Written by: Gurpreet Kaur, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
It was 2 o’clock in the morning and I was sitting with my journal in hands and trying to make sense of my life. I was sitting alone in my tiny dark apartment when I out loud asked myself these questions: Where is God? What is God? Why isn’t he helping me right now when I need him the most?
I was depressed and life didn’t make much sense to me. I still had a job to pay the bills and was working hard to maintain a 3.9 GPA in my Masters program. I was doing what I was supposed to be doing as a 23-year-old young adult but I sure wasn’t feeling happy. I always have been a deep thinker so God has been a part of my psyche from the beginning. I was always fascinated with God. So, I have been curious about how God helps people and why. Who is deserving of his blessings and why? What do “the unfortunate” people like me needed to do to be more worthy of his blessings?
It’s All Up to You
Many such questions were swirling in my head, but no satisfying answers were present. Studying humanistic and existential psychology frameworks was helpful in realizing that there is more to me than flesh and blood. I was craving for answers on how to create a happier and struggle-free life. I didn’t want to be unhappy, sad, depressed, or broke. The more I worked towards creating a happy, joyful, and abundant life, the more I realized that it is all up to me. God doesn’t bless you because you have been good. God doesn’t curse you because you have been bad. In fact, there is no good or bad. It just is.
Stop Judging Yourself as “Good” or “Bad”
When you practice being non-judgmental towards yourself, you set yourself free from all the shackles that are created by society. I definitely have broken many such shackles that were all in my head. Nobody was holding me back but myself. No God was going to bestow blessings on me because I was being “good.” This notion of being good or bad creates duality in your mind that makes you judge your own actions and behaviors. You start to categorize your actions into these “good or bad” categories. You start to stop your own blessings because you feel you don’t deserve a good grade because you didn’t study hard enough. You feel you don’t deserve a big house because you are lazy. You feel you don’t deserve a sexy body because you don’t exercise for hours.
You feel you don’t ______ because ______.
You fill in the blank with your limiting beliefs.
Prefer Growth Over Fear
I was afraid of admitting that I did not need God. And it was because I felt scared by God. God was something that judged me to decide whether I was worthy of his blessings or not. It took me a long time and a lot of soul searching to realize that God is within me. I just have to come out of the illusion of my own conditioned and scared ego. The God I know today is very different than what I learned about from my upbringing. With this realization came the understanding that I can have anything I want if I work towards that. For me it became the process of finding God within me. It became about growth and development instead of waiting for God’s blessings. I learned that I had to work towards them. I needed goals with due dates, I needed a plan of action, and I needed to take some actions.
Find God Within
I realized God doesn’t come down to create your goals for you. God gave you that ability so you have to do that for yourself. Have you ever heard that “God doesn’t help those who can’t help themselves?” I feel it is so true. Not because God hates on those who don’t do anything. It’s just that they don’t claim their Godliness from within. And I believe the whole purpose of your life on this earth is to realize your Godliness. Any struggle or hurdle you face in life is to remind you that you are more powerful than you think you are. Your job then becomes finding more power and strength within you.
Dream Big. Create Goals. Take Action.
So, I would encourage you to write down your goals. Put your dreams on a piece of paper and put a due date next to them. Research shows that people who write their goals achieve 50% more likely to achieve than people without goals. Pretty much all motivational and success gurus teach those written goals get accomplished.
Please don’t wait for God to bless you with certain things you desire. You will have to put the work into it. Start with dreaming big. And break down that dream into achievable goals. And put a due date to those goals. If you don’t achieve it by that end, that’s fine. But do put a date for your goals. Now get to work. Find out what you need to do to achieve that goal. What you need to learn and become before you can realize that goal. You are God in the making. Realize that. You are powerful beyond measures, my friend. Claim it.
Gurpreet Kaur, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Gurpreet Kaur is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Life Coach, Speaker, and an Author. Dr. Kaur is very passionate about self-love, self-empowerment, wellness, reaching the full potential, and applying quantum mechanics principles to daily life. Dr. Kaur teaches a step-by-step self-care process to live a mentally and emotionally healthy life.
