by Ada Porat | Apr 22, 2025 | Conscious living, Happiness, Mindfulness, Peace
Photo credit: Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash
Have you ever wondered what you’ll regret most at the very end of life?
It’s rarely the mistakes you made; it’s the life you never fully lived, the words you never spoke, the moments you rushed through, the quiet joys you told yourself could wait.
That waiting makes for the greatest regret of all. But wait, this is not about dying; it’s an invitation to more meaningful living here and now.
When we begin to ask deeper questions like, Am I being true to myself or am I simply playing the roles expected of me?’ we start to find the deeper answers to living a meaningful life.
For years, I volunteered to sit beside people in the final days of their lives in hospice care, a fragile space where there is no need to pretend any longer. These dying people did not express regret about money, fame or success; rather, their regrets were about presence, love, courage, connection and joy that they’d postponed until it was too late.
They wished they had lived true to themselves. They wished they hadn’t worked so hard. They wished they’d spoken from their hearts more. They wished they’d stayed close to friends. And most of all, they wished they had allowed themselves to be happier.
To me, it was as if those who’d run out of time were passing the torch to the rest of us, reminding us how to live now before our someday turns into never.
Buddhism reveres the present moment as sacred because the past is already gone and the future is uncertain, but this moment contains the heartbeat of life. In this present moment, we have everything we need to begin again and to live fully.
The miracle of life is happening right here, in this quiet moment, now.
In the end, our souls yearn not for approval but for authenticity. The soul calls us to live in alignment with our heart’s quiet knowing. Living a life shaped by others’ expectations is to sacrifice the Presence that gives life meaning.
And there are so many opportunities for meaningful living each day: the moments shared with a child or pet, silence shared with a partner, a simple meal prepared with love.
In the Dhammapada, the Buddha reminds us there is no fire like passion, no crime like hatred, no sorrow like separation, no sickness like hunger, and no joy like the peace of contentment.
We were never meant to be human machines; we were meant to be aware, alive, and awake to the miracle of life, so we can be transformed by the process.
In our fear of being too different, we may choose to become too silent. We may hold back our affection, delay our apologies or suppress our truth. And yet, unspoken love can be the heaviest weight to carry.
Living authentically requires us to speak our truth from a place of clarity, compassion and courage.
It takes courage to say I love you or I forgive you or I need you. But by letting the moment pass, we may let the deeper gift of truth slip away.
Over time, this is often how friendships end – not through anger but by neglecting opportunities for shared laughter and vulnerability with someone who knew you when you were still becoming who you are today.
Spiritual friendship is really a journey shared with the people who walk beside us, whether for a season or a lifetime. These fellow travelers remind us of who we are; they hold up mirrors to reflect our process. When we lose these connections, we also lose parts of ourselves.
Of all the regrets I have heard expressed at the end of life, perhaps the most tragic of all is the quiet acknowledgement, I wish I’d allowed myself to be happier.
Because, you see, it’s not that happiness was unavailable, but that it was postponed: deferred until the house was paid off, or the children grown, or until there was more time or money, or the world more peaceful.
This deferral is based on a false assumption that happiness is a destination we’ll reach some day if we do all the right things, like a pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow.
In truth, happiness is not a destination but an attitude to cultivate. It is a presence found in stillness, in gratitude, and in letting go.
The regrets of those who pass are not meant to haunt us; they are lanterns to illuminate the path we can still walk, the doors we can still open and the life we can still live now.
The real measure of life is not found in how much we accomplish but in how deeply we live and how tenderly we love.
May you return to this stillness often and enjoy the beauty of each present moment.
©Copyright Ada Porat. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. For more information, visit https://AdaPorat.com
by Ada Porat | Mar 29, 2025 | Conscious living, Cope with change, Faith, Life skills, Personal growth, Resilience
Photo credit: NCI, Unsplash
Sometimes during difficult transitions, you have to say, “Enough!” to all the scary voices in your head. You need to remind yourself that those tiresome inner voices do not have your best interest in mind. It’s time to align instead with a Higher strength within you, no matter what.
We all spiral down at times. It can feel like life is punishing you or that you’re completely lost and nothing is worth the struggle any more. You may start giving up on your dreams. Your hopes and heart may turn to stone.
These are not times to fear; they are opportunities to transition into higher truth. You’re being asked to make a choice; to love and advocate for yourself in a more powerful way than ever before. You are challenged to choose faith over fear.
Where fear feels like a monolith of pain, here’s what faith looks like: You breathe deeper. You commit to be kind to yourself. You put one foot in front of the other. Baby steps perhaps, but you keep going. You resist catastrophizing. You refuse to fight yourself or argue for your limitations. And you make this vow: I will not go down. I am not done yet. I will never give up.
