It's time to start supporting each other

I don't know anyone who isn't going through some very challenging times. Do you? The challenges may be around health, or money (my personal favorite), or relationships. So we have two options. We can focus on how miserable we are, and feel like victims, and hope that we can find someone to help us. Or we can look around and see how many people are suffering much more than we are, and do something to help. It's amazing how quickly you can get out of your depression when you are helping someone else.

So how exactly can we help other people? Well, we can't help them by worrying about them. That only confirms their own fears and adds to their suffering. We can't help them by buying into their story and agreeing with them that they are victims. We can't help them by trying to save them and becoming their hero; that just leads to co-dependency. Really, the only way to help people is to see them as powerful beings and to trust their path. I remember years ago--when I had lost my job and was going through something similar to what I'm going through now--a friend said to me, "I'm not worried about you. You're going to be fine." And she proceeded to discuss with me all the opportunities that I could take advantage of. That shifted me from a place of fear to a place of excitement.

As 2012 approaches, and the energies of change are upon us, the only way we're going to get through this is by being there for each other. This can mean offering someone a place to stay, or listening to their problems, or lending them money, or a number of things. What we do isn't as important as the energy with which we do things. If we're seeing people as victims and want to save them, we're going to be in for a lot of trouble. But if we can see them as our brothers and sisters, who are on their way Home as we are, and can offer them a helping hand as they stumble on the path, then I think that we will all make it Home sooner.