The Dalai Lama, in his book The Art of Happiness, says that the very purpose of life is happiness, and I am sure you agree with that. And what is happiness? Happiness is about freedom and it begins in the mind.

In order to be happy you need to be yourself, live by your values, be true to yourself and choose how you want to live; you need to know what you want, what makes you happy, so that you can create the life you want; you need to feel good about yourself and about life in general.

In order to be yourself, feel good, and live the life you want, you need to be free from the prison of the past and its old beliefs, from the prison of pressure from other people and their beliefs, and from the prison of your own mind.

The past: Maybe you have experienced a difficult past, and perhaps there are beliefs linked to that past, things people said that prevented you from feeling good and feeling free to live the life you want; but you need to arrive at a point where you can say, "I have experienced ..., so what?" Are you going to free yourself from the past when you are maybe 80 years old? Wouldn't it be nicer to actually live happily NOW? And how about choosing your beliefs?

Other people: Over the years I have worked with various clients who had lost themselves along the way and felt a terrible hole inside; they had become a clone of someone else, in order to be 'cool' and fit in, but they had lost the most precious thing that any of us has: themselves and their soul. So, be yourself, be authentic, and choose who you are, your values, your own rules and terms, your beliefs; find out what you like, what you want, the people you want in your life, what you like doing, how you want your life to be, and go for it; free yourself from the fear of being alone. Is it more important to be accepted by people who maybe have nothing in common with you and betray yourself, or be true to your soul?

And just know:

• It is very much OK to be who you are, and you are a wonder.
• Do not sell your soul; it is the most important asset you have got.
• Live a life you are proud of, and be a person you are proud of.

And how other people are, the way they behave and think, is simply what they choose. Always look at things with a critical eye and think with your own head; it is magnificent!

The prison of your own mind: By believing things told to you over the years, by having the same thoughts over and over, you can build a prison for yourself: a prison of fears, doubts, depression, anxiety, stress, frustration, anger, guilt, blame, shame, hatred But you can change it with a simple shift in your awareness. Your thoughts create your emotions, so in order to change the way you feel you need to change your neurology and have flexibility of thought.

If you try to solve a problem in one way and it does not work, try another way. If you do the same, the results will be the same. And if you do something that makes you feel bad, stop doing it; do something else.

Always look for new ways to look at things and problems, new ways of thinking; be a critic of everything; choose your thoughts, your beliefs, carefully. Do not tolerate any more negative feelings; choose to feel good; choose your freedom.

And use the extraordinary power of your unconscious mind, your mighty mind; use what works and let go of what does not; look at things with humor, laugh a lot and relax.

This is a wonderful world, you are an extraordinary person and your life can be truly phenomenal. It is pure magic. Live it!

Copyright © Piercarla Garusi 2007 - All rights reserved.
Piercarla Garusi is a Life Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotic Practitioner, Director of PG Coaching Ltd. She is passionate about helping you be well, connect with your soul, be the extraordinary person you truly are, develop your spirituality and create a life that makes you truly happy. For more information please visit: PG Coaching, or email me.

Daring to be Yourself The aim of this book is to help you achieve a 'wide-awake' state of consciousness, with integrated use of left and right brain abilities, forming the bedrock for breakthroughs in personal consciousness and spiritual insight. The practice is based on the premise that we have learned disabilities which set boundaries to our action and knowing. But no one need accept that they must remain as they were shaped by their hereditary body-mind and by the conditioning of their childhood and culture. This 264-page paperback book is like a "best of" the trans4mind site - that you can read snuggled up on the sofa, away from the computer! But much more than that, it's also an incredibly powerful program for personal growth. Remove the barriers to self-knowledge and reveal your full potential with this step-by-step approach. Our Blog features excerpts from the book plus current news, views and links. "I realize many people use praise in ways that sound frivolous...but I must tell you that your book has changed my life AND I mean that in all ways. I found the entire work wonderfully upbeat, readable and valuable! It really was quite a wakeup call. In the midst of my "trials and tribulations" I had failed to be "me." Anyway, this "talk with you" really did change my life. Thank you! I needed this kind of "kick in the pants." It worked. WOW! You made a huge difference in my world."–Becky, USA