I believe we are creative beings, each of us possessing unique gifts and talents, and I believe it’s important we share those talents to assist, uplift, and inspire others.

It’s easy to downplay our natural talents and view them as insignificant because the ego generally doesn’t value things that come easily and effortlessly. When we achieve or produce something that takes a lot of effort and/or our hard earned money, we give it more worth and significance because it literally is a product of our blood, sweat, and tears. 

You may find your ego convincing you your creative gifts aren’t useful or worth expressing. To me, this is the greater crime—not sharing your knowledge, wisdom, life experience and creativity. I know this because I suffered from this, too. Long before I wrote either of my books, the critical voice in my head repeatedly said, “You have nothing original to write, nothing that hasn’t been written a...

The spiritual journey of awakening is a journey towards Self-realization. It consists of liberation from the ego—from anger, jealousy, envy, greed, bigotry, worry, anxiety, imagination, and fear. All negative emotions pertain to the ego, the false self. The spiritual journey of awakening is one of liberation from the false self in pursuit of aligning with our true Self, the soul.

At birth we are body, mind, and soul, but in a very short time, our ego develops and we gain an identity that defines us physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. 

The ego is a mask—a fragile, false identity—that shields us from our true nature. The more we identify with our thoughts, feelings, and physical characteristics, the further we remove ourselves from our true Self. 

The natural process of developing an ego occurs at the expense of the soul. The power hungry ego takes control while the gentle soul slowly recedes into the background and...