This quote is from Eckhart Tolle’s book “A New Earth”. I think it is one of his best – and there are many enlightening quotes from his books.

It all starts with our Awareness.

Most of life is about choice. There are always things that will be “inevitable” – those things over which we have no control (and they can be our greatest moments of learning). Essentially, where we are is a result of the choices we have made.

Sadly, we live a society that is full of blame – it’s so often ‘someone else’s fault’, or a situation that has ‘led us down an unwanted path’. Taking Full Responsibility for our lives, whatever has happened, is vital if we are achieve what we want out of life.

That means having a sense of Self-Awareness, knowing your faults, failures, weaknesses, shortcomings, lumps and bumps – and we all have them. Acknowledging them is knowing ourselves. It also means accepting what has happened in our lives and working with “what is”.

Self-Awareness is that ability:

• To recognise our greatest asset is our Attitude. An undesirable Attitude can soon destroy our character. If you have been to a workshop with me you’ll know that I say “Attitude is Everything” – it’s not what happens to us, it’s how we handle it.

• “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is your greatest accomplishment.” Not my words, but those of Ralph Waldo Emerson. So often we feel the need to be and do certain things that other people want. Know and be true to yourself.

• To let go of limiting beliefs and realise that we have more control over our ability to manifest abundance and success than we might imagine.

• To listen to and be guided by our inner knowing. We all know what is right for us, we just need to be in touch with ourselves and truly listen. Decisions that have been made from our ego usually result in unhappiness.

If we don’t develop our own Self-Awareness and take Full Responsibility, we are, in fact, empowering other people and circumstances to shape our lives. We are then handing over our Personal Power to others.

Everyone has a ‘back story’, everyone has had ‘things happen’. Owning our story can be very hard at times, but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running away from it.

Being a victim is also a choice, whatever might have happened to us. Sadly those who choose the victim route are denying their true selves.

I love running The Centre Within because it teaches practical down to earth tools and techniques to help people make the changes they wish to make in their lives.

I also love teaching these tools because it keeps me on the ‘positive path’. At the end of the two-day workshop I say to everyone “above all, this is a lovely way to live”. I am very grateful and feel blessed to do what I do.

Here’s to a happy month ahead.

As always, keep up that Love and Laughter