Be Yourself, peace is easy when you know where to look.

One deadly misconception that limits many in the Eastern and Western spiritual scene, whether it is new age philosophies or religious philosophies, is the idea that it is very difficult to know true freedom from our negative feelings, beliefs, desires and emotions. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Another area that leaves many seekers stuck or want-to-be seekers put off, is the confusion and lack of clarity around what role the teacher has in helping them realize this freedom from personal suffering. Whether you consider your teacher to be Jesus Christ, Muhammed, Buddha, Osho, Papaji, John Doe or your local minister combined with any of the above, you would be wise to know exactly what role they should be playing in your quest for inner peace and daily happiness. So you can truly grow and not be limited by them or their followers in any way.

We all have the potential to be empowered, to wake up and to be enlightened, because it is our birthright. It is not something special, elite and unreachable, bestowed upon a chosen few. This is just another shameful misdirection to keep control and manipulate you into being a follower, rather than blossoming into a powerful leader.  Remember leading is not just about leading other people - it's just as much about leading yourself. Leading yourself out of a life of unawareness, dishonesty and negativity, into a life of self-awareness, integrity and positivity. Do this and you will become a great inspiration to every one around you.

Do not let the achievements of others distract you or make you believe that happiness and real greatness is an impossible goal for you to reach out for, or that you could never attain profound peace in your daily life while living an ordinary and simple life. We don’t all need to become a Mother Teresa or a Dalai Lama to greatly affect the world and inspire the people around us. I come from the "keep it simple" school of philosophy and aspire to this; to bring the best attitude to each day, to each moment. To give my full heart to everything that I do, even the simple mundane tasks of life can be performed with the greatest care, heart and attention to detail. That’s what makes your life become a continuous meditation, a dance with divinity, a sacred pilgrimage.