WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.280 People come to me and say, I am so tired 2 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:10.679 of trying to fix myself. I wake up with the 3 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:15.000 same worry. I go to sleep with the same doubt, 4 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:18.199 and somewhere in the middle of the day, I hear 5 00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:22.800 that little voice telling me I am not enough. And 6 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.760 I want to say to you, my dear, you do 7 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:30.199 not have to fix yourself before you are worthy of peace. 8 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:34.039 You are not a broken chair in the corner of 9 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:38.320 the room waiting for someone to repair you. You are 10 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:43.439 a living, breathing, beautiful being who has learned to speak 11 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:48.200 to herself in ways that hurt. That is all. And 12 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:52.920 what is learned can be unlearned. What is repeated can 13 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:57.799 be changed. What is practiced in fear can begin to 14 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:01.479 be practiced in love. So let this be a gentle 15 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:06.400 place to begin again, not because you have failed, but 16 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:12.040 because life is always opening another little door. You may 17 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:15.719 be tired to day, you may be unsure to day. 18 00:01:16.599 --> 00:01:20.079 You may not believe every good word. Yet that is 19 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:24.480 all right. We do not need perfection to begin. We 20 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:29.439 only need a little willingness, the tiniest opening in the heart. 21 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:35.159 All is well, I am safe. I can begin again. 22 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:38.799 You see the things you repeat every day do not 23 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:44.280 simply float away. They settle into you. They become familiar 24 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:48.719 paths in the mind, like little roads you walk without thinking. 25 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:54.439 I can't do this. I always make mistakes. It is 26 00:01:54.519 --> 00:02:01.680 too late for me. Other people receive good but not me. Oh, sweetheart, 27 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:05.400 how many times have you said these things and then 28 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:10.159 wondered why your body feels heavy? The mind listens, the 29 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:15.080 heart listens, the cells listen. Your life is always listening 30 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:19.039 to the conversation you are having with yourself. And this 31 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:22.639 is not to frighten you. No, no, this is to 32 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:27.199 give you back your power, because if an old sentence 33 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:31.960 can make you small, then a new, loving sentence can 34 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:37.360 help you stand tall again. Your mind is not the enemy. 35 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:40.800 It is more like a garden that has been growing 36 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:45.479 whatever seeds were dropped there long ago. Some were planted 37 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:52.080 by parents, some by teachers, some by a marriage, a disappointment, 38 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:57.919 a doctor, a mirror, a bank account, a lonely night. 39 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:02.159 But now you are the gardener. The mind is a habit, 40 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:09.479 not the truth, and habits can be changed with patience, kindness, 41 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:15.400 and repetition. Now Here is something very simple and very powerful. 42 00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:22.319 Words are not just words. They are little instructions. They 43 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:26.759 tell the deeper mind what to look for, what to expect, 44 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:31.800 what to prepare for, and what to believe is possible. 45 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:37.080 If you say all day, I don't want to be sick, 46 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:42.479 the mind still sees sickness. If you say I don't 47 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:46.919 want to be poor, the mind still sees lack. If 48 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:50.439 you say I don't want to be alone, the mind 49 00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:55.680 still sees loneliness standing in the doorway. The subconscious mind 50 00:03:56.120 --> 00:04:02.719 is very innocent in that way. It responds to pictures, feelings, repetition, 51 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:06.680 and tone. So let us give it a picture that 52 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:10.759 supports us. Instead of I don't want to be sick, 53 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:15.680 try I am learning to enjoy good health more and 54 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:20.399 more each day. Instead of I don't want to be poor, 55 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:26.639 Try I am willing to receive abundance, support, and safety. 56 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:31.800 Do you feel the difference. One sentence points toward fear, 57 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:37.639 the other opens a window. One sentence keeps the old 58 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:42.639 image alive. The other gives life something new to work with. 59 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.600 Give your mind a picture of the life you are 60 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:51.040 willing to live, and please do not use this as 61 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:55.160 another reason to criticize yourself. I can hear some of 62 00:04:55.199 --> 00:05:00.720 you saying, oh, dear, now I have been saying everything wrong. No, 63 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:04.920 my love, that is not the point. We are not 64 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:09.000 here to make you wrong. We are here to make 65 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:14.879 you aware. Awareness is a light, not a whip. When 66 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.720 you notice an old sentence coming out of your mouth, 67 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:22.199 you can simply smile a little and say, oh, that 68 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:26.360 is the old way, then choose again. That is all. 69 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.920 You do not have to fight the thought. You do 70 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.920 not have to wrestle it to the floor. You do 71 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:36.959 not have to spend the afternoon proving it wrong. Just 72 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:42.439 notice it, bless it, and turn your face towards something kinder. 