by Ada Porat | Jun 9, 2025 | Conscious living, Personal growth, Self-awareness, Spirituality
Photo credit: Patrick Mayor on Unsplash
Do you sometimes feel left behind by the success of others?
As we scroll through social media images and posts of other people’s lives, we can get inundated by their success stories, health routines, spiritual awakenings and glowing reports. It can feel as if we’re lagging behind the crowd, waiting for our own breakthroughs.
When that happens – and it does happen to all of us – it’s time to remember the deeper truth that resides in all of us. We’re not broken and we’re not behind; we’re simply being called to go within.
Each one of us is on a unique journey that cannot be satisfied by the surface events of life. And once we turn toward our individual journey, we find that what we’re seeking has been inside us all along.
Through every breath, every season and every experience we have, this inner refuge has remained with us, always available to restore our peace and balance.
Spiritual teachings from many traditions have remind us that we are to be a light to the world and a lamp unto ourselves – not because the world lacks light, but because true joy can never come from outside ourselves. It arises from within, along with deep peace and reliable guidance, as we turn away from the ego noise in the external world to be with Presence within.
When we turn away from the endless distractions of the outer world, our hearts become still enough to recognize the presence of our Source within. That is where true meaning and fulfillment is found.
When I worked in hospice care, I often heard the stories of people who’d spent their entire lives chasing for happiness and fulfillment in their outer world, thinking that once they’d reached a certain goal, they’d find it. Some of them joined exclusive clubs for status, others chased after money, relationships or power; yet at the end of life, none of that mattered.
What I loved most was sitting with individuals who’d turned inward and started spending time with Presence, whether in meditation, prayer or contemplation. These precious beings shared how finding stillness awakened a deeper awareness within. They began to notice the beauty of small things, hearing birdsong more clearly, and awakening to a deep appreciation of all life.
Quiet times of self-reflection can lead to a life of profound emotional maturity and spiritual growth. Plato knew this secret when he recorded in his Apology that the unexamined life is not worth living. He understood that self-reflection is an essential step toward personal growth, becoming and fulfillment.
Turning inward can feel intimidating when we’ve spent a lifetime avoiding it. And yet, this is the essential first step toward peace; facing our wounds along with our fears, so they can be transformed by the healing power of Presence.
Peace doesn’t come from chasing after worldly achievements or from being more productive; it comes when we stop running from ourselves and our pain. When we finally turn within to face our deepest longings and desires, the Presence within starts reconciling us with our true identity as souls.
There is no savior in our outer world to deliver us from suffering; the path is walked from within. Peace comes when we allow this moment, and each present moment after this, to be enough. Nothing to resist, nothing to run from; simply being.
Peace, freedom and contentment are not gifts from outside ourselves; they are seeds already planted deep within the soil of our being. What’s needed to cultivate them is not more striving but gentle nurturing.
You’re not incomplete, you’re not too late, and you’re not behind. You’re already whole and have always been, dear soul! You may carry battle scars and grief, but within you also live immense sacred wisdom and potential. You’re already enough and your presence is enough.
The challenge is not to seek for more out there, but to turn to the sacred silence within and ask what you could discover here. As you turn within, notice the quiet way your heart continues to beat after all you’ve been through, and be grateful for its service.
Return to yourself, not as a project to fix, but as a friend to finally embrace your true self. This part of you has been patiently waiting beneath all the running, striving and busy distractions of life. When you come home to your true self, you’ll find there an essential part of you that’s been patiently waiting to welcome you back to your path, your truth and your peace.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve lost your way for a while to meet expectations of others or to seek their approval. What is important is that you come home to yourself; nurturing that precious flame of Presence that shapes the entire landscape of your life.
When you reach for the quiet strength of being authentic, you anchor yourself in your timeless, true identity. You don’t have to change your whole life overnight; just start listening inward one breath at a time and find the part of you that needs tending right now.
You’re not broken, and you’re not lagging behind; you’re simply being called inward. Remember that everything you’ve been seeking has been inside you all along. As you turn toward that, the quiet wisdom of Presence will restore you from within.
©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 | 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.
by Ada Porat | Feb 19, 2024 | Cope with change, Decision-making, Empowering changes, Joy, Self-awareness, Spirituality
Photo Credit: Karsten Winegeart, Unsplash
Personal freedom is essential for optimal living. And yet, as we look around us in the world these days, freedom is a lonely goddess.
The more we speak of the need and desire for freedom, the more it seems to dissipate all round. Freedom of speech, freedom of choice, freedom over our health and bodies… more and more, these freedoms are curtailed by a small minority “for your own good.”
Really?
When did we mysteriously lose the ability to research, learn, discern and choose according to the innate Wisdom that guides each one of us? How could the agenda of a few possibly serve the needs of a multitude of individual human beings?
