Be the change you want to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)

Each of us has the unlimited capacity to grow, change and express our brilliance. Every awareness that you have, every insight that you experience, every shift in perception that flows through your being, affects not only you, but the entire planet. In this moment, affirm: “I’m willing to change. I will never be the same after today. I’m willing to be more of who I truly am. My willingness to change is changing the planet.”

Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s are a powerful time to contemplate what we most need to change in our lives. It’s a season to imagine unlimited potential, to stretch our imagination beyond what we’ve previously known, to recognize that we are vibratory fields of infinite possibility. As we hold to these truths, the storyline of our lives that have been wearily following us year after year, begin to drop. When you affirm that you are not what people have said about you, that you are not your experiences, you free yourself from deeply limiting self-perceptions. In reality, you are what physicist refer to as “quanta,” as little bursts of light. When you accept that you are not what has happened to you, you open up a field of energy that allows your light to shine forth. Enlightened teachers as Yogananda, Jesus and Buddha for example, didn’t have anything that you or I don’t have. They made manifest the love and light that is within all of us. Thus when we think of them, we are not just reminded of the power of their light, but of our own.

The power of change always reminds me of the familiar Christmas story of “Scrooge.” The story line is a wonderful example of how a man is motivated to change by seeing his past, present and future. In the past, he is shown how he once was; innocent, childlike and with an open heart. His present life demonstrates what he has become; rigid, materially oriented and closed hearted. His future reveals the most frightening experience of all... what he will become if he does not change. Scrooge has lost touch of the love inside himself and it is not until he is brutally honest with himself that he is willing to change and be the person he was born to be.

People do change. Isn’t that a relief? I remember one of the coldest and depressing things I ever heard was from a former boss who firmly believed, “People do not change.” Well, if that we’re true, then we would all be in serious trouble. Seasons change, our bodies change and we can change if we choose to do so. Mary Manin Morrissey once stated, “If you’re traveling down life’s highway and take a 10-degree turn, there’s not much change. But if you keep moving steadily in the new direction, by the time a month or year has passed, you will find yourself in a completely different place from where you began.”

Change begins with genuine self-examination. It entails first becoming aware of all thoughts of lack, scarcity, not feeling good enough and most importantly who and what you resent. As you become honest about having these negative thoughts, you begin the process of healing.

Next, how do you change? What do you do with all of the negative thoughts of fear, doubt and resentment that you’ve been carrying all these years? Well, if you really, really, really want to grow spiritually, you’ll make a list of the people that you envy and you’ll add them to your prayer list. Your wish for these people who appear to possess what you feel you’re lacking is one of appreciation and gratefulness. Instead of wishing that you had what they have, your prayer becomes a sincere blessing of thanks for all of the good tidings that have come their way. Why? Because you only get to keep what you give away. When you embrace those that you’re jealous of, you’re reclaiming parts of yourself that have fragmented. As you sincerely pray with an open heart, you’re giving yourself permission to reclaim what is already within you and what is yours.

Finally, after making a list of the people you envy, make a list of the people that annoy, irritate or trigger your anger. These are your “enemies” and they need to be put at the top of the list, ahead of those you envy. Regardless of how many people you can find to blame for your circumstances, it does not and will not ever free you. Your enemies play a very important role in your life: they show you what’s going on inside of you. They represent a blind spot of awareness. They are a mirror for what’s happening with your own soul. Our tendency is to project onto them – like a movie screen – what we don’t like within ourselves. But once you stop the projection and start praying for them with a sincere and open heart, you begin to change. Why? Because your prayer isn’t for them to change, but for you to change so that you can begin to see the light within them.

“Charity,” as a holy concept, means being willing to see someone more evolved then they currently appear. Or, in other words, it means being willing to see the light and love in someone even when they are not expressing it. Charity means having faith. Charity requires having trust. For if you are willing to let go of what you’ve known, of what has been “comfortable,” your limiting thought patterns will be released and transformed for your higher good. So, go ahead and be willing to change. As you release lower energies of fear and doubt and allow your light to shine, you empower others to do the same and the entire planet changes accordingly.

Laura V. Hyde is the Spiritual Leader of the Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment in Central Coast, CA, a national author and speaker. Laura provides spiritual counseling and is the author of the books “Gifts of the Soul, “”The Intimate Soul,” and the host of the show “Relationship Wisdom” on Public Access Television. Visit www.laurahyde.com