When I was 11

When I was 11 years old, I had a dream that changed my life. I heard a voice say to me, “I am going to tell you the secret to all life, and when you wake up in the morning, you will not remember what it is, and you will spend many years searching for it”

Then I remember the voice telling me what the secret was and my response to it being “Oh my God, I knew it, I knew it!!!!!” It was so simple…the kind of thing that’s right in front of your face, but you just don’t see it.

The next morning I woke up and couldn’t remember what it was, just that it was simple. The voice was right. I searched and searched for many years, and then one day, I remembered. It just sort of dawned on me as if it had been there all along; hidden in plain view. The answer was LOVE.

Several years later when I was 24, I went backpacking in Europe. One night, while at a youth Hostel in Switzerland, I was talking with a friend when the evening bell rang signaling it was time for lights out.  We weren’t the slightest bit tired so we decided to move our conversation into the ladies room, the only place available to talk. I remember our conversation getting deeper and deeper until finally she told me a story about a dream she had had when she was 11. A voice spoke to her and said “I am going to tell you the secret to all life, and when you wake up in the morning, you will not remember what it is and you will spend many years searching for it”. I bet you can guess the rest. She had had the same exact experience as me, word for word. 

I then told her of my story. We were so astonished; we sat there in silence for the rest of the night.

I never knew what to make of it all, really. Why was I given the secret? Why was she given it? How many others were?  Over the years though, I feel I may have missed the greater point, LOVE.

I ask myself now, “What did I learn from all that? How did it change my life, or has it?” I wonder if I have made real use of the information given to me. The only conclusion that I can draw, is that every issue that has ever plagued me could have been resolved a lot easier if I had really taken heed of the lesson; that Love is the secret to all life; so simple and yet so allusive.

I believe the #1 cause of most issues we deal with on a daily basis could be traced back to our inability to truly appreciate ourselves on every level of our being; to accept ourselves completely without judgment and to genuinely love ourselves as we are, right now….not after we figure it all out or become our ultimate vision of ourselves. If the answer to all life is Love, then most of our human problems are due to the lack of it! Not from the outer world, but from own our inner one.

Ironically, if you ask someone if they love themselves, they will probably say “yes”. Then ask them if they are happy with who they are, with the way their lives look, with the choices they have made. Ask them how much time they take for themselves, or whether they are eating healthy foods, taking care of their bodies, and spending ample time to rest and rejuvenate. Are they expressing their feelings in a healing way? Are they following their passion? Do they trust themselves? The answers to these questions are illuminating as to whether someone actually loves themselves or if they just “think” they do.

If I’m honest with myself, I’m sure I love my dog, better than me. I can’t look at him without smiling. I love being with him, never get bored with him or even mad at him. If he ever does something I don’t like, I forgive him easily. I always see the best in him, and would go to the ends of the earth for him. I love him unconditionally, and yet I’m still trying to figure out how to love ME that well.

Just for a moment, bring to mind someone you really love. It could be a family member, a spouse, a friend, a teacher, a beloved pet, anyone at all. Now, feel the feelings of love you have for them. Feel how strong they are. Feel the gratitude you have for knowing them, for being in their lives. Feel how good it feels, just to Love. That energy you are feeling is healing. It can heal anything within you and it can heal others. Now ask yourself, “Is this the energy you feel toward yourself?” Do you feel this same kind of love, gratitude, and appreciation for yourself? Do you feel the same desire to be there for yourself no matter what, and to support yourself the same way you would for someone you love?

The secret to all life is Love, and yet at best, most of us are practicing “conditional loving”. Sometimes, we find reasons why it’s ok to love ourselves, and other times we find reasons why it’s not, and we do the same with other people. They have to earn our Love. We have to decide we like them first, trust them and understand them, before we feel it’s safe to love them. We love them "conditionally".

With ourselves, we have to be perfect, make perfect choices, look perfect, have our life look perfect, get treated perfectly by everyone else, etc…and then we’ll love ourselves "conditionally", until something falls out of place and we withhold our love again.

