I am in the midst of packing for a cross country move and as you know when you move, you end up going through boxes and boxes of things you totally forgot you owned.  My ex-husband recently found a box of mine in the attic of our old house that contained all of my memorabilia from elementary school, high school and college.  It is amazing to me the things I forgot I did and had!  Autographed letters from Danielle Steele, Walter Farley (author of The Black Stallion books) and Tom Cruise!  My high school year book that has Halle Barry’s senior photo in it (we went to the same high school), awards I forgot I won, cards my aunt sent to me while I was in college, pictures of when I went to see Menudo in concert in Cleveland when Ricky Martin was 15 years old and my all time favorite…an autograph book that had personal written messages from family members and friends.  I sat on my couch and cried tears of joy and sadness as I had a mini “life review,” not being able to believe how fast time goes and how much we change.

I couldn’t help but also remember sad and painful times I had while growing up.  We have mixed memories…some that no longer have an emotional charge to them and some that still sting.  Drama and chaos are part of how we learn our life lessons.  People come in and out of our lives every day.  They offer us circumstances with which we can use as learning experiences to learn what we have come here to learn.  Sometimes we change…sometimes we don’t.  We cannot go back and change the past but we can change how we view the past.  Is it a learning experience that is helping us grow to be a better person or a bitter experience that we allow to fester and keeps us in anger?

I have found that when we allow ourselves to be with what is in the moment, whether that be anger or joy, and letting it come up to be released is where our salvation lives.  We are human and with being human comes imperfection.  Mistakes are our vehicle to making us a better person…if we so choose.

Allow yourself today to be with what is presented to you, no matter what that may be.  You will have good days and bad days and your best will be different every day.  Allow yourself to just be the YOU that you are today…no judgments, no criticisms and no unrealistic expectations.  If you are angry, let yourself be angry.  If you are joyful, let yourself be in joy.

I wanted to leave you with an excerpt from one of my favorite blogs from Rev. Angela Peregoff’s “Morning Blessings.”  This was what came through this morning:

When you embrace the everyday dramas, you move much more quickly to the spiritual places you want to be. The mundane, and the chaotic scenes can be painful but we, your angel guides, say to you now that pain and discomfort are all part of walking on Earth. Embracing what is in front of you does not mean that you will keep it. You just have to accept it in the moment. Embracing the experience allows you to keep walking. Only by living your limited, mundane, chaotic, ordinary life is the limitlessness allowed to flow through you. We remind you that all acts of creation not only express the self, but reciprocally allow the self to know itself. Every drama you create, or join in, either consciously or unconsciously, reflects who you’ve chosen to be at that moment. And everything you create allows you to know yourself both intimately and ideally. For today endeavor to shed some heart-light, without judgment, on your tendency to use drama as a medium for those seemingly disparate stages of your evolutionary journey.  And from that pristine summit of higher-awareness you may ponder on where one was prior to this elevation and reflect on the bigger picture that is your awe-inspiring nature!

Allowing myself to be me,

Chris

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.

Safety and security are such basic needs for a human being that we do not even worry about our other needs if these two needs are not met…hence why it is at the bottom of Maslow’s famous pyramid!  We need to feel safe in order to function.  It is a basic need and one most would list as a top priority.  People will do anything to feel safe…even things that are not so noble such as steal, lie and cheat.  Not only do we need to feel safe physically, but we have emotional and mental safety needs as well.  When we feel unsafe we tend to soothe ourselves with certain things and we all have those specific things we go to that make us feel “safe.”

I remember watching the movie “The Kid” with Bruce Willis and there is a scene where he sees his child self in his kitchen and cannot believe what he is seeing.  He feels mentally and emotionally unsafe.  He frantically starts to make a sandwich and is repeating over and over again, “Safety in a sandwich!  Safety in a sandwich!”  We find comfort in food, people, places, songs, books, and sometimes unhealthy habits such as drinking, smoking or drugs.  Our ego drives this safety need so strongly (because it is afraid of dying) that it talks us into doing anything we need to in order to feel safe.

The problem is, what we usually find in these comforts of ours is a false sense of safety.  If we truly believed these things made us safe, why would we be looking for a comfort?  We are looking for a “known” and think if we know what is going to happen, have a plan and can predict the future, we are then safe.  This could not be further from the truth!  Our true safety is in the unknown…in faith and trust itself.  Faith in a higher power; faith in yourself; trust that the knowledge you have attained throughout your lifetime has turned into wisdom; and trust that if in your heart it feels right (regardless of what anyone else says – including your own head!) it IS right!