Sure, we all have “good” reasons for giving up on our dreams and hopes. We all reach days when just crawling out of bed seems like too much trouble. And yes, we could abandon our faith in ourselves or a Higher Power that guides us.
We may feel as if heaven has forgotten our name and the enemy is hot on our trail. And abandoning ourselves could even be considered realistic in a world that worships success.
But let me ask you this: are you really done yet? Are you completely done living, dreaming, trying and experiencing? Because if you are, you really should be ready to just stop breathing right here, right now.
Here is the other side of the coin: Having faith is not weakness. Faith does not let you off the hook, no matter how much you try. Faith holds you responsible for what you believe because those beliefs determine every action you will take in this life.
You have known all along that there would be detours and disappointment on the journey through life, didn’t you? And it is exactly when the going gets tough, that you need to take strong action, not back off.
When you vow not to abandon yourself in the pain of the moment, you draw a line in the sand. You return to the light that fuels you, and you choose to fight for your real life, your inner core.
When you do that, you’ll remember Leonard Cohen’s song that there’s a crack in everything; that’s how the Light gets in. You’ll remember that all lives are littered with rejection and ridicule and the loss of what we once held dear.
Nobody gets a permission slip to escape harsh realities, although we sure try to find that escape through our addictions and avoidance.
Here’s what to do instead. Take a deep breath and rise again. Choose to trust in the compassionate guidance of a loving Creator instead. Know that your eternal soul will bring new opportunities your way. Never give up on the truth of who you really are. You were born to choose a life that is worthy of you, so choose it!
During times of uncertainty and change, don’t let fear shut you down. Instead, stand tall, hold fast and choose to believe in yourself, your life and the Divine guidance that’s on its way to you right now.
You are more than what you’re facing at this moment: you are the sum total of everything within you, so have faith. Trust that you will find a way and the way will find you; vow to never give up on yourself.
Author Jean-Paul Sarte said, “Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” This is how you choose freedom: it’s the powerful moment when you resist the temptation to believe in powerlessness and victimhood.
No matter how dark your circumstances seem, you can start again to create a new life with heart and integrity; a life that would make your spirit proud. You are not your story; you are the victor who will tell the story in the end to inspire others.
Negativity blocks your potential by convincing you to deny yourself. Don’t go there. Don’t abandon yourself. Let appearances crumble, but do not give up on yourself.
Things will shift. That’s how life works. Tomorrow is another day. The sun will pierce the clouds and there will be other opportunities to thrive.
Feel free to grieve your losses but know that you never need to die to your true identity as a soul. You matter and you are loved by a benevolent universe. You are meant to thrive.
Remember your Source and your purpose, for that is where your support comes from!
©Copyright Ada Porat. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. For more information, visit https://AdaPorat.com
by Ada Porat | Feb 24, 2025 | Cope with change, Personal growth, Resilience, Self-awareness
Photo Credit: Zibik on Unsplash
Change can create a lot of emotional and mental turbulence.
Whatever you think is going on… isn’t.
Whoever you thought you were… may be up for review.
Wherever you think you’re going… you can’t get there without the rest of humanity.
The process of turbulent change does not happen in predictable steps; it lurches like wild, raw energy into the areas of our lives that most need to be challenged and healed. And yet, change can be a very good thing! It wishes to liberate us from the numbness of the known, setting us free from the old projections of our outdated conditioning.
As change sweeps through all levels of society, we’re offered valuable opportunities for personal growth: releasing outdated views, limiting habits and the habitual suppression of our true self. The winds of change wash away the old, bringing us opportunities to refine our values and to reinvent our lives in more optimal ways. This is a valuable time to recover and integrate aspects of ourselves that have been alienated, so we can become more whole. It is a valuable opportunity to heal dysfunctional divisions that we’d used to distance ourselves from the shadow aspects in others that we cannot accept within ourselves.
At our core, none of us are defined by our gender, body type, appearance, bank account, religious or political affiliations. Our true essence reaches far beyond these superficial divisions to the One Source from where we all originate, and to where our souls will again return. Our true essence always remains indivisible, unified and absolutely free.
Times of change offer us a valuable opportunity to purge the superficial divisions that demarcate the surface of our lives: me versus you, us versus them, mine versus yours. Any sense of belonging based on the exclusion of others is a false identity that cannot be sustained. Our evolution as souls and as a species requires us to let go of these superficial divisions.