73 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:46.560 If you have spent many years repeating fear, then, of 74 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:51.920 course love may feel strange at first. New shoes feel strange, 75 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:56.680 a new house feels strange. Even a new hair cut 76 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:00.399 can make us look twice in the mirror. So when 77 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:04.680 a new belief feels unfamiliar, do not call it false, 78 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:09.480 Call it new. A new thought may feel strange simply 79 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:13.879 because it is new. And yes, when you begin changing 80 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:18.399 your self belief, you may wobble. One morning, you may 81 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:22.199 feel clear and hopeful, and by evening the old fear 82 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:25.600 is sitting beside you at the kitchen table again, acting 83 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:29.839 as though it owns the place. This is normal, it 84 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:34.600 really is. The old mind loves the old road because 85 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:39.040 it has traveled there so many times. It thinks familiar 86 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:44.279 means safe, even when the familiar has been painful. So 87 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:47.920 when you choose a new belief, the old pattern may 88 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:51.720 pull at your sleeve and say, come back, we know 89 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:57.040 how to suffer here. Isn't that interesting? Not good, not bad, 90 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:04.199 just interesting, not failing. When this happens, you are in transition. 91 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:09.560 You are updating the inner system, and sometimes the lights 92 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:14.199 flicker while the new wiring is being placed. So be 93 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:19.199 very gentle with yourself when you wobble. Do not add 94 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:23.800 shame to the wobble. Do not say I should be 95 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:28.319 better by now. Say I am learning and I am 96 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:33.120 willing to continue. The wobble is not failure. The wobble 97 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:37.439 is change in motion. Let us take ten seconds now, 98 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:42.920 because healing does not always need to be dramatic. Sometimes 99 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:47.319 it is very quiet. Let your breath go out slowly, 100 00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:51.839 as though you are emptying an old drawer. Place one 101 00:07:51.879 --> 00:07:56.079 hand on your chest, right over the heart, and feel 102 00:07:56.120 --> 00:08:00.000 the warmth of your own hand. This body has carried 103 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:04.279 you through so much. It has carried you through childhood, 104 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:09.879 through endings, through bills, through kitchens through tears. You did 105 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:13.439 not show anyone through mornings when you had to get up, 106 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:17.519 even though your spirit was tired. So give it a 107 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:22.759 little kindness. Now, Let the shoulders drop, let the belly soften, 108 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:30.240 let the face rest, and say, all is well, I'm learning. 109 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.080 Say it as if you are not trying to convince anyone, 110 00:08:34.759 --> 00:08:37.320 Say it as if you are telling the truth to 111 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:44.279 a frightened part of yourself. All is well, I'm learning. There, 112 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:48.600 that is enough for this moment. You can do this 113 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:52.960 in the car, in the bathroom, before a phone call, 114 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:58.000 after a difficult conversation, or while standing in front of 115 00:08:58.039 --> 00:09:02.000 the mirror wondering how to love the woman looking back 116 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:05.360 at you. Now we come to the great turning point, 117 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:11.080 and it is always this fear or love. Almost every 118 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:15.159 thought grows from one root or the other. Fear says, 119 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:21.519 close down, protect yourself, do not try, do not trust, 120 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:27.960 stay small, it is safer there. Love says, open a 121 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:34.720 little breathe, ask for help, tell the truth. Take the 122 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:39.720 next step. You are guided. We do not hate fear. 123 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:44.279 Fear is often just a frightened little child inside us, 124 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:48.159 trying to keep us from being hurt again. But we 125 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:52.279 do not have to let the frightened child drive the car. 126 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:55.159 We can put her in the back seat with a 127 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:59.679 blanket and say I hear you, darling. But love is 128 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:06.399 dr That is how change begins, not by pretending fear 129 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:10.639 is gone, but by choosing not to obey it every 130 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:15.840 time it speaks. So ask yourself gently, if I chose 131 00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:20.639 love instead of fear today, what would I do differently 132 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:25.639 in the next twenty four hours? Would you rest without guilt? 