Photo credit: Gabrielle Bernstein Facebook page

As I post for the first time in 2015 we have already reached the middle of January – can you believe how quickly time passes?! It may be the case that New Year’s resolutions are already a distant memory and you are back to the grind of work. The motivation to stick to that healthy eating plan or gym program is starting to slide…sound familiar?

Well I have a treat for you!

Here at Gorgeous Presence I have written a great deal about mindfulness, being present in the moment and understanding the influence of our internal “Ego” (or “Mean Girl” as Melissa Ambrosini calls it) on how we perceive ourselves and situations. You can read about it here. I am also a strong believer in Eckhart Tolle‘s “the power of now” mindset to eliminate stress and anxiety in our lives.

So it was with absolute delight that I stumbled across another mindfulness gem late last year – Gabrielle Bernstein. Hailing from New York City and tipped to be the Oprah of our generation, I was a little apprehensive. She is a motivational speaker, certified Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher. Her New York Times bestselling book titles such as May Cause Miracles and Spirit Junkie had me thinking – is this some kind of religious cult?!

Given that some of my favourite bloggers, including Melissa Ambrosini and Rachel MacDonald, had mentioned the name Gabrielle as one of their big sources of inspiration, I decided to take the plunge and placed my order with The Book Depository. I also took it as a sign to enrol in Gabrielle’s full day workshop on 10 January in Sydney when the wonderful Earth Events announced a secret one day sale on tickets before Christmas.

I am so glad that I took the risk…I now have a new role model (not that Gabby would want me to call her that!).

My new source of inspiration – Gabby Bernstein!

Commencing Gabby’s May Cause Miracles course and attending the workshop this month has cracked me wide open and truly changed my way of thinking about myself and the world. I cannot express in words how eye-opening these past weeks have been for me, and I know others feel the same. My gorgeous blogger friends have written some beautiful words about Gabby’s workshop, which you can read about here, here and here. I had a similar experience (yes I even cried during meditation!).

Through Gabby’s exercises and meditations I am working on creating “miracles” in my everyday life, and I want to share how those miracles are possible for you too!

Miracles? What-the?!

Don’t be deterred by this word. The concept of “miracles” (which comes from the book A Course in Miracles made famous by motivational speaker Marianne Williamson) is the conscious choice to shift your perception from condemnation-out-of-fear to forgiveness-out-of-love (mindfulness).

In other words, a miracle happens whenever we simply choose love over fear. Now we are talking!

So how can we incorporate this miracle mindset into our busy lives? It’s actually very simple! Through the May Cause Miracles course, Gabby guides us to work through the following steps each day:

1. Humbly witness your fearful thoughts and accept that the Ego will always generate fear – today I judge nothing that will occur.

2. Surrender and be willing to receive guidance from the Universe / Spirit / Inner Guide (whatever you would like to call it) by opening yourself up to creative possibilities rather than outcomes.

3. Forgive yourself for any fearful thoughts and choose love instead.

4. Be grateful for each and every thought and situation you face – our inner guide is smarter than we know!

5. Give yourself permission to shine and help others to do the same – your power is in your presence.

6. Above all, have FUN!

Photo credit: Gabrielle Bernstein Facebook page

What I loved the most about seeing Gabby in person at the workshop was that she was passionately committed to this mindset of love, AND I realised that she was human just like me!

She described her typical day as a constant battle between loving and fearful thoughts despite the best intentions, which went along the lines of:

On a ‘perfect’ day, I wake up with the intention to do 20 minutes of meditation…

But then there is Instagram! After a few minutes posting and browsing Instagram, I jump on the computer and get caught up in emails for a couple of hours.

Whoops! Totally forgot to do my meditation so I better do 5 minutes now…thank you inner guide for everything that has happened today. I surrender to your higher power…Feeling grateful.

Back on the computer…Someone sends an offensive email to my team and it finds its way to me – how annoying! Wait a minute – I should respond with kindness and love…I will judge nothing that happens today…

Now onto house hunting…the market in New York City is terrible! This is not fun…Hold on – maybe we are looking in the wrong location…Let me ask my inner guide for a sign and start looking elsewhere…

Back onto Instagram…      

I can totally relate to the above – can you?

Not only did Gabby admit to her daily struggles with fear and the Ego, but she also shared her past addictions to food, drugs and partying. Committing fully to a miracle mindset eliminated these addictions completely for Gabby over time. However she was completely honest in saying that it took hard work and courage to recalibrate her mindset and life. It is not about living the perfect life and always being in the mindset of love. It is about recognising the fearful thoughts as soon as they arise and coming back home to love as quickly as possible.

And that is what got me hooked – the miracle mindset is not a quick fix but a complete lifestyle change for the better.

A whole-hearted commitment to creating my best life.

Photo credit: Gabrielle Bernstein Facebook page

So how am I incorporating a miracle mindset into my life? I am taking it one baby step at a time and having fun with it!

Since the beginning of the year I have started every day with a quick meditation and affirmation, such as I choose love over fear and I forgive myself for this thought. It means I have to wake up 10 minutes earlier but it makes such a difference to my outlook for the day. I am centred when I leave for work and I am able to tolerate things a lot better.

During the day when I have a negative thought about myself or a situation (e.g. the girl that pushed in front of me to get on the train!), I quickly remind myself that I can choose loving thoughts rather than listen to my Ego. I approach these moments with gratitude and know that they are teaching me strength and patience.

And when I am wishing for something to happen in the future, I ask my inner guide for help with the possibilities. Instead of praying for what I think I want, I say show me what you’ve got inner guide! I welcome the energy of the highest good into my life!

I have also started keeping a journal for the 6 week course, which is something I have found very helpful. I never realised the volume of thoughts in my head that were left there to simmer and grow. By writing them down I was able to reflect, forgive and let them go. There is now more room in my mind for the good stuff!

After the 6 weeks is over I really hope I can carry on with my new daily practices. They do say it takes 3 weeks to create a habit so I should be well on my way!

Photo credit: Gabrielle Bernstein Facebook page

So from the bottom of my heart I really encourage you to take a look at Gabrielle Bernstein’s website and books. The best way to see if something resonates with you is to experience it for yourself, and she has some amazing free content in the form of meditations and lectures. I have a pile of books ready to read at home, so I will continue to share what I am learning along the way!

To end, I thought I would leave you with these statements I wrote down at Gabby’s workshop to ponder:

We are all human and our Egos will try their hardest to reveal our fears in every situation. Our role is to forgive those thoughts and choose differently.

It is not how often we experience our fears. What is most important is how quickly we can bring ourselves back to a mindset of love and allow our inner guide to show us the way. This is what creating miracles is all about. Nothing more, nothing less. But it sure can be powerful!

Our power is truly in our presence. Trust the power of your inner guide and call on the strength of the Universe. Give yourself permission to shine and have fun with life! In doing so, you give others permission to do the same!

Photo credit: Gabrielle Bernstein Facebook page

I would love to hear your thoughts – has this post inspired you to change your mindset? If you are already following Gabby, please share with us your experiences!