When we meet someone who is very different from us, we can be quick to dismiss them because how they think and believe doesn't make sense to us. Sometimes, the differences are so fundamental that there can be no reconciliation or compromise.

Is it still possible to love those people?

Whether physically, psychologically, or energetically, everything in our life takes up space. Even the symbology of holding onto something that no longer has use or meaning in our life makes an imprint in the subconscious.

What I’ve discovered is that most people in any given community are there for the same reasons I am, to feel a sense of belonging. They’re hoping to find genuine connections, to share knowledge and interests, and create lasting friendships.

Releasing each piece of your truth is like dropping a brick you’ve been carrying in your chest. Except you didn’t know you were carrying it until it was dropped and you all of a sudden felt lighter in the heart.

Lao Tzu has famously said: “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” The worry and nervousness of anxiety is that of the future, or of events that haven't happened yet but we speculate could happen.

The outcomes of self-destructive thinking and self-destructive action are myriad and impossible to fully predict. However, what we do have control over is how we choose to view ourselves, having survived the ordeal.

There are many self-improvement books and lectures that talk about the Ego being the voice of fear and limitation. What they don’t typically talk about is that the Ego is also our self-identity, our sense of self-worth, and who we are as an individual.

Our logic isn’t always reliable when faced with a decision that can affect our not-so-tangible faculties like our emotions, self-esteem or general well-being. Our mind could snap into survival mode to try and protect us from hurt and harm.

In the intervening two-plus decades, I have experienced countless emotions, thoughts, reflections, regrets and losses, as well as victories, successes, lessons and blessings.

Emotional abandonment is leaving our emotional needs unattended, often without acknowledging or addressing it with a response. That can leave us feeling confused, unsettled and unloved for a long time.

That was when I came across the powerful idea of choosing happiness, as a decision. I realized then happiness is a commitment — it is a practice I would have to adhere to in order for it to last and expand.

Somehow, my traumatic past made me feel special in a way. I had been telling those stories for so long that without them, I feared, I would just be ordinary.

Meditation isn’t meant to shield us from our thoughts nor be used as a weapon against our mind. It is a passive tool with fluid and compassionate energy. In meditation, we cultivate the space of allowing.

Perfection also instills fear in us—fear of failure and fear of our personal imperfections. This fear leads us down a dark path where we tend to avoid challenging situations or competitions because failure seems unbearable.

For three months, I spent most days at home in solitude. I turned off sound notifications on my phone. I prioritized self-care through rest, whole food, exercise, and meditation. I chose to spend time with people and on activities that energized me.

While it’s a healthy stepping stone toward deeper self-discovery, many of those labels can make us feel like there’s something wrong with ourselves and others, when there isn’t. As we read trending definitions and discussions on each of those labels, we can feel as though we either enable one of them or we are one of them.

As someone who grew up in Hong Kong during the 80’s and 90’s and has been living in Australia for nearly three decades, I often ponder questions regarding my identity: Who am I? Chinese, British overseas citizen, or Australian?

It’s not easy to choose kindness in every moment of our lives. Our world can be harsh and unforgiving, full of people who operate from survival mode desperate to take from others.

Frequency and vibration is everything. Our body is made mostly of water. Vibroacoustic Therapy brings the water in our body to a harmonic resonance. There are harmful frequencies and there are healthy frequencies.

Once I accepted that I will sometimes have dark and negative thoughts, I felt relieved to just be. I understood they don’t define me.