And yet, letting go of our familiar conditioning is not easy. Questions will arise: How can I be friends with someone who believes differently? Can I remain friends with someone who insists on being a vegetarian? A carnivore? A liberal? A conservative? There are so many ways we judge and exclude others as not being good enough for our tribe. Thankfully, all of them are wrong, because they are based on an outdated paradigm of judgment and fragmentation.
Right now, this time of turbulent change is asking us to look beyond the gross differences separating us, and to celebrate the liberating power of higher interpersonal and collective soul dynamics.
As these dynamics emerge, things may often seem to be getting worse. The elements of darkness need to be seen with naked honesty for the destructive self-limitation they impose; only then can they be eliminated. Seeing the darkness out there is not enough; we need to move beyond the narrowness of our fears and projections to recognize the same shadow in ourselves, and to purify our own beliefs.
Judgment and separation rob us of opportunities for growth. Every time we stay stuck in the false comfort of judging others, we are blocking our own process of maturing. In truth, we are all members of homo sapiens and when we move beyond the illusion of separation, we realize that we are all aspects of the One Creator.
Purifying our own judgment is a precious gift; it allows us to see beyond superficial differences and to acknowledge the soul presence in all others. This is not the same as blinding ourselves to differences; we learn to look deeper and to acknowledge the common Source that unites us, instead of being blinded by superficial differences. Even when we look very different on the surface, we are all simply fellow travelers on the soul’s journey through life, and we are walking each other home.
People flow in and out of our lives all the time. Sometimes we feel the closeness of their presence, and at other times we travel in different directions, yet we’re all members of the soul collective on the planet right now, and we’re all evolving together. The Course in Miracles reminds us that we are all thoughts in the mind of God, and we never leave that mind.
What would life look like if we truly evolved our thoughts and beliefs? Or if we were to think with the mind of God to access thoughts that resonate with the intelligence of creation itself? Evolved souls among us who do this are aware of the perfect design of the cosmos, sometimes perceiving cycles that span thousands of years. They transcend the superficial limits of human perception to access the grand design of Creation evolving and experiencing itself.
The Creator Presence never excludes or divides, because separation is not in the nature of the One Source. The closer we move to that Source of Oneness, the more our own viewpoints, thoughts and lives will resonate with truth, not getting caught in the trap of duality.
The change and upheaval all around us invite us to shake off our limited conditioning and to return to our innate self. Inner liberation precedes outer freedom. As we liberate ourselves, we will evolve to more accurately reflect our soul potential. When we honor this sacred core in group settings, we won’t need to abandon ourselves to fit in or belong.
All of creation simply expresses Divine intelligence, funneled through the prisms of individual experience. As we liberate ourselves to think and create in ways that are not so stratified, we return to our true potential as co-creators. And the more we let go of old, rigid identities, the more we can step into our true identity as souls to embrace change and be transformed.
What would it look like for you to honor your truth more fully? Can you step away from the old attachments that defined you to make space for the unfoldment of your true potential?
May we all commit to the freedom of our souls in the midst of change, so we can live unconditioned lives of potential and actualization. These times of upheaval could be an unparalleled opportunity for our growth!
by Ada Porat | Nov 14, 2024 | Conscious living, Life skills, Mindfulness, Spirituality
Photo credit: Matt Collamer, Unsplash
As humans, we tend to get caught up in the battles in life. It is easy to develop tunnel vision or get blinded by our emotional attachment or resistance to what shows up. We’ve all been there, right! And yet, we can thrive, grow and flourish during times of conflict by understanding the deeper process that’s unfolding.
Every time we become absolutely zealous and charged about something, we actually dissociate from some part of our own being. We inhibit our own progress. Step back from the intense attachment or aversion, and it becomes clear that the person triggering us isn’t very different than us. Like us, they are trying on the 10,000 ways of being human, which includes a very colorful range of expression and thinking – all of them temporary.
Events that may feel overpowering in this moment do not define us either – they are simply temporary props on the stage of life, chapters on our journey of growth and becoming.
Clearly, it is not the people or events of our lives that define us; but our response to them. And when we learn how to respond appropriately, we can use the dissonance of life as a springboard to personal growth.
Whenever we experience anger, fear or disappointment, these uncomfortable emotions offer us a gift: they shine light on parts of ourselves that we’ve denied, pushed into the unconscious, or simply taken for granted. Discord actually helps us grow, because it’s in the to-and-fro of opposing viewpoints that change occurs.
Whenever we experience inner dissonance, it serves us well to remember the words of Master Yoda, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
There is another way forward, one that requires us to push beyond the illusionary strength of our fear: it demands the clarity of our hearts.
