How to be FREE: Passover Lessons

I got this from my mail box thru my subscriptions at beliefnet.com. I thought it was just in time for the celebration of the Holy Week and I would like to share it here in my blog.

How to Liberate Yourself

We all long to be free from the struggles, fears, hurts and resentments which creep into our lives. We are all entitled to the liberation from them which is promised by the Passover story. Here are ten steps, inspired by Passover traditions both ancient and contemporary, which will help you liberate yourself and enjoy the freedom you deserve.

THROW IT AWAY

Pick a small symbol of whatever is holding you back, and throw it away. Declare that for a specific period of time, say a week, you are simply not going to accept the presence of that problem in your life.

TREAT YOURSELF

Treat yourself to something new that makes you feel fresh -- a new garment or anything else which, when worn, used, etc. makes you feel like you deserve a do-over and are getting one.

Hmm. What a good way to really start fresh! And just in time for the coming school holidays.

GOOD DEEDS

Go out and do something nice for somebody else. It need not be big, but there is no better path to empowerment than serving another person in need.

Well, I just might be able to do so. And this particular help I have in mind is going to make the other person really feel special because it’s a very important event in her life.

REFLECT

Take a moment to identify some things that are already going well. Where do you see even the first signs of new positive potential emerging in your life? They need not be big to be real.

Sometimes we forget to notice the blessings that we receive because they are not that grand or life-changing. Every positive thing, no matter how small, that happens in our lives is something to be thankful for. Sometimes even a negative happening deserves our thanks for it makes us a little bit wiser and a lot stronger.

EMPATHY

Consider where you see others wrestling with challenges in their lives, and think about what you could do to lighten their burden. What abilities do you possess that could brighten someone else’s life?

I don’t really have any special abilities. But if by listening to someone share his/her bad experiences, even if we are only acquaintances, makes him/her feel slightly better, I am willing to do so. I have done it so many times before some people even thought that I was a fake – pretending to be nice to someone I don’t even know personally. But I guess that is just how I was raised. I don’t choose who to listen to or give advice to, as long as it’s needed.

GET SUPPORT

Don’t go it alone. Identify people who could share in your process of liberation and invite them to be part of your circle of support.

I’m quite lucky to have a BIG support group – my immediate family, my in-laws, my close friends, my long distance friends, my co-parent volunteers. It just keeps on growing. I couldn’t ask for more.

LIMIT YOUR WORRIES

Articulate a limited number of challenges, no more than four, and limit your worry to that short list. You have to start somewhere and this is where you choose to do so. The rest can wait.

This is something I am really good at – worrying. I’m a worry-freak and sometimes it just hinders me from really enjoying the moment. Instead of 4, I should just limit the challenge to 1. Because I know that Someone up there (pointing up) will take care of the rest and help me get through them one by one, in His time. No worries.

GET INSPIRED

Find stories of people who have overcome similar challenges and share those stories with your circle of support. If it worked for others, it can work for you.

I’ve always loved reading inspirational books. It’s true, no two people are alike, and no two people can be in similar situations. But I believe that we can always learn something from their stories. And what we have learned, we can pass on to others.

BE GRATEFUL

Make a list of the people and things for which you can be grateful no matter how jammed up your life may otherwise be. Make sure to say ‘thank you’ to those who make the good stuff happen. Gratitude is liberating.

We should be grateful for even the little things in life. Everything we have is a gift. Everyone we meet is a blessing.

FLESH OUT YOUR DREAMS

Articulate your dreams, even if you have no idea about how to make them come true, or any rational expectation that they will. If there was, they would not be dreams. And once you articulate them, you are that much closer to making them real.

I remember an advice in one of the books I’ve read – write your dreams and they will come true. When we write our dreams and see them in paper, we are constantly reminded of what we want to achieve. We tend to focus on them and make steps towards achieving them. There’s nothing wrong in dreaming. Dream big, achieve even bigger! Not I gotta put that in action.

Source: Passover Lessons