“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful to the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”—Eckhart Tolle

Just as long as we are alive, we have the chance and the choice to redefine our lives. We all have the capability to stretch our perceptions to include new ideas and change thinking patterns. We constantly discover new meanings and view previous opinions or beliefs from an expanded vantage point, to bring feelings of hope and possibility.

Keeping it soulful, insightful and introspective, I have tried to use this valuable column space to share with you my new perspectives on life.

“There is a certain kind of light that only comes having been through a certain kind of darkness.”—Eckart Tolle

As I experienced the beating of the waves of recent events, I have become so appreciative of the feeling of hope. Each day, I try and acknowledge that I am slowly but surely coming out of the dark and strive to keep creating and living in my light.

Commonly we refer to the outcomes in our lives as either drawn from bad karma or good karma. You do something bad, there are repercussions. Do something good and you will be rewarded in this life or the next. Karma is really at play in our lives every single day, in everything we do, in every word, in every thought.

From my learnings, there are 12 laws of karma, each one worthy of dissecting, processing and analyzing. As I try to understand how each one fits into my life, I am focusing on these two:

Rule No. 2 is the Law of Creation. This one resonates with me very strongly because I am a creator. I make life happen, I don’t wait for life to happen to me. I seek out opportunities where I can express myself, share my talents, not just to elevate myself but to elevate others, as well.

Rule No. 12 is the Law of Significance and Inspiration. This is all about your value. You are unique in this world and you have a trait, an approach, a skill, knowledge that someone else will benefit from. It does not have to be life-altering or world-changing. Random and little acts can create positive ripples that you may never even see, but trust that it made a difference.

Labels

It is a human tendency to create labels, assign meanings and interpret how we all see the world around us. This helps us process information, reach an understanding or wrap our minds around a concept.

Unfortunately, many of the definitions narrow our perspective and prevent us from living fully. An “in the box” mentality can be overly self-protective, shortsighted and small-minded. This blocks new meanings and broader definitions from flowing in.

As we broaden our perspective and further open up and gain new understanding, we strive to go with the ebb and flow. We start to redefine our beliefs, opinions, perceptions and experiences. The new outcome may enrich our world, but we still remain true to ourselves.

I believe it is all about the proper mindset of making life more meaningful and brightening up the way of thinking while serving individual needs—right now, today.

Living in a spirit of gratitude and celebration not only attracts more good to flow our way, but it also shifts us into a state of bliss—which is a wonderful way to experience life. With a keen appreciation of self, others, abundance and the beauty around, an attitude of gratitude creates a constant flow of fulfillment and happiness.

What the future holds, I believe, depends entirely on our capacity for love. And for that, we must have absolute and total confidence in what we are doing. Don’t let others say “that road is better” or “that route is easier.” The greatest gift God gave us is the power to make decisions.

The adventure of the days to come needs to be full of romance, because the world needs that; therefore, when you get on that soul train, feel the motion of the locomotion and enjoy the sense of freedom.

In-person event

Our collective journey now is opening up to in-person events. RSVP Lifestyle Asia held its first gathering since 2019. Hosted at Chef Jessie at Makati’s Rockwell Club, the event treated its fully vaccinated guests to an intimate, social-distanced luncheon. I was elegantly chauffeured to Rockwell riding the newest Lexus ES model.

For safety protocols, attendees underwent a swab test by Avignon Clinic. Event designer Teddy Manuel beautifully arranged the decor of fresh white flowers and a crisp tablescape. The restaurant’s special menu featured entrées of chef Jessie Sincioco.

The guest list included actress Sarah Lahbati and fashion designer Mark Bumgarner, who are both Lifestyle Asia cover personalities this month. In his speech, Lifestyle Asia editor in chief Dong Ronquillo thanked event partners Lexus and Tessera Jewelry founders Carl and Papat Fider for collaborating with the media brand to create a memorable day. For added surprises, guests could try on precious jewelry pieces by Tessera and don them throughout the event.

Donation drive

Spreading good karma, the employees and management of SM Prime Holdings Inc. donated their P2.5 million Christmas party fund to different charities serving the underprivileged. It is part of its commitment of 100 Days of Caring for the holiday season.

The donation drive is a project of SMPH and its units and subsidiaries, namely SM Development Corp. (SMDC), SM Offices, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. and SM Supermalls including SM Cinema, and SM Lifestyle and Family Entertainment Company Inc.

SM Supermalls president Steven Tan and SMDC president Jose Mari Banzon led the turnover of the donations to Inquirer Group of Companies president Sandy Prieto-Romualdez and Inquirer corporate affairs head Connie Kalagayan. I was delighted to be part of this momentous affair.

The year is almost over and the holidays are fast approaching. I will round out this year by keeping true to my Christmas traditions filled with joy and good cheer. 2022 will be about redefining myself and who I want to be for the next chapter of my life. I would like to create and inspire and elevate even more. The challenge is finding ways to do this that are sustainable and within reach of those who need it. I want to truly make a difference wherever I go and in every life I touch. I’ll start with ripples until it becomes a tidal wave . . . and that will be my legacy. INQ

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