I believe it’s time to take back our Divinely given right to choose.
It’s time to restore our freedom. By reclaiming our freedom as individuals, we can help restore sanity to our world. We shall find freedom in our world to the extent that we restore freedom inside ourselves and in our lives.
Where in your life do you need freedom? Is it freedom from debt that you crave? Or freedom from a job that keeps you just above being broke? Or freedom from dysfunctional relationships that poison your emotional well-being?
Freedom is a beautiful thing, and it is available to each one of us. However, the path to freedom runs counter to our survival impulses. We do not find freedom by capitulating or by escaping reality – we find it by facing the ways in which each of us has given our precious personal power away.
To the extent that you’re willing to face the external promise of external power, security, and support enough to abandon your personal power, choice and autonomy, you’ll reclaim your Divinely endowed freedom as a soul. The more you’re willing to intentionally face the ways in which you settled for empty promises of externally granted freedom, the more you’re able to reclaim your personal power, choice and freedom.
True freedom starts with each one of us as individuals. What is weighing down your consciousness and disempowering you? Go there and do what you need to clean it out. Start taking back your freedom!
You are the one who gave away your power to choose, and so you are the one who can set yourself free.
Imagine what your life could look like if you took your power back! Who would you become? What would you create as your living legacy? How would you feel about the future if you could intentionally create space for something new to show up?
The journey to personal freedom is a heroic one that each one of us needs to undertake if we choose to live meaningfully.
It is a magical journey that offers a sense of wonder and sheer joy, of falling in love with life. Magic happens when we let our guard down and start to live from the inside out, instead of trying to appease external dictates.
The path of freedom invites us to open to new experiences, living with a vulnerability that is free from fear. No matter what else is happening in our lives, we have an open invitation to fall in love with life.
Where many are discouraged by the divisiveness and polarized perspectives in the world around us, I see opportunities for humanity to rise to the challenges of this time.
It is time to adapt to uncertainty and subjective realities by improving our ability to listen deeply to our inner guidance as well as the voices of others. Freedom requires us to respect the subjective experiences and viewpoints of others instead of trying to make them wrong. Above all, we need to fully accept the sovereignty of ourselves and others to choose our individual paths.
I believe that humanity can release the childish egoic desire to win at all costs, and that we can adapt to living in harmony with the uncertainty and entanglement that undergirds the quantum paradigm.
We have great opportunities to reclaim our freedom and empowerment as individuals, and to help restore the collective. We’re invited to honor just how connected we are with one another and with all life. We are free to relax into the diversity of an abundant universe, and to experience a state of continuous flow and quantum coherence.
When we no longer give away our freedoms for a false sense of certainty, we’ll enjoy an ever-deepening trust in the perfect unfoldment of Nature, the Cosmos, and unconditional Divine love.
Freedom of choice allows us to tap into the abundance of a Universe that far exceeds anything we’ve known so far. It all starts by taking back our freedom as individuals, and letting the energy ripple out from there to transform our world!
©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 | Aug 9, 2023 | Change bad habits, Life skills, Personal growth, Self-awareness
Photo credit: Frida Lannerstrom, Unsplash
We all have one – that inner critic that spews forth endless criticism, judgment or disapproval about our efforts. It might lead with critical questions like “what were you thinking?” or self-blame like “what’s wrong with you?” or “you’re such a loser!” And since our thoughts hugely influence how we feel and behave, the inner critic’s negative self-talk can become downright destructive.
This critical inner voice was formed out of painful early life experiences where we saw or experienced hurtful attitudes toward us or others close to us. Over time, we unconsciously adopted and internalized this pattern of destructive self-criticism, allowing it to continue the internal monologue even when there is no need for it.
When we fail to separate from the inner critic, it can run rampant in our lives, creating conflict and sabotaging our success.
Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron has said, “If we want to make peace with ourselves and with the world at large, we have to look closely at the source of all of our wars.”
Both war and peace start within us. If we want peace in our lives and in the world, we need to learn how to stop this internal violence and abuse. We must learn how to proactively address our negative thoughts and develop a more productive dialog within.
Here are six steps to tame the inner critic:
1. Develop awareness of your thoughts. Awareness precedes change, and taming the inner critic is no exception. Become aware of the voice of your inner critic; recognize that it is merely an aspect of your psyche and not all that you are. We get so used to hearing our own narrations we can become oblivious as to their source. Pay attention to your inner narrative; recognize that just because the inner critic says something, doesn’t mean it’s true.
2. Allow yourself to observe the inner critic. Become aware of when your inner critic shows up, and what its negative messages are. Notice how its messages are often exaggerated, biased, and disproportionate. Its power to control you lies in its ability to operate unchallenged. Typically, the inner critic’s judgments and accusations may not be fully truth-based. Allow yourself to see this inner bully for what it is, so you can take appropriate action.
