Understanding something is our liberation from any negative effects it may previously have had on us. Fear, hatred, intolerance, resentment, guilt and shame are born from ignorance: an ignorance of who we are, how our mind and body work, how life works, and how it all comes together.

Never forget this! Fear arises out of ignorance.

This is a troubling thought, a tough pill to swallow, but if you are ready for a better life, you will discover for yourself the truth of this. We were all made ignorant by our schooling, so you’re in plenty of good company!

Let’s look at a typical aspect of human life while living without understanding. Once we pursue, and arrive at, understanding something, we liberate ourselves from its effects on us…

Life is only to be found right now

When we are suffering in our mind in some way, it's about something we have done in our past, or something that happened to us, or it's about a future event that we don't want to happen or are fearful of happening.

We feel bad now, because of the past or the future.

But the past and future are constructs of our thinking mind. You can NEVER get back to the past, and you can never ever arrive in a day called tomorrow - just try it out every morning you wake up: it's never tomorrow that you wake up, only a new today that greets you.

What does this mean in practice?

1. If you are regretting the past, you are wasting your life now. You're on a double-lose!! You lost out in the past, and now you're losing out again by making now—the present moment— a space of negative energy for you. Did you think by wishing it hadn’t happened that it would somehow miraculously unhappen itself? Yes, that’s what we humans do! At least until we understand.

Instead you could be asking why such a situation arose, or why somebody said or did what they did. This is inquiring into the cause-and-effect nature of life which underpins everything. From the ensuing understanding you will empower yourself to avoid a repeat of this event that is troubling your mind.

2. If you are fearing something happening in the future, like losing a friend, a job, or something precious such as your health, or your life through an early death, then you are dead to the now, dead to the only place where life is actually to be found. That which you fear is stealing your life now, even though it's just a thought in your mind. And, you may actually increase its chances of happening.

You're on another double-lose. Your fear has stolen your life NOW, based on your mind deciding on the possibility of something happening later on down the line.

Whatever we've done in the past can never be undone, but it can be learned from.

Whatever we do in time beyond now will reflect what we are doing in the time of now.

Change is only possible today

If you don't like an aspect of your life, or you don't like the whole of it, then the only way to change it for the better is to make the changes today, now. It's impossible to do it tomorrow because tomorrow never ever comes. If you can't do it today, what makes you think you can do it in any other today?

And, related to all of the above, can you change the world? Can you lead a horse to water and get it to happily drink the water?

YES, 1000 times. All that bullshit that says we're only one person, we can't change the world is just that, total nonsense. You ARE the world, whatever you do changes it - for the better or for the worse.

Your choice.

Prove it to yourself now. Go out where there are people, and at the first opportunity carry out a spontaneous act of kindness to a stranger. See how you feel, see what it does for them. Everything you do has an effect on the world, and everything you experience in the world has an effect on you. The amazing thing about being human is that we can choose how to perceive things, and we can choose how to act.

But only when we understand the innate nature of things. And that means learning. Being humble enough to say you need to learn, and then putting that learning process into your life EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Have a great day my friend - change something about your life or mindset RIGHT NOW! Get started now, and momentum will carry you through.