I’m posting this because I see so many friends going through the same Tests I went through a few years ago. I was going to keep the following post private on Facebook but was guided to share it here, in the open, on my blog.

If you’re reading this it’s most likely because you want to follow your heart but are not 100% committed. You're still unsure or are debating if the risk will be "worth" the reward. So because you're not sure, The Universe and your Soul are creating tests for you. The test will give you 2 choices, the first of which is to go back into the old inauthentic ways, those ways that go against your heart's desire. Maybe it comes in the form of a bonus to stay at a job you hate or maybe it’s a serious illness that requires medication, when you really don’t want to be medicated but also don’t want the pain and see no other alternative. Maybe it’s a messy divorce from an inauthentic person or business partner. Whatever it is, it is a TEST to test you on your commitment to your own spiritual ascension. The other choice, of course, is to follow your heart and your passion.

I will share something very personal. I had the first of my series of Big Tests around 2002 or 2003 - I could've earned 60,000 euros (yes, sixty-thousand—a nice annual salary) on just ONE order from a client...but it would've meant falsifying documents for customs (which the client specifically asked me to do). At the time, Armand and I believed we were flat broke, and so I felt pressured to take the order because we didn't know how else to pay for our rent and food. But I just couldn't bow to the pressure. I didn't do it despite the split-second temptation. My integrity wouldn't allow me to buckle, even under the threat of dragging down the person I love the most.

Somehow, I felt it was a spiritual test. The order just felt all wrong to me—it felt slimy and of dark energy. But aside from being totally illegal, my fear of going to jail was not as big as my fear of failing The Test. Afterwards, I KNEW I had passed a BIG test by not accepting the order. And guess what? Money came in through another door!

That our bank accounts showed us that we were broke was just mirroring our then-shared belief of scarcity. It was just an illusion; the money was there all along just waiting for us to allow it in! In this case, I just had to trust another solution was there and to choose to allow it in. I chose the spiritual high road, or The Light (or whatever you want to call it.)

All I can say is this: We ALL go through THE TEST. There are many parts to The Test. We all have to decide to go for The Light. Which do you choose?

I chose The Light and am standing on the other side of a doorway holding a candle, beckoning to you, so you can find the doorway and walk through it, but I can't come back through the door to help you. No one can. You must choose to find and walk through the door yourself.

We all are butterflies and have to emerge from our individual cocoons. No one can help you but YOU! You cannot help another; you can only set an example for another!

So if you’re looking for reassurance from a source outside yourself before you follow your Heart’s Call, forget it! Here's a secret: you will only GET reassurance from others AFTER you've already DECIDED. And I mean the “past the point of no return” kind of decision. (I'm speaking from personal experience and a deep inner knowing.) It sounds counter-intuitive, but this is how energy and The Universe works. Money came in to me only after I had decided to not fulfill the order and trusted there was some other way, some door I knew was there but couldn't see. It's worked every time since then and I no longer worry because I know I create my own abundance through my beliefs. We ALL do.

Know that each and every decision you make affects all your subsequent possibilities, much like how each shot in billiards affects all the subsequent potential shots (for all players). So if you're waiting for something to happen before you start, you're still undecided. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. If you’re undecided, your plans to move forward will not happen. You need to breakout of this inertia because it’s like saying you want to drive to New York from Boston but then you put the car in neutral—or worse, you keep turning the car back to Boston!

Make the decision to follow your heart and begin walking the path, even if you don't know all the rest of the details.

I am living proof that making the leap is worth it. I've already been through all the struggles and come out the other side. It was a challenge to get my butterfly out of the cocoon, but it was soooo WORTH it. Birth is messy. So stop saying "hopefully". "Hopefully" is what people say when they DON'T believe. So use "DEFINITELY" instead and see your glass "OVERFLOWING".

My friends know my glass is overflowing. Every time I ask for something, I get it. Last week I asked for an amount of money, and two days ago I got not one, but four checks in the mail totaling the amount I asked for! Trust. Believe. Know.