To progress, we cannot afford anger or impatience to cloud our judgement. We need to see beyond the immediate conflict and feel the deeper connection among all things. In so doing, we will find a better path forward.
Those who differ from us and stand on the other side of the fence are not simply adversaries. They are human beings and evolving souls as well. We are all bound together in the vast, intricate web of the galaxy, our fates intertwined.
The ones who see no path forward except through using brute force are not evil; they are operating at lower levels of understanding. Their rigid attachment to control as the only means of survival blinds them to other viewpoints. They can’t see that conflict borne from fear, anger and hatred is like grasping at sand and only deepens suffering.
Instead of reacting impulsively to dissonance and discord, such times require us to first still ourselves. Patience is needed now.
We know what we need to do. With steady hearts and calm minds, we need to remember that we are all connected. What happens to one, ultimately affects all of us.
The fear-based survival instinct can blind even the best of us, making us do things we’d have once thought unimaginable. It is not so much cruelty but misdirected survival that distorts thinking.
There is no future holding onto fear. We need to let go of fear and find a path forward where we all survive.
The universe hums to a symphony of spiritual laws that echo through the lives of those who listen with open hearts and awakened minds. These unseen forces guide us as we navigate the space between the sacred and the everyday.
The Sufi Poet Rumi expressed it very well:
“When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of distress and anxiety;
If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without any pain.
From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me.
There is a great secret in this for anyone who can grasp it.”
–Rumi, 100 Bedtime Verses
Like a stone cast into still waters, every action we take sends ripples outward, shaping the destiny of the one who cast it. Mahatma Gandhi lived this truth with every breath, wielding non-violence as both shield and sword because he understood that the tender sapling of peace, once planted, will grow even in the harsh soil of oppression. Tested by imprisonment, hatred, and the weight of an empire’s cruelty, he remained unbowed, trusting that the seeds of love and justice would bloom in time.
At the heart of existence lies love, not brute force. Love is the pulse of creation itself. This is the Divine Love that Rupert Spira calls the everyday name of the Divine. It is the Presence that transcends ego, seeing Divinity in every living thing and calling forth that potential instead of fixating on and hating the shadow.
Saint Francis of Assisi embodied this Divine Presence, moving through the world as a servant to forgotten, broken and mistreated creatures. His love knew no hierarchy. He fed lepers, spoke to wildlife, and loved them all with the same tenderness, even as the world mocked his humility. His faith in Love’s power became his sanctuary, impervious to the storms of derision.
This Divine Presence of love exists in everyone, whether it’s hidden or acknowledged. It connects all of life with filaments of the Creator throughout time and space. When we understand this intrinsic interconnectedness of all life, we must choose compassion and forgiveness, because we know it’s the only doorway to healing for us as individuals and for our shared humanity. This non-violent clarity lets us stand steady and resolute so we can stitch together the torn fabric of a divided nation, knowing that healing can come only when all hands hold the needle.
Faith is here to guide us. It quietly whispers to those who trust in vision beyond sight.
Harriet Tubman lived by this law, her faith guiding her through dark forests and across the waters of the Underground Railroad. Every step she took, every life she saved, was rooted in an unshakable faith in the Divine guidance moving her forward. Fear nipped at her heels but she outran it, carried by her conviction that freedom is not just a dream, but a birthright for all.
And yet, freedom does not come only through holding on, but through letting go. Non-attachment teaches that peace is born not from grasping, but from surrendering. As we let go of old resentments and outdated dreams, we create space for something new to be born – and we can collectively create something better than the flawed constructs of the past.
These spiritual principles are not distant or abstract, they are the living breath of the Universe, calling us to harmony. We can find inspiration and a mirror reflecting our potential by looking at the shining examples of those who’ve gone before.
Together, we can do this! Let conflict and upheaval invite you to surrender to a Higher Power, trusting your heart’s wisdom to follow the path of non-violence, compassion and peace. Open your heart and consciousness to the deeper truths of existence, prompting you toward a more conscious life.
Unlearn the old. Surrender the ancient habits of fear, anger and hatred. It is time for us to grow beyond the ego and reflect our Source. Trust in the unseen hands that guide you, keep your heart open, and look to see the Creator Presence in everyone you meet. This could be a very good time for your soul!
©Copyright Ada Porat. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. For more information, visit https://AdaPorat.com
by Ada Porat | Oct 15, 2024 | Conscious living, Cope with change, Empowering changes, Life skills, Personal growth, Self-awareness
Photo credit: Frank McKenna, Unsplash
What if, instead of trying to control the process of change, we learned how to make the most of it? Change has been called the only constant in life, and learning how to flow with it can turn the very process of upheaval into a powerful ally.
