The Gratitude Walk

One of the greatest benefits of being a Mind Transformation Coach is that in order to help my clients transform their lives I must have the courage to transform my own life first. This means that I must explore the depths within my being and test out any tools and techniques on myself before sharing them.

I am silently, yet constantly exploring these depths, and I’ve noticed that the deeper I go, the more fascinated I become about myself. Instead of this leading to arrogance of knowledge, it leads to humility, and a sense of wonder. Because the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know, and this sets me off on an even deeper journey of self-discovery and exploration.

I do not share many of these insights in my articles because they are fairly deep, although I do share the simple ones, which the readers can adopt into their lives.

Recently, my dreams have been guiding me towards exploring the idea of oneness. I do not know the reason for this, but whenever I get a message in my dreams, I always follow it. So, as I set off on my early morning walk, I set my intention on oneness, even though I had no idea what it was. I simply walked with my highest level of mindfulness or awareness for three days. That’s for about an hour each day, I did not walk for three days straight.

By the third day, as I embodied the sense of mindful walking, it triggered a sense of gratitude and oneness for all that I could perceive. I noticed that my level of awareness was raised to such a point, which would be so difficult to describe in words. The only way I could express it is through the words of the Persian poet Rumi where he writes, “witness the blessing dropping their blossoms around you”.

This experience was so wonderful that I simply wanted to hold on to it as my consciousness kept on shifting from the experiencer to the experience and back. Whenever I would experience 100% presence, my mind would jump back into experiencer-mode. For example, as I looked at the blade of grass near the bench I was about to sit on, I felt a sense of oneness with the grass, there seemed to be no separation. I realized that the grass, air, earth, sunshine, the people passing by, the singing of the birds, the sounds of the traffic, and everything else that was happening at that very moment was one with me. The moment that I acknowledge this oneness with creation, I bounced out of experience-mode to experiencer-mode, where I was now the witness of this creation. I started to enjoy this fascination and started to play around with this idea of experiencer and experience.

This was very similar to my experiences of meditation and lucid dreaming where I am a witness to my thoughts, emotions, body, and dream interactions. This is why witnessing is expressed in terms of the meditator being the sky, and the thoughts and emotions being the clouds. The meditator experiences oneself as the sky, simply without judgment observing the clouds passing by. However, the difference is that now, I was not experiencing this in a state of meditation or dreams, but in wakefulness, or could I say almost full-wakefulness?

I would like to share a technique that you could easily adopt so that you can experience a sense of oneness that is right for you. For the next three days, I would like to invite you to make a commitment to yourself – it’s called the “Gratitude Walk”.

Set aside 15-20 minutes for the next three days, preferably at the same time each day. Also choose to walk down the same road each day. Before you start your walk, set an intention that you will walk with “absolute gratitude and mindfulness”. This intention will program your mind to focus on your intention for the next 15-20 minutes. As you walk, observe life around you with a sense of wonder and gratitude. You will suddenly notice objects, places, trees, etc. that you’ve never noticed before, even though you’ve walked on that path many times.

For example, as I walked with mindfulness and gratitude, I noticed fire hydrants that I had never seen. As I passed by these fire hydrants, I felt a sense of gratitude. After all, if there is ever a fire in a building; the fire hydrant would be responsible for saving so many lives. All I could say was “Thank you fire hydrant”. In the same manner, there was so much more that I noticed during this walk, which I was never grateful for before.

Ultimately, whether you experience a similar sense of oneness like I did or not, you will benefit from the positive energy that you gain from the Gratitude Walk. Although, I am sure that if you continue this practice of the Gratitude Walk for a few weeks, you will have an experience that is far beyond your imagination, yet just right for you.

Finally, I would like to empower you with the powerful words of Rumi – “wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life”.

Receive Answers From the Universe in Your Dreams

One of the most exciting subjects that I explore with my clients is how to get answers from the Universe, either in their waking or dream state. I enjoy this subject as much as they do; it’s powerful and transformative. It brings so much clarity and a sense of oneness within them.

In many of my articles and videos, I have talked about how I’ve connected with beings of higher consciousness in my dreams to get answers to my questions, or simply explore what is possible beyond the physical dimensions. At times in may be Shirdi Sai Baba, Satya Sai Baba, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, Guru Nanik, ascended masters, angels, spirit guides or even my higher self.

So today, I decided to discuss this subject briefly so that you can get started on this exciting journey of receiving answers from the Universe in your dreams.

