This morning, I opened my inbox to find my daily email from the Daily Om. If you have not checked it out, I heartily recommend it. The goal of Daily Om is to nurture the mind, body and spirit by providing daily informative, thought-provoking and inspiring thoughts on ways to live a more spiritual and meaningful life that also affects our physical, mental, and emotional health. Often, I find them fodder for deeper contemplation and further discussion. In addition to the inspirational articles, they offer a number of low cost (You decide how much you can pay.) classes that assist you in dealing with life issues that most of us confront each day.

Since I find them so noteworthy, I want to share them with you. With that in mind, I’ve decided to post one on my blog every Thursday. My hope is that you, too, will find that they offer an alternate that can inform your circuitous life’s journey. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Below, you will find the first Daily Om missive.

Changing Roles: As We Ebb And Flow Through Life

“We all have our own life story. It is filled with relationships and events that help shape who we are and what we believe to be true about the world. Depending on our perspective and willingness to grow, our experiences can become fodder for negativity and patterns of playing the victim, or they can fuel a life of empowerment and continued self-development. It is the story we tell ourselves about what happens that makes all the difference.

Take a moment to look at the life story you create for yourself on an ongoing basis. If you generally feel peaceful about the past and trust in your ability to handle whatever comes your way, then you are framing circumstances in a manner that serves you well. On the other hand, if you retain a lot of guilt or resentment and often feel weighed down by life, you may want to start telling yourself a new version of past and present events. No matter who the characters are in your story or what they have done, you are the only one who can give their actions the meaning they will have for you. You are the only one who can define what role you will play in your own life. By taking responsibility for your story, you are able to learn and grow, forgive and find compassion, and most importantly, move on into a brighter future.

From now on, you can choose a life story that supports you. Let it be proof of your own resilience and creativity. Be kind with the roles you give yourself and generous with how many chances you get to learn what you need to know. When you remember that you are the author of your own story, you are free to create a masterpiece.”