133 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:30.240 Would you speak to yourself more kindly? Would you say 134 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:35.320 no where you usually betray yourself? Would you allow a 135 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:41.120 compliment to land? Love is not weakness. Love is the 136 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:45.519 power that lets you begin again. And perhaps the deeper 137 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:50.200 question is this what am I most afraid of right now? 138 00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:54.639 And can I hold that fear with love? Not push 139 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:58.080 it away, not shame it, not dress it up in 140 00:10:58.159 --> 00:11:03.759 pretty words, just hold it. Imagine the fear as a 141 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:07.879 small child standing at your door in the rain. You 142 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:11.200 would not slam the door and say go away, you 143 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:15.639 are inconvenient. You would open the door. You would bring 144 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:19.399 her in. You would wrap her in something warm and 145 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:24.039 say I see you. You are safe now. This is 146 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:29.360 how we change self belief. We stop abandoning ourselves in 147 00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:34.440 the very places where we most need tenderness. We stop 148 00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:40.679 using criticism as motivation, We stop frightening ourselves and calling 149 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:45.039 it discipline, and little by little, a new voice is 150 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:49.440 born inside us, a voice that says, I am willing 151 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:53.960 to love myself through this. That voice may be soft 152 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:59.120 at first, but keep listening. It will grow stronger. It 153 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:05.519 will become the new familiar. All is well, I am safe, 154 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:16.480 I can begin again. And once you begin to choose 155 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:21.919 love instead of fear, my dear, you may discover something 156 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:26.600 very tender underneath all the habits you have been trying 157 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:30.320 so hard to change. You may find that what you 158 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:35.440 called laziness was not laziness at all. What you called 159 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:40.759 lack of discipline was not really lack of discipline. What 160 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:44.919 you called weakness was often a nervous system that did 161 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:49.519 not yet feel safe enough to move forward. Isn't that interesting? 162 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:54.159 We are so quick to scold ourselves, aren't we? We say, 163 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.960 why can't I just do it? Why do I keep 164 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.360 putting it off? Why do I think and think and 165 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:06.399 think and never begin? And yet if we listened more lovingly, 166 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:11.000 we might hear the body saying, I am frightened. I 167 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:15.759 am overwhelmed. I am not sure this is safe. So 168 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:20.240 let us stop yelling at the frightened parts of ourselves. 169 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:24.519 Let us stop dragging ourselves through life as though we 170 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:28.759 are stubborn little donkeys that must be pushed and pulled 171 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:33.960 and criticized into motion. The heart opens when it feels safe. 172 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:39.080 The mind learns when it feels safe. The body relaxes 173 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:43.879 when it feels safe. It is safe for me to change. 174 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:49.120 You see, change is not only an idea in the mind. 175 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:53.320 It is also a message to the body when you 176 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:57.120 decide to become a new version of yourself. The old 177 00:13:57.279 --> 00:14:00.440 patterns may think they are being asked to disc appear, 178 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:04.639 and of course they become nervous. They have been running 179 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:09.399 the house for many years. They know where everything is kept. 180 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.679 They know the old complaints, the old excuses, the old fears, 181 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:18.879 the old ways of protecting you. So when you come 182 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:22.759 in with a new belief and say we are going 183 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:27.120 to live differently now, those old patterns may look at 184 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:31.360 you and say, are you sure? We have survived this 185 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:34.679 way for a very long time. That is why we 186 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:38.840 do not force change. We invite it. We make the 187 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:44.200 body feel included, We loosen the jaw. We soften the shoulders, 188 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:49.159 We let the belly breathe. We speak to ourselves in 189 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:54.159 a voice that is soft but not helpless, gentle but 190 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:58.559 not weak. We say, darling, we are not in danger. 