When we resist the process of change, we also resist the flow of life. Our attempts to control change lock us into identification with the content of the change process instead of its context. It also narrows our focus so we lose touch with the inherent perfection of each moment as it unfolds.
Here are some simple principles to flow with the process of change and make the most of it instead:
Identify With The Contextual Field
We often resist change because we do not want our sense of peace disturbed. A better solution is learning to identify with the contextual field, and not the shifting contents of life. We can choose to focus on the larger picture or context of life, and allow the shifting details of life’s contents to flow past us without attachment or aversion. As each wave of probabilities show up, we are free to select which aspects to focus on and which ones to pass on.
When faced with a job change, for instance, you can focus on attracting an opportunity that would bring you into more alignment with your core values. This aligns you with the context of the Field, not the myriad tiny details. Then, allow this contextual focus to bring you specific opportunities to choose from. By identifying with the contextual Field, you can trust the law of resonance to bring you opportunities aligned with your intentional focus, so you don’t need to control the process.
Really Letting Go
Change can take many forms as we continue to grow into new ways of being, leaving the old behind. We may need to leave behind relationships, jobs, friends, homes or other vestiges of the old that no longer serve us. To really, really let go of the old, there may be aspects of loss and grief that need to be acknowledged.
By acknowledging and expressing our feelings of loss and grief, we can move beyond circumstances and people we have outgrown, so we can move on. It is very important to process these emotions, for it is in expressing them that we find freedom and healing. Emotions that are suppressed never go away – they simply resurface further down to road for us to deal with!
Flying Blind
In shamanic cultures, the bat represents powerful medicine. Bats do not have sight, yet dart about with incredible accuracy and speed because they trust their inner radar. You, too, may feel as if you’re flying blind amid the chaos of sudden change. However, this is an opportunity to trust your inner radar. When deeply connected to your inner guidance, flight through the unknown takes you to higher ground.
Flying blind also challenges our preconceived concepts of life. Fear may prompt us to resist change, yet faith calls us to surrender to the process, trusting the Divine guidance within. As soon as we let go, the current of change can carry us to new perspectives with grace and ease.
Turbulence and Cross Currents
From an energy perspective, any choice or action can be observed as a wave form that ripples outward in all directions. In quantum physics, this phenomenon is known as the Lorenzo Effect. Energies we’d set in motion through previous choices may continue to ripple out and back like waves for a while afterwards. As we make new choices, the old and new wave forms can clash, resulting in turbulence known as standing waves, cross currents and even collapsed waves. We may experience the turbulence as mental fog, confusion or overwhelm.
Don’t let this temporary turbulence throw you off course. It’s part of the process of shifting direction! If you can stay focused during change, the temporary turbulence will give way to a current of greater clarity, ease and understanding.
Remember Why
Overwhelm and confusion only arise when taking our eyes off the goal. When feeling overwhelmed by the process of change, simply bring your focus back to the reasons why you chose change in the first place.
It is normal for change to embody a sense of upheaval. Clashing beliefs, crashing hopes and the looming unknown may bring into question many values you’d blindly accepted before. This is a great opportunity to choose differently. You can respond to change effectively by revisiting core values and bringing your life into more alignment with your soul’s purpose.
Fine-Tune Your Compass
Each one of us creates our own reality, moment by moment. When we set our intention unwaveringly on reaching our highest potential in life, we become unstoppable. Our very being starts emanating the frequency of what we hold in mind, thereby drawing resonant outcomes to us every moment through our continuous intention.
Is change rocking your world right now? This may be an appropriate time to ask yourself whether you are living the life you really want. Are you really doing what your heart desires, or are you compromising for the security of a job, social status or acceptance? Are you deeply fulfilled and joyful, or is dissatisfaction gnawing at your bones?
Remember, your experience is your choice!
To change your experience of life, you need to change your mind about things first. If life doesn’t serve you well, you can change it! It’s as simple as that.
The more consciously you participate in creating your reality, the more you’ll resonate with the outcomes that follow. Even when you do not have control over what shows up in your life, you always have complete power over the response you choose.
Growth – The Ultimate Gift Of Change
Even the subconscious motivators that drive or sabotage our behaviors 90% of the time, can become allies to help us make the most of change. By becoming aware of these triggers, we can clear limiting beliefs from the subconscious, embrace healing for the wounds of trauma, and pave the way for our highest expression of being. This process of fine-tuning and transformation can lead to profound personal growth, which is the ultimate gift of change!
About the Author
©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit https://adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.