Take that Love energy that you feel for others, and direct some towards yourself right now, unconditionally, and you will begin to heal yourself, your life and be able to truly love those around you. 

Imagine a world, where we all loved ourselves and each other, without reason and just because.

I believe this is the First and Final Frontier for us all; what we have been charged with, and what we are here to learn.

The answer to all life, is LOVE, and the Love within you, is enough to change the world.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman, ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't have to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing any issue, whether it be physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com, or contact my office at (818)904-6840 for a free telephone consultation.

Why Are You Here?

Have you ever really wondered why you're here on planet Earth?  What is your purpose for being here?  Was it just a random act that led you to be here right now at this time on the planet?  Other than the obvious explanation that your parents created you, why else are you here?  What are you here to do? What are you here to learn?  What are you here to bring?  These are some deep questions, right? And yet, without the answers, you could spend a lot of time spinning your wheels, and a lot of time unsatisfied.

It's important to know why you're here.  It's important to know what your gifts are. And most importantly, it's important that you're in alignment with your purpose, that you’re living your purpose. How do you know when you’re in alignment with your purpose, and how do you know when you're not?

It's simple. Are you fulfilled or aren’t you? Are you living a life that reflects all of the goodness that you are? Have you exceeded your wildest expectations of yourself? Are you a shining example of wholeness on planet Earth? Do you genuinely feel good about your life? Do you genuinely feel good about you? Are you fulfilled?

Or……

Are you going to a J-O-B every day, coming home, exhausted, just to pay the bills, and do it all over again tomorrow? Are you in a relationship that is painful, but have resigned yourself to being in it because the alternatives seem overwhelming? Does your body seem to be breaking down a little bit more and more all the time? Are you sick, in physical pain, emotional pain, unhappy, unsatisfied, and feel stuck? Have you given up on your dreams or worse yet, never attempted to pursue them? Do you feel blasé at best, or lack enthusiasm for your future? If so, then chances are you’ve strayed from your lesson plan a bit…and it may be time for an intervention.

In the end, the only thing that matters is how YOU feel about YOU. That’s it.

Did you accomplish what you were here to do? Did you become the person you were always meant to be? Did you love you?

When you are in alignment with your life's purpose, when you know who you are and what you're here to do, and when you take steps towards that vision, your life begins to fall into place, in a way that is most satisfying to you.  You start to live your dreams.

Unfortunately, until you are willing to move towards your vision, you will continue to spin your wheels, and feel unsatisfied with yourself and your life.  The key to being in alignment with your purpose is pure, unadulterated willingness. You have to really want it. You have to be willing to risk for it.  You have to be willing to do things differently.  You have to be willing to change. You can't fake willingness, when you do, it's simply “resistance” dressed up in disguise.

Today, search your soul.  What would you need to do differently to be in alignment with your deepest heart's desires? What would you need to let go of?  What would you need to embrace about yourself?  Even if you're not willing right now to make the changes, find the willingness to be willing. That's a good start, and really all you need, to take tiny steps forward towards being in alignment.  After all, that's what you're here to do, live your purpose and be fulfilled. The story ends well, that starts with willingness.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman, ALSP

PS. You can heal and you don’t have to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing an issue whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840 for a free telephone consultation. 

Sometimes, It Doesn't Have to Make Sense!

I can be stubborn. (Stop laughing!) And, I'm not afraid to admit it. Sometimes it works for me, and unfortunately, sometimes it gets in my way. On one occasion this past fall, it almost led me to make a really poor decision. The worst part is, I would never have known what a poor decision it was, or what I would have missed out on, had I made it.


So, here's the problem: My head. 
I think too much. I analyze. I try and figure everything out. I line up all my ducks. I make my pluses and minuses list. I go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until I'm exhausted, and sometimes I even avoid making a decision and let the chips fall where they may, and consider that my decision. You see, things have to make sense to me. If they don't make sense, if I don't see how everything is going to work, I get "Yes" phobic.


