Oprah's Lifeclass: On Living Fearlessly

Lifeclass, live in New York, was one of the hottest topic participated by a large audience, and I've got the opportunity to participate though live webcast.

I have learned that fear is inevitable, and is not bad at all. You only need to recognize the fear, but still have the courage to pursue whatever you endeavor. Fear can sabotage success if you listen to it more than just ignoring it. In my life, I used to have a lot of fear, but I have learned to persevere and conquer the fear that's pulling me down.

Oprah, on the interview asked 10 questions about 'living on fear' based on the discussion with Tony Robbins. It was indeed a thought-provoking queries that challenged me. Here's my answer to the questions:

1.    What is the story you are telling yourself right now? What self-limiting beliefs within that story?

I always tell myself that I have the courage and will to do things as planned. I have affirmations and beliefs that success follows if I put my concentration to whatever I need to accomplish.

Perseverance in Times of Despair

"In moments of despair, you must never lose hope. When feeling down, there is a reason to rise up. When feeling lost, there is always a chance to win. Dare to persevere and accept everything as it happens. Dare to survive and live a better and fulfilling life."

Winning in life is not all about the achievement of your highest hope and aspiration. It is about the challenges that you have to go through before you reach the peak of success. Sometimes, you are on the crossroads of finding the right path and choices. However, when things go differently than what you expect, you may lose hope and feel uninspired to move forward.

Failure is part of winning if you view it with optimism. To persevere and learn from mistakes is a challenge to make you become a better person. Nevertheless, absence of inspiration could lead to hopelessness; but enthusiasm drives you with energy to keep on fighting.

Despair could happen in the absence of inspiration. In hopeless situations, you are not giving a chance for the right opportunity to come, resulting to desperate actions, that may turn into regrets and suffering.

TAKING THE CHALLENGE

Life may present challenges to be accepted and not to take something for granted. What you have gone through in life have a great impact on your self-esteem. All experiences teach you a certain lesson: to overcome weakness and to develop strength.

Unfortunately, despair is something that is surprising. You must have faith that everything has a purpose and meaning. If you persist, you will reap a fulfilling reward thereafter.

Being desperate towards uncertainties will only lead to pessimism. It will result to another problem or failure if not acted upon in a right way. Thus, there may be no other way to control of what may happen in life, but there is a way to wholeheartedly accept it.

BECOMING A BETTER YOU

Overcoming the challenges is a lifelong undertaking. It never stops and gives us the chance to become stronger and better. There is no reason to quit, but a chance to revive; because challenges may continue to strike until lessons are learned.

You must never lose hope in moments of despair. When feeling down, there is a reason to rise up; and when feeling lost, there is always a chance to win. Dare to persevere and accept everything as it happens. Dare to survive and live a better and fulfilling life.

© 2012 Del Cusay

A Sparkling Life of Generosity

"We give light to those who are in the darkness; we give a light to those who are lost... and like a   light, we can live a sparkling life of generosity."

Blessings come into our lives at any moment and circumstance. Sometimes, it comes unexpectedly when we are already in our deepest despair and lose hope in what we are praying for. Occasionally, we interpret blessings as God's way of letting us know we are being heard for what we wish and aspire to.

In our lives, we have received numerous blessings that answer our prayers. We have asked for it, and now it has been granted. Whatever we enjoy is first conceived in our mind that now becomes a reality. We have it because of our faith and firm belief that we will achieve our strongest desires.  Everything we are enjoying now is the result of our 'wishful thinking' or imagination because we are a product of our mind's incredible power. If we think about something and put our greatest concentration, affirmation, and action, then chances are we will get our wishes to come true.

ON GIVING BACK...

In life, we don't only receive graces, but we have to give back in return. If we have achieved our desires, we must share the positive energy to make our lives meaningful. In today's world, giving and receiving should be a two-way process to make it more balanced and fair. 

Those who are well-off and financially capable have a social responsibility. They can give their share through philanthropy. Hence, in the corporate world, they must do their corporate duties of providing a part of what they have earned. Less fortunate people also deserve some blessings. Some people live a life of discomfort and misery, and their hopelessness makes them feel that life is not worth living. 

It is in giving that we feel happy and contented. Giving something would mean we have enough. Giving away shows we care. Giving wholeheartedly without expecting something in return; is generosity.

Generosity is a good quality that we must practice. Even our little contribution makes us feel whole and have a sense of purpose. However, generosity comes in various ways and has its limitations; 

TO OUR FAMILY

We are loved, and we give love in return. No matter what happens, our family will be there to support us in all our aspirations. They provide comfort and guidance in our way of living. When having separate lives, we must not forget our family ties and still be generous to give back our love, care, and time.

TO THE SOCIETY

We can be generous by sharing our knowledge, expertise, and resources. It is a good feeling to become part of building up a better and more responsible society. What we do to our community will get back to us by providing a safer, more active, and purposeful organization. 

TO OUR GOD

It is good to give thanks with a grateful heart. Everything we have is a blessing from the Divine and borrowed for a limited time. The generosity we do reflects an 'open and big heart,' and such is an act of being spiritually connected to our purpose.

We give light to someone and to our environment through simple means of giving; we give light to those in the darkness; we provide light to those who are lost... and like a light, we can live a sparkling life of generosity.

© 2012 Del Cusay