Allow me to illustrate this to you with a simple personal experience. For those of you who know me, my body has been diabetic for over 20 years and I inject insulin everyday. However, this was never a problem until I lost partial vision. When my vision reduced, I was unable to see the needle because it is extremely tiny, and I would be required to uncap and cap the needle back when I was finished. I try to cap the needle with my magnification glasses a couple times, but was unsuccessful. In fact, I even poked myself a few times. This needle poke was quite painful and created a fearful memory within me. Whenever I would attempt to cap the needle, the fearful memory would arise and send chills down my spine. However, I needed to find a solution to this, because I couldn’t depend on my parents help every time.

One evening it occurred to me that I should ask the Universe for an answer, and so I did. Early the next morning I woke up from a dream, which gave me the answer, on exactly how to solve the problem. Before breakfast, I followed the exact procedure on the insulin injection, and was able to cap the needle safely. What’s even more fascinating is that the fearful memory also cleared during my dream. I no longer felt the chills in my spine when my finger would get close to the needle. Today, I even cap the needle with my eyes closed.

We all have the capacity to connect with our higher self, sub-conscious mind, super-conscious (mind of God), angels, spirit guides, or ancestors etc. Unfortunately, many people believe that this is only the capability of certain elevated individuals. This is false. Everyone has this capability, but it must be cultivated and enhanced.

The easiest way to get answers is to use your dreams because this is the time when the bridge between the conscious, sub-conscious, and super-conscious mind is open. Information is able to freely flow across these states of mind. The challenge, however, is that many people are unaware of this state. For this reason, even though the answers are coming through, they are unable to see, hear or feel it.

The first step to get answers in your dreams is to first become aware that you are dreaming. With most individuals, there is no separation between the dream and the dreamer. Once you become aware that you are the dreamer during the dream, you can choose to remember the information that has come through. However, to be “awake” in your dream state, you must first become “awake” in your waking state.

Every person has different learning styles, and due to the limited scope of this article, I will not discuss this in depth. Although, if you want to experience a deeper connection with the Universe, then you can follow this simple technique to raise your awareness in your awaking state.

The technique is to simply cultivate the sense of wonder within you. Today, life has become so mundane for many people that they have lost this sense of wonder. But, they fail to realize how powerful this sense is.

The sense of wonder will instantly raise your level of awareness. For example, if you visit a new city, you’re excited to explore, so your sense of wonder and awareness is raised so that you don’t miss out on anything exciting. Alternately, when you walk down the same road to work everyday, there is no sense of wonder, no sense of awareness. You are lost in your own thoughts and are practically unconscious of your surroundings.

Therefore, to start receiving answers to your questions from the Universe, you must raise your ability to see, hear, and feel deeply. In fact, the universe is always answering your questions; it’s just that you’re not listening.

I invite you to start your journey of awareness with the desire of experiencing the magic of existence around and within you. I assure you that this will be the greatest gift that you will give to yourself and the world.

 “Your own self-realization is the greatest service you can render on the world” – Ramana Maharshi

Be Super Positive Workshop

A Big Thank You to everyone who attended my “Be Super Positive” workshop yesterday. Also, it was wonderful to receive the shiny Best Speaker award!

-- About the workshop - Be Super Positive by managing your thoughts, emotions, and energy.

-- In this workshop you will learn:
• The benefits of being Super Positive
• Three energies that determine your positivity
• Four types of thoughts and how to manage them
• The effects of seven major emotions
• Technique to instantly clear unhealthy emotions
• Technique to enhance positive emotions
• Tips to avoid negativity within and around you
• The power of purpose
• …and much more. 

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- About the Workshop Coach
Dino Daswani (Mind Transformation Coach) 

As a Certified Master Life & Business Success Coach, Dino has realized that empowering others gives him true joy. Dino has a Master’s degree in Leading Innovation & Change from York St. John Univ. (UK), and incorporates Pranic Healing & Hypnotic NLP in his coaching practice. In addition he also shares his wisdom through his website as well as articles published in magazines.

Dino’s personal transformation occurred when he suddenly lost partial vision and was forced to face the uncertainties in life, and discover his purpose. Today, through his transformation, 

Dino feels tremendous joy and empowerment by coaching and inspiring others.

You can learn more about Dino on his website Blissperience – Experience Bliss (www.blissperience.com)

-- Would you like to attend Dino’s upcoming workshops and webinars? – Ask for details. 

Can You Win the Blame Game?