In September, when I least expected it, certainly wasn't looking for it, and didn't want it, a dog came into my life....and let me just say for the record, I was NOT ready!!!! I did NOT want to be tied down!!! I did NOT want to lose my freedom!!! I did NOT want to take care of anyone else!!! I did NOT want to clean up poopie messes, go to the vet, find people to babysit, feel guilty when I have to leave him alone for the day, overnight with someone, or God forbid have to get coverage for an entire week if I travel.


I did NOT want to face decisions regarding vaccination, heart worm or worry about deer ticks. Did I mention that I was NOT ready??? Oh yeah, while we're on the subject, I did NOT want to love something so much again, like my last dog Scruffy and have to watch him get old, sick and die. No, I did NOT want to re-live the pain of letting go of something I loved, all too soon.


So, there I was....with all my reasons why I wasn't ready...which no one blamed me for...after all, all my reasons were reasonable; they made perfect sense. So then, why on God's green earth did I say yes???? Why did I agree to go see that little ball of fluff in the first place? And why oh why, did I agree to take him home and care for him til death do us part?


It's simple...my heart screwed up my plan. I picked him up, he melted in my arms, the rest is history. He was mine.


Seven months later, I can't imagine my life without Max. When I think back to how sure I was about NOT being ready, all I can do is laugh and Thank God I let my heart open again, just in the nick of time.


Love is a risk, isn't it? But let's face it, the payoff is big! So can be the payoff for saying "Yes", when all your "reasons" point to NO. Sometimes, it doesn't have to make sense.


The truth is, the greatest things that have ever happened to me, happened only after I got out of my own way, when I said YES, even though I was scared to, and when I trusted in something bigger than all my reasons.


I have learned that every decision we make is made from either Faith or from Fear, and that it's okay to be afraid, as long as I do it anyway.....

I wish you the many blessings that come, with decisions made from Faith!


To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,


Donna Gershman ALSP


PS. You can heal, and you don't have to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing an issue, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840 for a free telephone consultation.

Getting Out of Here Alive

Lately, I seem to be preoccupied with the subject of death.

(....What did she just say???? Did she just say the "D" word?)
Okay, hear me out...

Look, I realize that death is not everyone's favorite subject....and it's certainly not mine, but it's on my mind a lot these days. Maybe it's because I lost a friend recently, or because this past year I had a close call myself, or maybe because I am dangerously approaching the big 5-0. I'm not sure, but the thing that I am realizing more than anything, is that I have spent most of my life dodging the subject. I don't want to think about it, face it, and least of all, embrace it. That would be like a direct invitation to the grim reaper, himself. I will have no part of it! I will get out of here alive, if it's the last thing I do!!! In fact, I have decided to skirt death altogether. Who's with me?

The truth is though, I'm just plain tired of running from it, avoiding it at all cost, resisting it, worrying, obsessing, freaking, negotiating, bargaining, bartering, being a good little girl, and all the other things I do to fend it off. Let's face it, it takes a lot of energy, energy I could be using for something more inspired.

Maybe it's just time to stop running....to accept it, to look death straight into it's little beedie eyes and say,
"I surrender, take me already!" It would probably be a welcomed relief from all these "death deferring" antics of mine. Who knows, maybe then I can really begin to live.

I don't know about you, but a lot of what has scared me about death is not knowing what's going to happen.
Wait....isn't that the SAME EXACT reason I have for every fear of mine?

This has me thinking: Maybe I do know how it's all going to end. Maybe I can deal with the idea of death, the same way I deal with everything else in my Life.

When a situation presents itself to me, first, I ACCEPT what IS.

Then I TRUST what IS.....

(in other words, I trust that what IS, is not happening for no reason at all, and is not meant to be a punishment, but rather happening by Divine Purpose.)

Next, I EMBRACE the idea that what IS, is actually good, and is for me.

(so, I don't  need to resist what IS, because that just leads to more pain).

Finally, I OPEN to seeing the gift in what IS.

This formula has helped me through many events in my life, that at first seemed like insurmountable challenges, with the result being Grace and Ease versus suffering and struggle.

Of course, death seems like a pretty sizable challenge. Not your everyday variety of letting go, is it?
But, I'm pretty sure that's why it comes last.....

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a physical, emotional or spiritual issue, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840.