A New Year, a new “me”

2020 will attract a lot of attention; just wait to see how many people will talk about the year of perfect vision!

I have already spent many and many years and I don't know how many new years seemed to be the definitive ones, when I would finally achieve that dream, that change or that transformation. So I should lose hope on 2020, right?

No, not really. I think that every year has brought me closer to my dream - and in some of these years, I saw a few dreams come true. I know that I changed a lot as a person and even, in some areas of my life I have transformed.

The magic of the New Year does exist. It renews not only vague hopes or elusive dreams, but it gives me the possibility to reset my life, even if it is partial. And in this 2020, I want to use this beautiful number of interesting, though simple, symmetry, to stimulate me to reflect.

For me, and I hope for you too, this year I will have a great opportunity to renew myself and really be different. I will have 20 opportunities to be a new me.

In the physical, it will be an opportunity to opt for a healthier diet and, when I do physical exercises, change the way I perceive myself. I can change the way I dress or look for a house somewhere else and go to live there. I will travel a lot: I will travel every weekend or I will intend to travel to places that I had never thought of going before. Perhaps, it is time to study and work in another career.

What opportunities await you in the physical plan in this New Year?

There is another level that opens up many probabilities, related to your mind and emotions. Because this year I have the enormous possibility of cultivating another way of thinking and sustaining a positive attitude, despite the situations. Instead of worrying, I will deal with creative thoughts and fill my being with constructive emotions. It is time to use the power of my mind to its fullest extent, so I can turn my ideas that are so valuable into something physical.

What is your window of improvement in your mental and emotional capacity in this New Year?

It is in the spiritual that I have more hope of success, because it will be a year to meditate more, much more. I will work in my inner world, making it more stable and I will establish myself as a leader of the self. It will be the year not to react to situations, but to reflect and then do something. Everything is summed up to BE before HAVING or DOING. Finally, seek to experience the natural goodness of others and empower myself, at every step.

How much will you dedicate this year to the development of your spirituality?

What, Christmas again?

Since my childhood, I have noticed Christmas was not as exciting for adults as it was for me, a child. In fact, it seemed some people like my mother were even afraid of it, after all, around Christmas was the day she worked more than the whole year; she was a saleswoman.

Now, as an adult… what can I say?

I do love the time and period, the lights on the streets and a general distinct vibe in the air, but I think we have turned Christmas into a shopping experience, instead of a life changing event, which could be…

Because of the story of Christmas, you may see others under a different light. Just think there is a guiding star for every human being and your job is just helping them to see it. That is real Christmas!

And Christmas smiles emerge from the heart, not from some desire or just the need of pleasing another person. It is a real smile… something we should enjoy the whole year.

During Christmas, people are easy to reach, easy to talk and they are more open to listen to you, or just talk to you. It is the perfect moment you have been looking for a long time, when you at last get that I forgive you.

So, don’t let yourself down this Christmas, just refocus and pay more attention to the real spirit of this celebration.

A Big Hug for you, Merry Christmas!

A magic lamp!

It's like Aladdin's, but brighter. This lamp is called mind.

To activate this lamp, just rub it, that is, use your mind with a purpose instead of just letting it wander around... Let the hand of your best intentions touch your mind, making the best of it emerge.

In this magic lamp that we all have, there are unlimited treasures; really, you can achieve everything, not only for yourself but for people who are connected to you. When there is a clear purpose and focus, everything is possible.

But check your intentions while using your mind. One tip: the more selfless you are, the more powerful the outcome will be.

Like every lamp, there is a hidden genius waiting to be released, which is the force that your mind will use to bring about what you need and want to achieve. Actually, your magic lamp is so broad that it contains THREE GENIUS. The first and most important is that of a determined thought.

Sit peacefully and focus your mind on what you need, touching it gently with pure intentions. Now, let your mind generate the thoughts that can make the impossible become possible.