The Blame Game – you love this game if you’re on top, and absolutely hate it when you’re on the bottom. This is the game that is played by everyone, in every walk of life. You’ll find politicians, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, teachers, students, parents, terrorists, and even many so called “highly revered” spiritual gurus playing this game. It may seem that the blame game has become part of our nature, but the truth is that this is an acquired behavior, not our true nature.

I was totally awesome at this blame game. I blamed my parents for all the challenges in my life. I blamed them for all the countries to which we had to relocate, because I had to leave my old friends and find new ones. I blamed them for moving to Taiwan because it was so difficult for a foreigner to find a job. I even blamed them for my health conditions; after all it was due to their defective genes that I was sick, wasn’t it?

However, I realized that whenever I blamed my parents, there would be no resolution. By not accepting their “fault” for my life, it was left up to me to take responsibility. This simple conviction and resolution to take control of my life changed my attitude and behavior. Unfortunately, the blame game did not end here, since I had many deep-rooted beliefs that were surfacing in the form of blame.

So, when I lost partial vision, which was a huge challenge for me, once again I started the blame game. Although, this time I could not blame my parents because they were suffering from my pain as much as I was, or even more. Therefore, my blame turned towards God. Unfortunately, God did not become defensive, take responsibility, or justify Himself. Due to God’s non-responsiveness, I turned the blame upon myself, upon my Karma.

The situation I have described here may be different for you, but the context is the same. First we blame our parents, friends, and society, next we blame God, and finally we blame ourselves. Based on my experience none of these types of blame games are healthy or resolve the situation. It’s simply a way to escape from the responsibility to take any action.

Therefore, if you have the courage and inner resolve to put an end to this blame game, here are a few mind shifts that you can adopt.

·      Observe life from a higher perspective – Observe from a mindset that everything happens for a reason, and the situation has contributed or will contribute to the expansion of someone’s consciousness. At best, allow it to raise your consciousness. Either choose to take some action to prevent the situation from occurring in the future, or change your mindset on how you perceive the situation. In addition, if the individual has taken responsibility for the situation and accepted the mistake, it’s time to quit the blame game. Unfortunately, very often, we bring up the situation and create unnecessary conflict. Why?

Simply because we haven’t developed mindfulness, and our reactions are automatically triggered whenever that individual annoys us.

·   

   Raise your level of mindfulness – People will tell you that you always have control over your behavior and attitude. I would disagree. Most people don’t have control of their attitude because their lives are running on autopilot. The habits that they have developed and strengthened over time are dictating their thoughts, speech, and actions. To take back control in your life, you must first raise your level of awareness by practicing mindfulness. Start by observing your emotions, and then observe the thoughts behind those emotions, and finally the beliefs behind those thoughts. Once you are able to become aware of your beliefs in the present moment or at the time that you’re blaming, you can re-focus your awareness into recognizing that belief, and then you can clear it.

·      Cultivate the art of acceptance - We all face challenges in life, and will continue to do so. This is the nature of existence and the key to our expansion. However, because we do not accept our current situation or life as it is, we slow down our growth. In addition, realize that because you are involved in the situation, you are also partly responsible. Your soul’s contract has placed you in that situation for your personal development. Most importantly, the lesson may be to learn acceptance.

·      Recognize your hidden agenda - Are you blaming someone because you are jealous of them? Maybe their life has been flowing well, with very little effort, and no matter how hard you try, you have to struggle in every situation. Could it be that you are blaming someone because you unconsciously have some grudge against that person? This may be the opportunity for you to learn how to forgive others, yourself, and notice if there are any other hidden agendas in your beliefs.

In conclusion, remember that the past cannot be changed; only the perspective of the past can be changed. And changes must start in the present, if you have made the decision to take responsibility.

Finally, the blame game will continue until the blamer takes responsibility of his own life and forgives the individual who “so called” was being blamed for the situation. This behavior is ultimately caused because of deep-rooted beliefs as well as our minds being programmed by our family, society, education, and especially, the media.

I invite you to shift your mindset and decide not to participate in any blame game. Take full responsibility of your life, and accept every situation that you cannot control. By putting a stop to this blame game, you will save a lot of time, energy, and maintain good relationships.

“I pay no attention to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings” – Mozart

Is True Happiness Within You

Ask yourself a simple question before every action – “Why am I doing this?”

You will realize that the purpose of every action is to become happy, either today or in the future. This is the root cause of every action, regardless of whether the action is moral or not.