191 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:01.840 We are learning a new away. It is safe for 192 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.759 me to change. It is safe for me to grow. 193 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:07.639 It is safe for me to become more of who 194 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:11.600 I really am. So many women have carried the whole 195 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:25.279 world in their shoulders. They have carried children, marriages, aging, parents, bills, secrets, disappointments, jobs, kitchens, holidays, 196 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:29.720 and all the invisible things no one thanks them for. 197 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:34.840 And then they wonder why their bodies feel tight. My dear, 198 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:41.240 your body has been listening to every unspoken sentence. It 199 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:46.279 has heard every I have to It has heard every 200 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:52.159 I can't rest yet, it has heard every I must 201 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:57.320 hold it together. And because your body loves you, it 202 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:03.120 tries to help you survive. Sometimes it holds tension because 203 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:07.279 it thinks tension will keep you prepared. Sometimes it makes 204 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:11.399 you tired because it knows you will not stop unless 205 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:14.840 it makes you stop. Sometimes it gives you a flutter 206 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:18.840 in the stomach, a tightness in the chest, a headache, 207 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:23.039 a heavy feeling, and It is not punishing you, It 208 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:27.639 is speaking. The body is not your enemy. The body 209 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:32.039 is a faithful friend that has been trying to protect 210 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:37.000 you with the tools it had. My body is my friend. 211 00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:42.720 My body responds to love. Now take a moment with me, 212 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:48.039 just a simple moment, because the body loves simple kindness. 213 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:53.360 Let your eyes soften, Let your tongue rest in your mouth. 214 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:57.440 Let the shoulders fall away from the ears, as though 215 00:16:57.480 --> 00:17:01.600 you are putting down too heavy shopping you have carried 216 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:06.640 for miles. Let the belly be loose, not because it 217 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:10.720 looks a certain way, but because it deserves room to 218 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:17.240 breathe and say quietly inside, thank you body for carrying me. 219 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:21.599 You do not have to adore every inch of yourself 220 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:26.039 all at once. That may be too big a step today, 221 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:32.039 and that is all right. Begin with appreciation. Thank your 222 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:37.119 eyes for reading, seeing faces, noticing light through the window. 223 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:41.640 Thank your lungs for breathing even when you forgot to 224 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:46.319 be grateful. Thank your heart for beating through every chapter 225 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:50.079 of your life. Thank your stomach for trying to digest 226 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:56.720 more than food, sometimes worries, sometimes grief, sometimes words you swallowed. 227 00:17:57.240 --> 00:18:01.200 Thank your legs for bringing you this far. I bless 228 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:05.480 my body with love, and my body blesses me with life. 229 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:09.720 And if as you do this a critical voice appears, 230 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:16.440 just notice it. Perhaps it says, oh, I cannot thank 231 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:21.480 this body, it has changed too much. Or I will 232 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:29.359 love my body when it is thinner, stronger, younger, healthier, prettier. No, sweetheart, 233 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:34.119 that is the old bargain, and it has never brought peace. 234 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:38.559 We do not tell a plant I will water you 235 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:43.559 after you bloom. We water it because we want to 236 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:47.640 help it bloom. We do not tell a child I 237 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:51.359 will love you after you stop crying. We love the 238 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:55.000 child so the crying can soften. Your body does not 239 00:18:55.160 --> 00:19:00.319 need more rejection in order to heal. It needs partnership, 240 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:05.680 It needs warmth. It needs you to come home. So 241 00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:08.839 when you look in the mirror, even if you cannot 242 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:13.680 yet say I love everything I see, you can begin 243 00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:17.279 with I am willing to be kind to you today. 244 00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:22.480 That is enough. That is a beautiful beginning. I am 245 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:26.880 willing to love and appreciate my body more each day. 246 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:30.839 There is a very old lie many of us learned, 247 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:34.559 and it says we must earn the right to be happy. 248 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:39.680 We must earn rest, We must earn love. We must 249 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:44.799 earn health, We must earn peace. We must become good enough, 250 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:51.559 thin enough, successful enough, calm enough, spiritual enough, useful enough, 251 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:55.839 and then perhaps life will open the door and let 252 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:59.680 us have a little joy. Oh, my dear, what a 253 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:04.119 time hiring belief? That is? It is like standing outside 254 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:07.440 your own home in the rain, holding the key in 255 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:11.200 your hand, waiting for someone else to give you permission 256 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:14.960 to enter. You do not need permission to be good 257 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:19.319 to yourself. You do not need permission to begin again. 258 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:23.720 You do not need permission to receive the good that 259 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:31.440 life has for you. Happiness, health, prosperity, harmony, love, peace 260 00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:35.880 of mind. These are not prizes for perfect people. They 261 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:39.880 are part of your natural inheritance as a living being. 262 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:43.519 I do not have to earn my right to be loved. 263 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:48.720 I am lovable because I exist. Now, this may bring 264 00:20:48.839 --> 00:20:52.799 up resistance. I know. Some part of you may say, 265 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:57.480 but I made mistakes. Of course you did. We all have. 266 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:02.200 Mistakes are part of the class room of life. They 267 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:05.680 are not proof that you should be locked out of goodness. 