And do not be diverted! A determined thought is the match that transforms a candle into light... Think, speak and act.

The second genius is very special and important, helping you to overcome the obstacles of the path, because it will MOTIVATE you all the time. It's about constructive emotions.

One of the key reasons why we do not achieve what we have in mind are obstacles and adversities in general, which take away our desire, and frustrate and discourage us.

Therefore, fill yourself with positivism by talking with optimistic people, watching news that helps you increase hope, and discussing topics related to love, peace and happiness... The more you feed your constructive emotions, the more easily you will overcome obstacles.

The last genius is related to a process of introspection and reflection necessary to process what is happening. They are the feelings that exist on a deeper level than the emotions.

From time to time, stop along the way, look in the mirror of your own existence and recognize what exists within you, the feelings that come before emotions and even thoughts.

They come from your beliefs and serve to turn into memorable the incredible effort that your lamp will make: change your reality.

From disempowerment to empowerment

I have been working on the topic of empowerment for many years, since I realized the importance of power in life: that’s what we have that comes from within and helps us to defeat obstacles, to reinvent ourselves and to attain success.

However, I have noticed that there has been a decrement in the awareness of power; I would dare to say we are reaching very high levels of global disempowerment. How to turn this around? I would like to explore three of the present paradigms that show disempowerment and how to change that:

• Aloneness and short-term relationships. People are either choosing to live by themselves or they have relationships that last very little time, creating a unique situation for the family-based societies, governments, the economy and many other levels.
• The deep dissatisfaction, from citizens to government officers. In the past, this was a common trace of a dictatorial government, but nowadays even very well consolidated democracies are facing this, which may be considered a worldwide movement.
• The fake media. Instead of a media that covers matters and subjects into their depth, the social network has opened the doors to all kind of information and news are often short and inaccurate, generating the chance for fake news and deepfakes.

Why does this indicate the growing disempowerment and how to reverse this trend?

First of all, the main reason people are alone is not that they don’t need others because they are so satisfied and fulfilled; reality is there is not enough strength to try and live with other people, by accommodating to others’ way of living. One way of solving it is to invest time in developing more assertiveness and dialogue techniques, which will help in creating new bridges between people.

That dissatisfaction also reaches the social level, which used to happen in non-democratic countries and people of democratic countries used to point and say well, that’s the result of dictatorship. By happening in a democracy, it shows people’s disempowerment as the big irony is that people are marching and protesting against people they themselves have put in that position... The empowerment in terms of citizenship comes from developing better criteria to use at time of election and to know more about the government and social structure, so learning ways of promoting change in a more effective way.

Last but not the least, information has always had a deep impact in our mindset and good powerful information helps us to feel more empowered. Let’s add to that truthful; if the news is not real, the effect tends to be the opposite, particularly when facts come out and the person realizes they believed in something false, losing self-confidence. On one hand, control the news that come to you and don’t believe in them just like that; on the other hand, prioritize more in relation to which information is relevant to you, and focus on that, leaving other pieces of data aside.

I am here, what about you?

A typical scene nowadays, anywhere in our very modern world: a group of friends sitting together, all of them looking into their own cell phones, apparently ignoring the rest of people around them, even though they are very good friends.

We live in a world of people who are not present. A few are working at one place different than the place they are sitting or standing; others, are looking for fun somewhere else and in many cases, they don’t even know where their actions are taking them to. Many others are trying to evade and escape the present reality.

But, I am here. Even though I am so busy, I am still here…

Maybe I can’t be present all the time, but I chose and decide to make that special effort to be where I am and to be what I really am, along with others.

Would you like to try? Try to disconnect yourself for a while from the whole world and be present at the small space you occupy. Try to look into the eyes of others and appreciate the nature around you or the wonderful city you where you live.

That will generate an alignment, enabling your mind to perform better and helping you to make better decisions. That will improve your life in general, and I am sure it will help others to appreciate you even more…