Our pain and misery are our own creation. And so is our state of happiness and bliss. Outside situations merely present an outlet for our internal state of being. For example, whenever you squeeze a lemon, you get only lemon juice, never apple juice, irrespective of the kind of outside pressure.

And it is the same with us.

When our inner state is calm and balanced, we live in the present moment and act from our natural state of bliss. Our response is then mindful, balanced and positive.

Hence in any stressful situation, always look inwards before giving an outward response.

Are you calm and balanced that moment within? Is your response in tandem with who you are and who you want to be?

If yes, then go forthright and express it.  But if there is even the slightest doubt, wait.

Give yourself some time to reclaim your true self. Then with this mindful awareness of self, contemplate over the situation and you will notice that the right response will arise within you.

Remember your response is completely your responsibility. No one else is responsible. And whatever response you choose will set into motion another chain of events. Hence always be mindful of your response.

Once you take complete responsibility for self, including your emotions, outside events lose their power to affect you. And once you reclaim this inner power, real change begins to happen around you and within you. That is when true empowerment begins.