3 SIMPLE TRUTHS

(Special thanks to my old friend Holly for proofreading this and giving me her feedback).

Everything starts and ends with you. You stand central in your life. You are the center of your life. Your life is about you and no one else... Others merely help you become your highest potential; everyone contributes to your spiritual growth throughout the course of your life in some way. Sound selfish and self-centered? It is. Or is it...?

There are 3 truths that we all share. The first truth is: You are the source of your own energy. No one else can give it to you and no one can take it from you without your conscious or unconscious consent.

Imagine that you’re a battery. You—and you alone—are responsible for keeping your battery fully charged. So how do you do that? The answer is simple: by doing what you love to do and by treating yourself well.

When you’re doing things you love to do, you feel good about yourself and you receive energy. But when you do things that don’t bring you joy—whether that be out of obligation, coercion, or otherwise—and when you don’t nurture yourself, your battery is quickly drained empties. Do this long enough and your health will surely suffer. It could come in the form of a a nervous breakdown, burn-out, or even life-threatening heart attack. (I should know, Armand came within a millimeter of a heart-attack in 2005 and I had several nervous breakdowns in the 90s).

So this is why it’s important to relax and play and to do what you love. Follow the pleasure principle: if it feels good, you’re getting energy. If it doesn’t feel good, you’re losing energy. It’s possible to create your dream life and it begins by altering your beliefs.

Now, unfortunately there are people who do not know how—or refuse—to connect to their own source of energy. These individuals suck energy from others, and thus are called “energy vampires”. Maybe they’re needy or provoke arguments with you by belittling or criticizing you. You know who they are—these are the people in your life who leave you feeling worse about yourself after you’ve interacted with them. You feel bad, deflated, or drained because they've literally sucked some of your Life Force out of you.

But here's the key: If you take good care of yourself, you’re in balance and no one can take your energy. That is, unless you let them. And because you’re fulfilled there’s no need for you to take energy from others.

The second truth is: You cannot truly help others until you help yourself. Somewhere along the way, you were probably taught that you must put others before yourself and that that is the noble thing to do. But it couldn’t be more contrary. You must choose to put yourself first.

Picture yourself on an airplane while the flight crew is explaining the emergency safety procedures. What do they say to do should the oxygen masks deploy during the flight? First put your own mask on before assisting someone else. Yes, help yourself first. Think about it for a moment: how can you help someone else if you’ve fainted? You cannot save another before you save yourself. So start by helping yourself. Only then can you truly serve others.

Let’s take another example. Imagine that you are walking on a balance beam. If you’re steady and balanced, you can steady someone else who is wobbly. But if you’re already wobbling, both you and the person you’re trying to help steady are going to fall. It’s that simple. Help yourself first and then help others.

The third truth is: Living your full potential is the greatest thing you can do. For everyone. To be able to live your full potential, you first need to know yourself because everything starts and ends with you. To do that, you must be in touch with your own feelings and who you are. When you know who you are, you’re connected to your own source of energy and know that you have all that you need. In other words, you don’t need others to “complete” you because you’re already whole. Once you realize this, everyone around you becomes enjoyable and you can then choose to have people around you who complement you rather than complete you. This is called conscious living.

When you live as your true self, you become a candle shedding light upon others. You become an inspiring figure just purely by who you are. You don’t have to “do” anything. All you have to do is just “be”. Desmond Tutu said, "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." If everyone took care of himself or herself and lived their full potential, imagine what kind of world we would live in!

Lastly, Just think of this: when you focus upon yourself you no longer feel the need to ask or force others to change. It sounds strange, but it’s true.

The best you can do is live your dream life, which sets a good example and opens up the possibility for others to achieve what you've already achieved.

So in actually, choosing for yourself and taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for another.

Choose yourself.

Keep yourself in good health.

Nourish your spirit by making your passion your life's work.

When you’re in good health, you will be able to help others. You radiate joy and are more fun to be around, so others will be happier too. Everyone wins!

What are you waiting for? Get a move on' (wink).