Here are six simple steps for personal development and healing, which can rapidly improve how you see yourself and your world:

1. Willingness to Change
Many experience fear of change as an insurmountable obstacle. It is not necessary to leap off the cliff. One step at a time is sufficient—one step can change your focus and direction. Just be willing to change.

2. Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is developing awareness of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors behind your actions and reactions. It is receiving and noticing input both—external and internal—from body, mind, and senses. The process is ongoing.

3. Acceptance
The next step is accepting and owning all parts of you, including those that are hidden, disliked, or ignored.

Acceptance is simple and free; it can be done anytime and anywhere. It is allowing whatever is happening to unfold in its own time, irrespective of whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, convenient or inconvenient. It does not mean that you agree, disagree, want, or reject anything. Rather, you simply observe and let it be okay.

Remember—acceptance does not apply in a situation where your safety and security are at risk.

The act of acceptance removes the need for a situation to be other than it is in the present moment. Resisting what is happening or holding on to something that happened in the past, is the cause of a huge amount of pain and anxiety. This release allows and facilitates the flow of energy and movement, taking you to another, more comfortable, place.

However challenging or beyond comprehension it may appear, everything happens to help you grow and evolve into the best possible version of yourself.

4. Forgiveness
Forgiveness for self and others, whether victim or perpetrator, cuts ties to the past, freeing oppressive energy. The result is new possibilities for health and well-being. Again, it doesn’t imply agreement with or validation of a behavior or event. Many find forgiveness frees them to move forward with life.

5. Gratitude
Gratitude focuses on everything in a thankful way. Understanding and accepting that all experience is for our growth makes gratitude much easier. It may be helpful to start with something small: I am grateful for the air I breathe, food to eat, etc. The more you practice, the more there is to be grateful for, and the more refined gratitude becomes. Every event has been part of shaping you into the person you are, even the less positive experiences. A deepening appreciation increases your sense of well-being and peace of mind.

There are many ways to practice gratitude—meditation, prayer, ritual, verbal expression, and written expression (gratitude diary or journal). Experiment to find the most effective method for you.

6. Love
Love is honoring and appreciating all that you are, your uniqueness, your gifts, and your challenges—past and present. This is the place of real peace. It is only when we accept and truly love all aspects of the self (warts and all) that we can see clearly, and truly love another. The more we focus on self-love, the higher our vibration becomes, and we start to radiate this energy of love. It ripples out into home, family, workplace, etc., drawing to us more of the same (Law of Attraction).

Please note: It is not possible to change others; however, by changing ourselves, the world around us changes. It will be for your best interest, which may not be apparent immediately but become so with hindsight.

Self-love is the key to transforming your personal world and the world at large.
Taken from Searching… A Peek into the Invisible World of Energy and Healing by Donna Linn & Suzan J Wells. For questions and bookings contact Suzan at [email protected] or 07795517157