, even 5 minutes of stillness is enough to create changes in your life. If you do not have a meditation form yet, try this one:

Sit in a comfortable position with your feet flat on the floor and your arms and legs uncrossed. Close your eyes. Notice whatever thoughts come through your mind, but do not engage with them. Let your thoughts exist separately from yourself. When you are able to allow your thoughts to just go by, then ask for the divine to fill you. Ask that you be made still. Meditation is so much about allowance, that all you need do is clear a space and the divine will transform your life from the inside out.

Our ancestors said it like this, “Love makes the world go round.” I will go a bit further, “Love makes your life abound!”

Love is truly the glue that holds people together in success. In fact no success is found in life without an element of love creating it. Love is the presence of the divine on Earth. When you feel God (the divine presence), you feel love, when you live in God you spread love on the planet.  It’s as simple as that.   [continued below picture]

It does not matter how you define the divine in your life. God (or the divine) is ever present to be tapped into, to be embraced, to be let loose upon your fellow man.

This week, spend some time each day – say 5 minutes – finding the presence of the divine in your life. All you have to do is close your eyes and ask for the divine presence to fill you. One way to ask for this presence is to say out loud the following over and over until you feel the divine fill you completely:

God is love
Let love flow
God is here
Let love flow
Love is here
Let love flow

(Please substitute the word God with whatever word you use regularly, such as: The Universe, Goddess, The Divine, My Creator, All-that-is and so forth. The divine cares not what it is called, only that it is called!)

If you do this, you will find your life changing as a result. And the change will bring more joy, greater peace, and clearer thinking – in other words, more love in your life.

You can only show up to your life if you pay attention to it. If you don’t pay attention, all you get is what comes your way by default. If you want to make conscious use of the laws of attraction and reciprocity, you must pay attention.

One way to pay attention is to stop and look around you. What is in your immediate environment? What are you feeling? What sorts of thoughts are fleeting through your mind? What color shirt is your cube-mate wearing? Just pay attention. This is also called, being awake!   [continued below picture]

The more often you can jog yourself out of your default stupor and see the world around you through attention-filled eyes, the more you will see opportunities and synchronicities that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

This week spend time paying attention. At least 5 times a day, shake your head and wake up! Spend at least 60 seconds each time truly looking at what is around and noticing what is going on in your mind. You will be amazed by what you would have previously ignored.

Bonus: When you do look around with your attention filled eyes, see if there is someone you can contribute to, or something you can do to help yourself or someone else feel more love, more gratitude, or a little more joy!