268 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:11.160 Another part may say, but I wasted years. No, darling, 269 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:18.079 you lived years, You learned, you survived, you gathered wisdom 270 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:22.599 in ways you may not even understand. Yet another part 271 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:26.240 may say, but other people deserve more than I do. 272 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:32.480 That is comparison talking, and comparison is a very poor 273 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:37.240 use of imagination. There is enough air for everyone to breathe. 274 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:41.720 There is enough sunlight to touch every window. There is 275 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:45.279 enough love in life to move through all of us 276 00:21:45.720 --> 00:21:50.440 in different and wonderful ways. Your good does not steal 277 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:54.319 from any one else. When you allow yourself to receive, 278 00:21:55.119 --> 00:22:00.559 you become more peaceful, more generous, more alive. There is 279 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:05.519 plenty of good for everyone, including me. The feeling of 280 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:11.279 deserving is like a key. It opens the gate of receiving, 281 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:15.079 and so many people stand at the gate and say, 282 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:19.160 when I have everything together, then I will feel worthy. 283 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:23.039 But it works the other way around. When you begin 284 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:27.119 to treat yourself as worthy, you start making choices that 285 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:31.599 support your life. You rest because you are worthy. Now 286 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:36.880 you speak kindly because you are worthy. Now you ask 287 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:41.160 for help because you are worthy. Now you care for 288 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:45.160 your body because you are worthy. Now you open the 289 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:49.559 bill and breathe because you are worthy. Now you walk 290 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:53.880 away from what hurts because you are worthy. Now you 291 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:57.599 do not wait until the garden is perfect before you 292 00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:02.200 remove one weed and plant one flower. You begin with 293 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:05.759 the little patch of earth in front of you. Because 294 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:09.519 I am worthy, I begin to care for myself now. 295 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:13.680 And this is where changing a belief must become very 296 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:18.079 tender and very practical. We do not leap from I 297 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:23.279 hate myself to I am the most radiant, perfect being 298 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:27.000 in the universe. If the body cannot take that in, 299 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:32.640 sometimes that is too far, and the old mind simply 300 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:38.519 spits it out. Then people say affirmations do not work, 301 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:43.279 but often they were trying to swallow a whole loaf 302 00:23:43.319 --> 00:23:47.240 of bread in one bite. Begin with something the heart 303 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:52.880 can digest. Begin with I am willing. That is a 304 00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:58.400 magnificent phrase. It opens the door without forcing you through it. 305 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:03.480 I am willing to see myself differently. I am willing 306 00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:07.640 to be kinder to myself. I am willing to believe 307 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:13.319 that change is possible. Isn't that softer? The body does 308 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:16.680 not panic as much when we say I am willing. 309 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:21.720 It can breathe around those words, I am willing to change, 310 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:26.119 I am willing to learn. I am willing to receive good. 311 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:32.519 Another beautiful bridge is I am learning. This phrase gives 312 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:35.920 you room to be human. It does not demand that 313 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:41.000 you master everything by Tuesday afternoon, which is quite a relief, 314 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:46.279 isn't it. I am learning to trust myself. I am 315 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:50.680 learning to speak to my body with love. I am 316 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:55.599 learning to receive support. I am learning to let life 317 00:24:55.839 --> 00:25:01.759 be easier. There is kindness in that, There is movement 318 00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:05.359 in that. There is no shame in being a learner. 319 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:10.359 In fact, all of life is learning. The trees are 320 00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:14.519 learning how to grow toward the light. The seasons are 321 00:25:14.599 --> 00:25:18.839 learning how to change without apology. The river is learning 322 00:25:18.839 --> 00:25:22.359 its way around the stones. Why should you be the 323 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:26.640 only one who must arrive fully finished. Let yourself be 324 00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:32.240 in process. Let yourself be a beginner. I am learning, 325 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:35.759 and it is safe for me to learn. And then 326 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:41.359 there is another gentle doorway. It is possible, Oh, I 327 00:25:41.640 --> 00:25:45.240 love that one. When the mind cannot yet say I 328 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:49.000 am prosperous, it may be able to say it is 329 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:53.680 possible for me to become more open to prosperity. When 330 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:58.680 the heart cannot yet say I love myself completely, it 331 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:02.119 may be able to say it is possible for me 332 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:06.759 to treat myself with more love. Today. When the body 333 00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:11.680 