I recently had an experience I would like to share that exemplifies that we are always looked out for and the power in trusting the process of living in the unknown.  I decided a few months ago to move from MD, where I live now, to AZ.  It was a scary decision because it is a new place where I know almost no one and my family and friends live out East.  I decided to take the steps to do it anyway, found a friend to move in with to share expenses and started looking for a place to rent.  My friend found a house that is in the perfect location and is absolutely beautiful, so we put in an application and prayed we would get the house, knowing if we didn’t get this one we would get one eventually.  The next day I got an email from my assistant, Ruth titled “You won’t believe this!”  Ironically (or is it), the man who owns the house my friend and I put in an application for in AZ is the next door neighbor of my assistant in PA!!!  He saw her name on my website when he looked me up and proceeded to contact her and got a glowing (thank you Ruth!) unsolicited reference!  Needless to say, we got the house and I am moving in 3 weeks!  J  Coincidence or divine intervention?  You choose…

Make a decision today or this week where you will not know the outcome.  Take a chance and do something just because if feels right.  Don’t analyze it, scrutinize it or judge it.  Just do it!  Then, see what the Universe brings to your door.  Sometimes you have to close one door before another one will open…the lock on one unlocks the other.  Just try it…the only thing you have to lose is the chance.  And if you lose the chance, don’t worry, another one always comes around the corner…just wait and see 😉

Making a choice instead of standing still,

Chris

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.

“Truth starts within the self.  If you are right within, you will be right in the world.”  ~Justin Asar

How you are with people in your outside world is usually a reflection of how you are with yourself in your inside world.  As of late, there has been a lot going on in the global world and in people’s personal worlds.  Many things are “breaking down” in order to make room for new things to enter.  Why?  We are in a time on Earth where selfishness, lying, manipulation and “out for self” ways of doing things, both with global systems and personal patterns, will not work anymore.  We are moving into a time of community and oneness.  This time calls for truth, freedom, and correct use of personal power.  We are seeing many individuals “acting out” lately due to the fact that they are “not at peace within,” therefore they are not at peace “without.”

Truth refers to your mind and your heart being in sync.  When what you think and believe are in alignment with how you act, you are living in truth.  Why people struggle with the concept of truth is due to the fact that many get caught up in old conditioned thoughts that keep them living other people’s truths rather than their own.  Society has a funny way of making sure we are all “in line” with what I like to call “the tribe.”  We all must think and do alike or something is wrong!!!  My philosophy is the more I am NOT like the tribe, the more in truth I am probably living!

This coming week is a week of personal power and truth.  There is much movement energetically for wishes to come true and resolutions to arguments.  In order to step into this energy and experience the bliss it brings, you must be in alignment with your truth.  You must LIVE your truth and direct your personal power towards those things that are important to you.  Identify your top 3-5 priorities IN ORDER and live into them.  Balance is directing your energy toward those things you identify as important right now in your life (your priorities).  When you put your energy in places that are not important to you, you feel off and frustrated.  Balance is directing your personal power to places where you want to create!  Living your truth also means trusting yourself and those inner nudges you feel about doing certain things, whether they make logical sense or not.  Learn to use your mind as a “tool” not as the end all be all to making decisions.  Become heart-centered and use the power of your feelings to guide your decisions.  Ask yourself constantly, “How does this feel?”  Learn the language of your soul.

For those of you who use crystals to help you align your vibrations and energies to create, the energy of sapphire is prominent this week.  The energy of crystals vibrate to certain frequencies and all crystals have “themes” in which they do their work.  The theme of sapphire is truth and freedom.  Wear sapphire jewelry this week, put a sapphire in your pocket with you as you go about your week or sleep with one under your pillow or by your bedside.  Sapphires energy will make the work of aligning your truth much easier.

God has many gifts to offer you and EVERY prayer is always answered.  What gets in our way is US.  Be open to receiving the gifts He has to give and know you are worthy of them.  Spread your wings and fly…the sky is waiting for you and the winds are perfect.

“When you have come to the edge of the light that you know and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen:  there will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly.”  ~Patrick Overton

Flying high and trusting the process,

Chris

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.

Don’t allow someone else’s behavior to assign you to their plan.

