While I don't often write book reviews, I do have a deep level of respect for Gabby Bernstein's work and feel she is making a tremendous impact on the lives of many, so I want to share her new book with all of you! Gabby has a super positive outlook on life and has inspired so many young women, especially, to explore spirituality, bust through ego blocks, and live overall happier lives, empowering and enabling them to go forth and spread more joy in the world. And, we all recognize that this world needs as much extra light as possible right now! The cool thing about Gabby: Not only is she hip and totally relatable to young women, but you get the sense that, despite all she has accomplished in her life and how far she has come along in her own spiritual journey, she is not "perfect" and has to put in the daily work to maintain her peace and happiness, just like the rest of us. Other spiritual leaders, although their achieved enlightenment is desirable, may seem too far away from our everyday reality for the majority of us to emulate. Gabby, on the other hand, is a light worker, but she has a vibe of someone you could totally hang out with and relate to on many everyday levels. I think this is why her books are so popular and why her work acts as a bridge to many young women (and men) who are seeking answers, happiness, a better way, and spiritual richness in their lives. If she can do it, we can too!
Having read and loved Gabby's previous release, Spirit Junkie, I was super stoked to receive an early copy of her new book, May Cause Miracles, which officially releases on New Year's Day 2013, just in time for many who are inspired to make great new changes in their lives! She promises "subtle shifts for radical change and unlimited happiness" in this 40-day guide book. Who doesn't want unlimited happiness? It's a lot for her to offer, but I totally believe that anybody with an open mind who is willing to put in the work can have exactly that. You can think of the book as sort of a self-study program, which is helpful to all levels of happiness seekers. Whether you are brand new to seeking new ways of seeing the world, or if you have an ongoing spiritual practice that you want to deepen, her 40-day program is beneficial. She gives you daily assignments that include guided meditations and self-reflective journaling that will have you taking a deeper look at how you think about things and then guide you toward making subtle consistent shifts in those thought processes to unleash the miracles within.
Gabby, who has used these tools to turn her own life around, explains:
Many of us long for a life of happiness, balance and peace, but we don't believe we can have it. But the great paradox is that our lack of faith in love and miracles is what blocks us from receiving love and miracles. Many of us have more faith in fear than we do in love and miracles. If we want to live a miraculous life, we must raise the volume on the loving voice within us and turn down the volume on our fear.
She goes on to explain what she feels are the three key components to living a miraculous life: gratitude, because "living a grateful life creates more abundance, acceptance and appreciation," forgiveness, because "instead of seeing ourselves as victims, we can forgive and be set free," and love, because "living with an open heart and embracing love as our true purpose is essential." She says that by sticking to these principles, you experience more miracles. Her definition of a miracle?
It's simple: a shift in perspective from fear to love. A miracle can be the moment you choose to forgive your ex, or the moment you recognize that losing your job was not a tragedy but an opportunity to follow your true calling.
On a personal level, I can totally relate to the miracle mindset and many of the theories explored by Gabby in her books. This year has been bittersweet for me, but mostly sweet, only because of the way that I choose to look at things. As the owner of a technology company that had previously experienced growth year over year, this year, like many others in our sector, we took a big hit due to the economy. It cost us some expensive financial lessons, and worse, I had to lay off some of my employees, which was extremely difficult because I truly care about their well-being. However, I've kept faith that everything happens for a reason and is for the greater good, instead of letting my fears take over, which is a recurring theme in Gabby's work. My employees have all, in their own ways, landed on their feet, and operating a smaller company has given me space to refocus some of my time and energy on things that I am extremely passionate about. This year I launched, Dawnsense, my own health and wellness platform, which has allowed me to reach out to others and teach my own lessons learned and inspire through blogging, speaking, and now coaching in 2013. As much as I love my technology company, I feel incredibly blessed and spiritually enriched by my new work as well. I keep faith that the tech business will soon come back around and when it does, due to recent restructuring, the company is positioned very well for a strong recovery while I can dually continue pursuing my passion projects. Above all, these business lessons have allowed me to become even more grateful than ever for the non-material things in my life, including the good health and love of my family and the blessings of my two young girls, including the newest addition to our family who is a healthy, joyful, 3-month-old miracle of life! I've kept smiling, positive, and with my eyes on the silver lining through what others might perceive as a tumultuous time.
This miracle mindset business is the real deal. If you have a willingness to take an honest look at your life to understand your own fears and then to make the subtle shifts necessary to move past them, then you can adopt your own miraculous way of thinking. If you're ready to swap out resentments for forgiveness, let go of insecurities, and to start viewing obstacles as opportunities, then Gabby's book can be your personal guide to doing just that. Thank you, Gabby, for sharing your wisdom and gifts with the world and helping to allow more miracles to happen!
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