“So far as ye are able, ignite a candle of love in every meeting, and with tenderness rejoice and cheer ye every heart.”    Abdu’l Baha

One of the first keys to any transformation experience is the ability to have a positive experience and then remember it.    Because of the way the world is often organized, many of us live our lives according to the dictates of someone else, usually  a leader.   This leads to an inability to remember our own positive experiences.    We might pray for change,  meditate to try to quiet our minds, but then not stick around for what the spirit might tell us.   This is partly due to the belief in many of us that the space around us does not belong to us.   It belongs to the leader or the government or our parents or whoever is above us.

What is helpful is to believe that the space around you belongs to you and you can share it with others.   You cannot transform yourself by believing that the space belongs to someone else, because then you always have to ask for permission from someone else to change and to act.   Transformation is the space that everyone has been given by God.   The earth belongs to you and everyone else at the same time.  There is no ownership when it comes to transformation.

When you are feeling uncomfortable in a space, you can simply say that this space belongs to me.  This space is mine.   Then it is yours.  It helps you take control of your own transformation process.

Today’s exercise is to remember positive experiences where you felt really great.   First remember a single experience that was amazing.   Go inside and hear, see, taste, touch, and feel the experience.  Then ask yourself to name one of the virtues you demonstrated like awe or joy.  Then repeat the exercise 9 times with 9 virtues.

For instance, today I went for a run in the Botanical Gardens in Singapore.   I was so carried away with awe and wonder that it just sent my mind into all kinds of positive thoughts and possibilities.