10 years ago I learned a very hard lesson in regards to my physical health.  I was working a corporate job, putting in around 55 hours a week, commuting over an hour to work every day (in traffic!), raising 2 daughters, getting my Masters Degree at night and traveling at least once a month to work a trade show.  I was one of those people who were afraid to say “No” to anything anyone asked me to do for fear they “may not like me” or think I was a “bad person.”  After suffering for 8 months and ignoring all of the symptoms I was experiencing daily, I finally had a physical breakdown and ended up in the hospital for 5 days being diagnosed with chronic ulcerative colitis.  Knowing deep in my soul that I either needed to change or I was going to die at 32 years old, I decided to take a sabbatical from work and school to heal myself.

What I realized in the 5 months I “worked on myself” were 2 things:

1. Living in fear makes you sick!
2. Your body talks to you EVERY DAY…you just need to learn its language so you know what it is trying to tell you.

What was I afraid of?  EVERYTHING!  What people thought of me; not being able to pay my bills; that I would fail; that the sky would fall; etc.  Worry and fear ruled my thinking.  I constantly made decisions based on how other people acted or reacted to me, always afraid that I was being judged.  I did what I thought “they” (whoever “they” are!) wanted me to do rather than what I wanted to do.  I was never in the equation of my life where decisions were concerned.

Your body is the last place stress usually hits and I personally believe that stress is the cause of ALL illness.  Your body is built to be healthy – it becomes dis-eased because it becomes off-balance.  Once you know how to get your body, mind and heart in sync and back in balance, health naturally returns.

The first thing I did when I was ill was to get to know myself again, which included understanding what signals my body was sending to me.  What certain headaches meant; what my body did when I was stressed, hungry or tired; what foods my body needed and did not like; what exercises made me feel good; how much water I needed to drink.  But most importantly, I had to work on my self-esteem.  You cannot “hear” the guidance you are receiving or the signals from your body unless you trust yourself.  If you do not trust yourself, you will disregard any signals as “just a thought” or “I must be crazy!”

Your physical self is a reflection of what is going on inside of you.  Take time this holiday weekend to really focus on you.  It is not a selfish thing…it is a self-nurturing thing.  Do something you love to do, spend time in nature, write down your thoughts (writing is a great form of release!), read a book in the sun, take a walk on the beach, give someone you love a big hug, do a selfless act of service that no one knows about but you.  Give yourself the gift of love by valuing yourself enough to take care of YOU.  You do not take care of what you do not value.

And just in case you didn’t realize it….you deserve it!

Getting physical,

Chris

P.S.  I will be nurturing myself this weekend as well as I visit family in Cleveland and Pittsburgh so look for Your Journey Back to Self blog on Tuesday!

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.

Have you ever heard a song on the radio in the morning and then that song got stuck in your head ALL DAY LONG!  That happened to me recently and it was one of those annoying songs!

Our brains work in very mysterious ways.  We see and hear things throughout the day and somehow they get stuck in our heads in a way that seems beyond our control.  I find how the brain works fascinating and spend a lot of time dissecting how and why we think and act the way we do (I drive my coaching clients and friends nuts!).  To make it simple, we have 2 parts of our brain; our conscious brain and our subconscious brain.  Our conscious brain is our filter.  That is the first place information we get from our environment hits and we have a choice of whether to accept it or reject it.  That information then filters to our subconscious brain which can only accept the information it is given.  It assumes that what you CHOSE in your conscious brain is your truth.  It cannot tell the difference between positive and negative, good or bad, or what you want or don’t want.  It just accepts.  The information then gets processed in your subconscious brain exactly how it was programmed (so if you had an experience at 5 years old, it processed the information as a 5 year old would) and expresses that information through your behaviors.  Simple!

Here is the rub…your conscious brain isn’t fully developed until you are about 7 years old.  What does that mean?  It means that anything you experienced before you were 7 did not get filtered by you; it went directly to your subconscious brain how it happened.  This is called “conditioning.”  This is why you have behaviors that drive you nuts and you say to yourself, “Why the heck do I keep doing that!”  Depending on your upbringing and the types of experiences you had, this could be good or bad because 90% + of our behaviors are run by our SUBCONSIOUS MINDS!!!  If you had mostly good experiences, you are set; if you had mostly bad experiences, oh boy!

