by Nanci Deutsch

To wake up each day and feel happy to be alive and inspired to create is possible. Every day we can feel empowered to speak our truth, set limits and boundaries and practice essential self-care. To do this, begin with practicing the following three principles:

The first principle is connection. We can learn to develop a greater connection with our feelings, our breath and our body, and practice becoming present by grounding. One of the ways to ground is by feeling our feet on the earth, whether in nature or at home. Bring awareness to the sensations as you place your feet in the sand, on the grass or even on the wood floors and carpet of your home. Breathe it in. Before we can make a deeper connection with others, connecting with ourselves is crucial. 

Another aspect of this principle is to make a deeper connection with oneself and the universe by having more self-awareness, spending time in solitude and connecting to the deeper and higher aspects of oneself such as our Higher Self (a wise and unconditionally loving part of ourselves) and our soul. 

The second principle is self-love. The more we learn to love and believe in ourselves, the more our lives will change. Learning how to connect more deeply with ourselves will foster more self-love. Learning self-acceptance, self-respect and self-forgiveness are all important aspects of self-love. No matter where we are on our path of growth, expanding into more self-love is essential. 

We are infinite beings having a human experience and part of that experience is learning to love ourselves. We can choose to love ourselves in any moment, by placing a hand on our heart, feeling it’s beat, connecting to our breath and saying, “I choose to love me.” Making it a choice is empowering.

The third principle is making decisions and acting by first tuning into and listening to our intuition. Our intuition is our gift from the Divine that can guide us every step of the way to creating a life we love. Before we can tune in, we need to quiet our mind or clear our energy, ask for guidance, and then allow the answers to be received. Tools such as meditation, prayer, yoga and journaling can all be ways to clear our energy so we can connect more deeply to ourselves and receive the guidance that wants to come through.