3. Examine the evidence. If you are thinking in terms of absolutes (“You’re never going to make it” or “nobody loves you”) ask yourself if that statement is true. Looking at evidence on both sides of the argument can help you look at the situation more rationally and less emotionally. The evidence of insight empowers, while the condemnation of the inner critic always tries to diminish.
4. Identify the truth. Ask yourself what advice you’d give to a friend struggling with self-criticism, failure or doubt. Now, give that same advice to yourself with kindness. If you’ve made a mistake, having a decent regret and resolving to learn from it, is usually enough – you don’t need to condemn yourself for life.
5. Replace overly critical thoughts with more accurate statements. When you find yourself thinking, “I never do anything right,” replace it with a balanced statement like, “Sometimes I do things really well and sometimes I don’t.” You are allowed to make mistakes! Each time you find yourself thinking an exaggerated negative thought, respond with a more accurate statement and move on; don’t ruminate on your mistakes.
6. Balance acceptance with self-improvement. There’s a difference between always telling yourself that you’re not good enough and reminding yourself that you can work at improving. When we resist our flaws, they persist. Instead, accept your flaws for what they are today, and commit to work on improving in these areas. Acknowledging your weaknesses for what they are today doesn’t mean you are doomed to stay that way. It simply reflects your baseline today, and you can use that information to strive toward becoming better. That way, you use the input from your inner critic to motivate you instead of to bully you.
Your inner dialogue with yourself is a critical part of your psyche. It will either fuel your success or prevent you from reaching your full potential. Taming your inner critic and silencing the excess negativity will empower you to live more effectively and to develop your full potential.
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.
by Ada Porat | Apr 26, 2023 | Faith, Love, Peace, Self-awareness, Spirituality
Photo credit: Unsplash
Dear one, there is something you need to know. This love letter comes to remind you of what really matters. And it is this: You are not a mistake. You are eternally, irrevocably loved.
Yes, you are dearly, utterly loved. You are deeply loved by good people in this world. Most of all, you are loved by the infinite Creator whose love is without beginning and without end.
You are worthy of being loved because of who you are. There is nobody else just like you, and every outrageous detail of your existence is a treasure that is yours to savor and to share.
You come from Love, you are love and therefore you can choose love.
On the days when you want to hide from the world and bury yourself in misery and self-pity, remember this: you are not broken. You may be discouraged, wounded, overwhelmed or afraid, but you are not broken.
Within you, your eternal soul burns bright as ever, and as you peel away the surrounding layers that you built for protection, that inner flame will light your path once more. It will burn through every obstacle on your way, for that is your purpose and your destiny in this life: to let your light shine!
You were not created to play small or to argue for your limitations. You were not born to be broken. Your life offers so much more!
Yes, you are not a mistake. You were given life by Divine decree, and you embarked on this journey with courage that left the angels in awe. You freely chose this wild, tumultuous journey to experience, and learn, and grow. You came here to embody the Presence of the Divine Source in a world shrouded in spiritual slumber.
And these things you can do at any time: you do not need a million dollars in the bank before you learn to lean into the stillness within; you do not have to attain any social status before learning to discern the voice of Spirit within; you do not need to strive for popularity to validate your soul’s worth. Your worth is intrinsic, eternal and unchangeable.
Perhaps you feel a bit dull and tarnished right now, like a diamond that had been dropped in mud. And yet, when the external dirt is washed away, your intrinsic beauty continues to radiate.
Your light is shining through all the layers that obscure it, so open your heart and hands. Let the light within you expand in ever bigger circles to hold this entire world in its embrace. Let your love reach out to embrace all the forms of life around you: two-leggeds and four-leggeds, feathered and scaled ones; all of nature. It is by embracing the beauty of what already is, that your love will call forth the highest good in yourself and others.
You are magnificent and powerful; a co-creator endowed with the privilege of being the Creator’s hands and feet and voice in this world. This is your purpose and your calling.
Life is fleeting and fragile and sometimes utterly awful. At times such as these, the light within you is needed more than ever.
Never let the shadows around you discourage you. Instead, let your light shine so brightly that it dispels the shadows and illumines your path.
You came into this life to realize the Presence of the Creator in you and anchor that in physicality. As you do that, the Creator Presence radiates into the world around you to heal, transform and renew. That power is in you right now, right here!
You alone must discover the full potential of what is possible in this life. You already have the power of becoming within you, for you have the power of choice.
And as you nestle into the Presence of Spirit’s peace at the end of each day, may you feel the pleasure of the Creator resting on you, and the loving embrace of your heavenly support team.
You are never alone. You are Divinely loved and supported, now and always!
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.