So how do you break those patterns that were programmed that are not serving you now?  First, become aware!  Aware of your behaviors, what you are thinking when you choose a behavior and most of all HOW YOU FEEL!  Your feelings are your guidepost.  If you feel “good,” your behavior is more than likely in alignment with truth.  And let me clarify here…by good I mean it makes you feel good from a deep part within you…not good because you just lied or cheated to get something you felt you needed and now your needs are met.  It is not a “my needs are met” good; it is a “I did the right thing” good.  Got it?  Next, once you are aware of a behavior that has not been serving you, take RESPONSIBILITY for your actions and reactions to life.  This is where most people get stuck.  The big “R” word!  Many people run what I call “victim consciousness” and blame everyone they can find and every past experience for who they are and how they behave.  YOU are the only one responsible for your life.  No matter what your past experiences you always have a chance to choose differently.  It is only up to you…no one else!  Lastly, CHOOSE a different behavior.  This takes time.  You end up in what I call “the void” for awhile as you play with different behaviors to replace your old one that suit you now.  Keep trying and keep choosing.  Find the one that makes you feel best and gives you the results you are looking for.  Make sure your behaviors do not just benefit you but do good for all involved.

We all have past experiences that haunt us but learn to feel the feelings of the experience, release them, and then let the experience go but keep the lesson.  Don’t drag everything that has ever happened to you in your whole life with you around all of the time.  That is exhausting.  Leave yourself open to new experiences, new emotions and ne
w choices.

Life is waiting for you and it has beautiful gifts to give…if you let it.  😉

Forever growing, loving and learning,

Chris

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.

And NO…I am not talking about your ex!

Monday night I came home late from a business dinner, walked up to my front door and as I looked down to step up onto my porch I saw the biggest slug in existence!  Then, as I came home Tuesday evening from my daughters chorus concert, I walk in the house, take off my heels and on my shoe is a baby slug!  Now some of you are saying, “What’s the big deal…that’s just a coincidence.”  But the way MY brain works is, “Hmmmm, what the heck is the significance of a slug?”  Then I started to think even deeper…”What does a slug DO all day?”  “What is a slug’s PURPOSE?”
Life purpose is a common theme in coaching.  Many people are searching and desperately want to know, “Why am I here?” “What is my purpose?”  Purpose refers to the special gifts you, and ONLY you, bring to the Universe to give.  What is it you are here to affect?  (Notice I did not say DO!)  Purpose is often confused with a “job” and although you can express your purpose through your job (my purpose is to heal and teach and I express my purpose through writing and speaking) it is not what you DO for a living that is your purpose.  IT IS WHO YOU ARE and HOW you express who you are in this moment.

Knowing everything in life has a deeper meaning and purpose, I couldn’t help myself so I looked up the spiritual meaning of a slug.  What I found was fascinating!!

Slugs are actually very Divine creatures.  As simple as they are, at the same time they are complex.  The slimy trail left by slugs as they crawl (which is iridescent meaning they leave no mark that they were there) in ancient times was used as sacred writing to predict a future marriage partner.  They cannot see shapes and colors, only light and shadow, explaining their tendency to move silent and slow just like darkness moves toward light.  They are healers and teach us about letting go (leaving the “junk” in our life behind such as rumors, bad feelings, limiting beliefs, attachments, and so on) and at the same time teach us about holding on (knowing our priorities and holding on to those things we deem as important).  Slugs represent strength and higher vision, being made mostly of pure muscle and representing the strength and willingness to accept change when new opportunities or people are presented to us on our path.

Lastly, our friend the slug is very deceiving…in a good way.  He is simple in terms of physical appearance and habits yet able to accomplish amazing feats such as climbing to great heights and hanging upside down for long periods of time.

We all have within us things we cannot even comprehend are there.  Gifts that are amazing that will help us reach new heights…gifts that express your purpose.

________________________________________________

With thanks to our friend the slug, ask yourself the following:

“Am I staying cloaked and afraid in any area of my life and unwilling to come out and express my inner strengths and talents?”

“Do I have self-integrity?  Do I DO what I SAY and are my actions and behaviors in line with my priorities?”

“Does everything I do bring me a good feeling inside?”

“Am I walking my own path or am I locked into the false belief of I am what other people think and walking the path of others?”

“Do I let my inner light shine daily…however that may be?”

“Do I trust my ability to create and trust that the Divine has my back, no matter what I choose?”

______________________________________________________

Walk your path step by step, day by day.  You do not have to search for your purpose.  Just relax into your life, BE YOU, and your path will effortless find you.

Letting my light shine,

Chris

Slug excerpts from:  
velvetdragon.comspiritslug.html
“Animal Wise” by Ted Andrews

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.

“We can only be made as new as we are willing to let go of who we have been.”  ~Guy Finley

Change is a funny thing.  Some thrive off of change and some do everything they can do avoid it.  One thing I will tell you that I have personally learned about change is that it is the only constant in our lives…like it or not, change is going to happen.  It is happening all around us at this moment.