However, have you realized that many of your actions backfire? Instead of bringing you happiness it brings you sorrow? Think about this for a moment, we become excited to start a new job, and over the months we discover that our boss is a control freak, so we feel sorrow. We get married to be happy, and realize that we cannot change our husband or wife, and we feel sorrow. We buy a new car to feel happy, and then realize that our neighbor has bought a better car, and we feel sorrow. Our lives have become a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys – feelings of joy and sorrow.

Many years ago, I was in this situation. My feelings of happiness were dependent on how life responded to my desires. If life was happening according to my wishes, I was happy, otherwise I wasn’t. It was that simple.

In 2009 when I realized that I would have to live the rest of my life with low-vision, this so called roller coaster of emotions came to a complete stop at the bottom – which was suicidal depression.  Basically, I considered suicide because I was moving away from my pain towards happiness and freedom, which would come after death. However, there was still a part of me that wanted to live, heal, and be able to enjoy life in spite of my low-vision condition.  

As I reflected on my life’s situation, I remembered the popular phrase of many wise saints - “true happiness is within you”. Haven’t you heard this before? But, they never tell us exactly where it is; they just say, “It’s within you”.

If true happiness is within us why it is so difficult to find it? Shouldn’t it be much easier to find a treasure within you, instead of having to search the entire planet?

So, I embarked on a journey to find the truth behind this statement. I began this inward journey to find true happiness.

I started to meditate and search inwards, and this is what I discovered within the darkness as I closed my eyes.

When we close our eyes, we see darkness, isn’t it? 
In the same way, for example, if you walk into a room and the lights are off, you will not see anything, because it is dark. 
But when you turn on the light, you will see there are objects, tables, chairs, and people. 
In the same way when we close our eyes, we see darkness, until we shine some light.

When we shine this light, in the form of awareness or attention, we start to see, hear, and feel what is within us. 
We experience our emotions, intentions, desires, fears, blame, regret, love, and much more. 
In this state, I experienced all these emotions, and more. 
In addition, I felt a sense of peace lingering from somewhere within me but I could not find the source of it. Although, I realized something strange – this sense of peace was giving me a feeling of happiness and freedom. I was awe-struck!

I realized that this feeling of peace and happiness was always within me, but I had suppressed it. I was so focused on gaining happiness from outside, that I did not even consider looking inwards. And, to make matters worse, my situation made me feel that I did not deserve happiness. This was another shocking revelation.

So, over the next few weeks, during my meditation, in a gentle manner, I started to shine more light (awareness) on this feeling of peace, happiness, as well as many limiting beliefs that I noticed.

As we treat a flower, I offered water and sunshine (nourishment) to my suppressed feelings and allowed it to blossom. Flowers of peace, happiness, confidence, and wisdom started to grow, and it continues even today. I can honestly say that most of the day, more than 90% of the time, I’m at peace, I’m happy, and there is an inner smile. At times, I even ask myself, “Why am I happy?” and I cannot find a reason – I am happy for no reason. But, the truth is that I’m happy and peaceful, not because of anything, but simply because that is who I am.

I have come to the conclusion that the wise men were always right – happiness is within you. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that many of you will not find this true happiness. Why?

Because you are too afraid to look within yourself. You are subconsciously aware that when you unlock this so called “treasure chest” within you, you will also encounter feelings and emotions that you have suppressed your entire life. In addition you are also afraid of the limitless potential that you will discover within, because you don’t believe that you will be able to live up to who you truly are. Marianne Williamson expresses this very well in a poem, where she writes, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us”.

As always, my number one suggestion is to practice meditation. But many of you will not choose this path, because you feel that it’s too difficult. That is false, however if you choose to believe it, then I will not change your belief. So, here is another technique.

Cultivate a sense of enthusiasm, since now you know that we are all motivated by the same force – happiness. However, the manner in which we approach happiness differs between individuals. Some of us seek happiness through extrinsic factors (outwards) such as wealth, fame, and beauty while others seek happiness intrinsically (inwards) through purpose or mastery in some discipline.

If you are extrinsically motivated, you may achieve your desires, but that journey will be filled with frustration and fatigue. Alternatively, if you are intrinsically motivated you will always be full of energy, grace, and creativity. And ironically, the intrinsically motivated individuals also attain the extrinsic rewards of wealth, fame, and inner beauty.

Finally once you’ve discovered this inner happiness and peace, it will become an expression of you. Whatever you choose to do will be from a place of happiness, instead of seeking happiness. Without a doubt you will experience moments of peace and happiness that are not dependent on any situation or person. This is when the flowers of peace and happiness have blossomed in your garden, and you will have no other choice but to share these flowers with everyone you encounter.

 “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Gandhi