Moonpedal, there is also the Kundalini (spiritual energy) awakening process within yogic tradition, if you’re interested in eastern philosphy. There’s a lot of information online about it, but here’s a good starting point – an interview on SoundsTrue: http://www.soundstrue.com/store/weeklywisdom/?page=single&category=IATE&episode=1385

Dear Innah,
This post made me sad about all the vulnerable school kids and students whose power lays at the feet of their teachers and professors. When they respect you and guide you to become who you are, then it’s power used well. But when they abuse their power and hurt you then they don’t deserve the trust and respect you give them.

Ask yourself how can you take back your power? How can you turn around this situation to become strong? How will you rise above it and become more of who you are (that you already know you are – as you wrote in your mail)? These are the times that can make you strong! Believe in yourself!

Hi plantlover,
It must be tricky to travel through your days worrying about being punished!! Mistakes are your friends – they tell you what not to do 🙂 Keeping the trend of quoting numbers going, you’ve heard Edison’s quote, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If you can take on that scientist mindset of experimentation, then you won’t worry so much about punishment. So what if you make a mistake? Observe it with detachment, see where you went wrong, and how you can do it differently next time.

I hope this helps?

Wow – what a story! What a brave soul you are! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!

And I agree with Laure, I’ve taken the well-paying job route before, and wasn’t happy. But I didn’t quit it either, until I made a path for myself that I love.

If the job in Japan wasn’t paying you well, and if your priority right now is to take care of yourself financially first, it sounds like a good plan. For me, in that type of a situation, if I would eventually want to get back to Japan, I’d make myself a goal – of say, I’ll work at the UK job for 5 years, save enough money, and then look for another job in Japan at that time. Not that you’d have to make your goal happen no matter what… life intervenes, and your goals can change, but having a goal gives you something to work toward.

This is an interesting question Anita – and I like your last line – “this forum is as real for you as you are real in it.”

I believe I’m honest, sincere and truthful on here as well, but I also only put out a facet of myself, which is relevant to this community. I don’t talk about other things, like cooking, gardening or most other stuff in life – so I guess I’m real, but still only a portion of who I am here. But maybe that’s understood in your question 🙂

Hi starrynightdreams!
You remind me of myself when I was younger 🙂
A few things come to mind when I read your post – I think you have a strong sense of yourself, what you like (and don’t like), and the type of life you want to live. These are great guiding lights for you to follow.

It really is tough to know what’s the right path for you right now, not knowing where that path will lead. But what I can tell you is that no matter what path you take, if you do it from a place of what feels right within you, you can’t go wrong. If you do go wrong, you’ll still learn the important lessons.

There are really a lot of options out in the world – even if you start out with a low-paying job, as you learn more about yourself, you can actually create the job / career / life that you want to live.

If you’re really feeling lost and want to have a phone conversation with someone, email me, and we can set something up – I’d love to help! saiisha@nestintheforest.com

Good Luck!!

Hi Anita – I’m not sure if I’d be able to answer your question in the way you asked it, but I’ll talk about my experience with my parents. I fiercely loved and adored them, and they sheltered and protected me when I was a child. It’s only now when I go back to wondering about my fears and insecurities do I realize that there were some unexpressed expectations that took root in me and stayed with me. I’m learning to overcome them in my own way, but I don’t have anything against my parents for raising me the way they did – they raised me the way they thought best at that time. Were they good enough parents? For me – absolutely! I raise my son a little differently now, but he’ll probably say the same thing about me when he grows older and learns his own lessons 🙂