Many do not like change because it puts them in a space of unknown.  As humans, we like certainty.  We like being able to predict what may happen and plan for how to handle it.  Pretty much, we like to control as many circumstances (and sometimes people) in our lives as possible because for some reason that makes us feel safe.  We think we have more control than we actually do…

I have watched many of my family and friends (and myself) continue to repeat old patterns simply due to the fact that we were afraid of changing the circumstances because of the “unknown factor.”  Did you ever look at your life and ask yourself, “Why do I keep attracting the same people or the same circumstances into my life over and over again?”  I recently asked myself this question in regards to my relationships.  I seemed to attract the same type of men all of the time…ones who seemed nice on the surface but underneath were not what they claimed themselves to be.  When I was finally able to step back, after A LOT of pain I might add, and look at why this might be happening, I realized two things.  One, we are consistently given the same situations over and over again because there is a lesson that needs to be learned that we are just not learning.  And two, why are we not learning the lesson? Because we are afraid to change…afraid to change what we believe or what we are doing because of the “unknown.”  We constantly go back to similar situations, even if they cause us pain, because at least we know how to handle them…even if they bring us pain.  That seems safer than doing something new and dealing with an “unknown.”

To become more comfortable with the unknown you have to have faith…ACTIVE faith, that there is a higher power working in your favor.  A faith that everything happens for a reason and that everything, even though it may look “bad” on the surface, is for the higher good.  You need to realize that you are NOT in control, cannot control other people and their reactions to you and that your power comes from honoring yourself in everything you do.  How do you know if you’re honoring yourself?  Is what you are doing in alignment with your truth and highest ideals?  Is it honest?  Is it coming from a good intention that will benefit not only you but others?  Self-honor is self-love in action!
It is time to step up and change…do not be afraid.  Everyone, at a soul level is Divine and good, just align your actions with that Divine part of you.  Then you will understand the comfort of living in the unknown and feeling the warm wings of angels surround you with the faith you now carry.

I move forward fearlessly trusting that each step I take is perfectly and Divinely guided.

Honoring my true self,

Chris

“One doesn’t grasp a great truth.  One opens to it hoping that one day it will drift past your ear and be caught in the net of your awareness, then sink into the soul where it will resonate with the vibrating strings of the heart.”  ~Rev. Angela Peregoff

As we begin our week, we have just passed a whammy New Moon/Solar Eclipse, which happened on Sunday, as well as the end of the Wesak, a festival celebration of enlightenment.  I find this very fitting because New Moon’s signify new beginnings or what you would like to manifest in your life.  A solar eclipse amplifies the affects of a new moon and this one being in Gemini was a very powerful!

This week, what is coming forth is a time of enlightenment, life purpose, physical healing, overcoming fear of change and healing any old wounds from “father figures” in our lives;  all of these represented by the crystal Green Tourmaline.
Every Monday you hear me mention a power crystal that can help align your vibration with the lessons for the week, but animals can do this as well.  Lately, my friends and I have noticed the many messages the Universe is sending us through animals:  whether they be crows, hawks, Robins, cats, etc.  The Snow Leopard is the one I am being guided to highlight here because her message is very powerful and she is very aligned with the crystal Green Tourmaline.

The Snow Leopard’s message is the power of silence.  Snow Leopards know the power of silence, mindfulness and paying attention.  They teach us to be silent, alert and ready when opportunity presents itself.  Since life purpose will be a big part of the lessons this week, you must pay attention to how you are using your energy as well as making time for silence so the messages the Universe is trying to get to you come through.  It is hard for many people to be silent.  It doesn’t just consist of you sitting cross legged, fingers touching and chanting.  It can be anything from taking 5 minutes a day to concentrate on deep breathing to doing something you absolutely get lost in because you love it so much.  The key is to do something that opens your channels and shuts your busy mind down for just a few minutes.  Be present!  Focus on the now.  Remember, where your attention goes, energy flows and that is always what manifests in your life.

The Snow Leopard also knows how to make use of every ounce of energy.  You have more than enough energy to effectively meet your goals and usually always respond well under pressure. However, try not to over commit yourself.  Pursue your work with all of your energy but, also take time to rest and play.  When you do go out on a limb make sure that you land on your Snow Leopard’s strong, broad feet and stay in alignment with your priorities.  This will prevent you from sinking into more obligations and commitments. (Italic segments quoted from http://www.lilytherese.com/POWER1.HTM#snowleopard)

From now until tomorrow, take some time out for you to get in touch with what silences your mind.  Be open to what comes…even if it is pain.  If you want to allow the new in, you need to clear out the old.  It is like cleaning out
your closet…you need to look at each piece of clothing before you decide what you want to do with it.  Choose the clothes that make you feel good and get rid of the ones that make you cringe.