cannot yet say I am perfectly healthy, it may be 334 00:26:11.799 --> 00:26:15.559 able to say it is possible for me to support 335 00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:21.319 my healing in kind and steady ways. Possibility is like 336 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:25.440 the first thin line of light under a closed door. 337 00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:28.880 You do not have to fling the door wide open 338 00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:32.440 all at once. You can sit near it. You can 339 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:36.319 notice the light, You can let the warmth touch your feet, 340 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:41.440 and one day, without so much drama, you may find 341 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:45.720 yourself opening it. It is possible for my life to 342 00:26:45.799 --> 00:26:50.960 become more loving, more peaceful, and more free. So when 343 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:55.279 you choose a new belief, choose one close enough that 344 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:58.960 your body does not feel attacked by it. If you 345 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:03.599 are exhausted, do not force yourself to say I am 346 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:09.039 bursting with endless energy. If every cell in you says no, 347 00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:14.279 we are not, say I am learning to listen to 348 00:27:14.359 --> 00:27:19.240 my body and restore my energy with love. If you 349 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:23.599 are frightened about money, do not force yourself to say 350 00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:28.160 I am a millionaire to day If it makes you 351 00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:34.279 feel foolish or unsafe, Say I am willing to create 352 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:39.400 a healthier relationship with money. If you have been criticizing 353 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:46.200 yourself for years, do not demand instant adoration. Say I 354 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:50.839 am willing to stop being cruel to myself. These smaller 355 00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:56.400 thoughts are not weak. They are believable steps. A staircase 356 00:27:56.559 --> 00:28:02.559 is made of steps, not clouds. A believable thought, repeated 357 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:08.240 with love becomes a new inner pathway, and repetition, my dear, 358 00:28:08.839 --> 00:28:13.000 is not punishment. It is how the mind learns. You 359 00:28:13.079 --> 00:28:18.599 have repeated old fear for years, perhaps without even realizing it. 360 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:24.079 You repeated it while brushing your teeth, while driving, while 361 00:28:24.119 --> 00:28:29.160 folding laundry, while looking at photographs, while waiting for someone 362 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:33.759 to call, while trying to sleep. So now we use 363 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:41.599 repetition consciously, lovingly, wisely, not as a mechanical chant, but 364 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:46.000 as a new atmosphere. When the old voice says you 365 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:51.519 cannot change, you answer, I am willing to change. When 366 00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:55.720 the old voice says it is too late, you answer, 367 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:59.599 it is possible for good to come at any age. 368 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:04.599 When the old voice says you are not enough, you answer, 369 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:10.200 I am learning to approve of myself. You are not fighting. 370 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:16.079 You are redirecting, like a shepherd bringing one little sheep 371 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:19.720 back to the flock. You gently bring the mind back 372 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:24.480 to love. I choose thoughts that support the life I 373 00:29:24.599 --> 00:29:28.960 want to live. Now, let us bring all of this 374 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:34.079 into this moment, because this moment is where your power 375 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:41.000 lives not yesterday, not ten years ago, not the conversation 376 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:45.440 you wish had gone differently, not the future you are 377 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:51.200 trying to control with worry. Here this breath, this body, 378 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:56.559 this little turning of the mind. Let the jaw soften again, 379 00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:01.880 Let the shoulders release, Let the belly have permission to 380 00:30:01.960 --> 00:30:06.640 be human and say, within yourself, it is safe for 381 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:11.480 me to change. Let the words be quiet, let them 382 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:15.720 be simple, Let them enter like warm tea on a 383 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:20.799 cold morning. My body is my friend. I am willing 384 00:30:20.920 --> 00:30:24.839 to receive good. I am learning to believe in myself. 385 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:29.359 You do not need to feel a thunderbolt. A small 386 00:30:29.640 --> 00:30:34.279 yes is enough. The point of power is always in 387 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:38.920 the present moment, And as you move through today, notice 388 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:44.359 the places where you usually abandon yourself. Notice the moment 389 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:49.279 before you say yes when your body means no. Notice 390 00:30:49.319 --> 00:30:53.920 the sentence you use when you make a mistake. Notice 391 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:57.839 how you speak to the mirror. Notice how you hold 392 00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:03.880 your breath when you check your messages, your calendar, your account, 393 00:31:04.440 --> 00:31:10.000 your reflection. Do not notice these things to shame yourself. 394 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:15.519 Notice them because you are coming awake. A woman who 395 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:19.680 is coming awake is a beautiful thing to see. She 396 00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:23.599 may still be afraid, but she is no longer asleep 397 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:29.640 inside the old belief. She is beginning to choose. She 398 00:31:29.799 --> 00:31:33.559 is beginning to listen. She is beginning to treat her 399 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:39.680 own heart as something sacred. And that changes everything. Quietly 400 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:44.839 at first, then deeply. I am safe, I am worthy, 401 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:50.359