After all, you only ever look as good as you feel.  😉

Cleaning out her “closet” for her move to Arizona,

Chris

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.

“The Trial By Existence”
By Robert Frost

And from a cliff-top is proclaimed
The gathering of the souls for birth,
The trial by existence named,
The obscuration upon earth…

And the more loitering are turned
To view once more the sacrifice
Of those who for some good discerned
Will gladly give up paradise…

And none are taken but who will,
Having first heard the life read out
That opens earthward, good and ill,
Beyond the shadow of a doubt…

Nor is there wanting in the press
Some spirit to stand simply forth,
Heroic in its nakedness,
Against the uttermost of earth…

But always God speaks at the end:
“One thought in agony of strife
The bravest would have by for friend,
The memory that he chose the life;
But the pure fate to which you go
Admits no memory of choice,
Or the woe were not earthly woe
To which you gave the assenting voice.”

And so the choice must be again,
But the last choice is still the same;
And the awe passes wonder then,
And a hush falls for all acclaim.

And God has taken a flower of gold
And broken it, and used there from
The mystic link to find and hold
Spirit to matter till death come.

“Tis of the essence of life here,
Though we choose greatly, still to lack
The lasting memory at all clear,
That life has for us on the wrack
Nothing but what we somehow chose;
Thus are we wholly stripped of pride
In the pain that has but one close,
Bearing it crushed and mystified.

Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets and this poem in particular is my all-time favorite.  It hangs in my kitchen to remind me of my Sacred Contract.

We have been talking all week about forgiveness and ultimately, forgiveness comes about because of the consequences of choices that are made.  Excuse me for getting what some of you may call “woo-woo” for a minute, but I have been strongly guided to share this with you this morning.

As human beings, we were given by God the gift of free-will.  We were given the opportunity to make our own choices, good or bad.  With that gift came the responsibility of being held responsible and accountable for the choices that you make. (This is the whole idea around us creating our own heaven and hell).  In order to learn the lessons you scripted to learn in this lifetime, you scripted certain scenarios in order to give you the opportunity to learn those lessons.  If you wanted to learn forgiveness in this lifetime, you need to have something to forgive so you may have scripted with one of your soul mates (a person who you have been with in many lifetimes) to betray you so you had the opportunity to learn that lesson.  Where choice comes in is if you choose to embrace the opportunity to learn that lesson.  If not, trust me, you scripted yet another scenario to come around to give you a chance to learn it.  Why?  Because it is a CONTRACT!  You contracted to learn that this lifetime.  Each time an opportunity comes around and you choose to NOT learn the lesson, the next time it comes around it will be more intense and yes, more painful.  Why?  To get your attention.  Remember the band-aid analogy early in the week?  You need to feel a big OUCH in order to become aware there is a lesson there to learn.

The hardest part about this whole process is watching people you love go through their lives constantly avoiding their lessons and watching them go through pain.  We are only responsible for OUR OWN lessons and life; no one else’s.  Sometimes the best thing to do for someone else is to let them hit bottom and fall, and then be there to help them pick up the pieces.  Be their “net” as they walk the tight rope of life, as my friend Sara puts it; the one to be there to catch them when they fall and help them pick up the pieces.  Forgive them if forgiveness is in order but remember, forgiveness means you release the hold the event had on you energetically.  It does not mean what the person did to you was ok nor does it mean you have to allow them in your life.  That is always your choice.

For today and the weekend, take note of scenarios in your life that seem to be happening over and over again.  Whether it is money issues, attracting the same type of mate over and over again, losing a job time and time again; whatever it may be but LOOK at your life, take responsibility for your role in it and then ask yourself these questions about your choices going forward:

What are the consequences of this choice I am making?

Will this choice bring fulfillment and happiness to me and also to those who are affected by this choice?
Then you can move forward with a clear conscious to know you did the best you could at the moment, regardless of the results or what other people may think.  Ultimately, this is a one man show.  YOU are the one who is the star and YOU are the one that scripts the ending.  Make it a show worth watching…and living.

Making choices one day at a time,

Chris

For more information on Chris Sopa International, Inc. go to www.ChrisSopa.com.