This past week, I began to notice how many subtle ways the mind tries to pull me away from present moment—through pride, pressure, old roles, or the need for approval. Each day brought me a moment to pause, reflect, and return to what matters most: living consciously, here and now.

I invite you to read these reflections slowly. After each one, pause for a moment and check in with yourself: How does this land in me? Where do I notice this in my own life? In this way, my personal practice can become an invitation for your own.

1. Gratitude Toward My Parents

On Monday evening, during my last meditation, I recalled an email from David Ghiyam I had read in the morning about finding something positive in the family members we struggle with. I thought, okay, let’s start with my mother. As I reflected, the very first things that came to my mind were what I didn’t like about her: her victimhood, the way she isolates herself, her broken promises… the list could go on.

Then inspiration came to me: I can be grateful because she gave me life. Then tears began rolling down my cheeks—not from sadness, but from a release of something long stuck.

I then thought of my father. He has never been my role model and hasn’t spoken to me since I was 18. Yet again, I realized: thanks to him, I’m here. My parents were perfect for each other in the one way that mattered most—they brought me into this world.

Suddenly, more reasons for gratitude came to me. I thank my mother for not being the mother I thought I wanted—because through her lack of involvement, I learned to be self-reliant, independent, and responsible. I thank them both for giving me so little, because it taught me to be resourceful. I thank my father for his absence, because it taught me how to lead my own life. Thanks to them, I found the courage to leave home, go abroad, and search for my calling and my place of happiness.

As more tears came, I didn’t suppress them. I let them wash through me like waves. I breathed into the tightness in my chest and felt a layer of protection around my heart dissolve.

For the first time, I felt a level of gratitude for both of my parents that I had never touched before. I began to truly understand what unconditional love is. They are perfect exactly as they are. I don’t need to change a thing about them.

The same can be applied to anyone who has given me a hard time by not being the way I wanted them to be—for they all pointed me back within myself, to discover that what I was seeking had always been inside me.

Reflection question: Where in your life could gratitude transform an old wound?

2. Becoming What Was Missing

What if healing isn’t about receiving what was missing, but becoming it?

Tuesday’s message from David Ghiyam spoke straight to my heart: we often carry childhood wounds from our parents, but waiting for them to give us what they never did keeps us stuck as hurt children. The shift happens when we choose to become the source of what was missing.

This reminded me of my mother again—how absent and cold she was to me. And I realized… I’ve been reflecting that same coldness back to her. If I can see it now, it’s my responsibility to break this karma.

So, I picked up my phone and sent her a message asking about her day. I wrote her that I forgive her and accept her fully as she is. I thanked her for teaching me responsibility, self-reliance, and above all, for giving me life. I invited her to a call this week, if she feels like it.

Whether she responds or not, something already shifted inside me. I chose love over resentment. I chose to give what I once longed for.

Because alignment with love is what heals generations.

Reflection question: What quality do you wish you had received from others—and how could you begin embodying it yourself?

3. Checking In Before Reaching Out

On Tuesday, I felt the urge to reach out to someone I haven’t seen in a while. Before sending the message, I paused and checked in with myself: Am I acting right now from wholeness and presence, or from my insecurity? Is there anything I’m trying to get with this, or is it just a pure expression?

I turned my attention to what I felt in my body, my energy, and my real intention.

If the action comes from a place of lightness and genuine interest, with no expectation of how it will be received, it feels easy. If there’s even a little tension, pressure, or worry about what the other person will think, I take a breath and let it settle first.

This pause is not just about the other person—it’s about honoring my own energy, staying present, and acting from wholeness rather than habit or old patterns. I chose not to send the message and I just observed what was hapening in me.

Reflection question: What would shift if you were able to pause before reacting to those impulses you get?

4. Choosing presence over distraction

This week was also challenging for me as I received messages trying to pull me into someone else’s drama and agenda. I had other things planned that needed my attention, so I noticed the content briefly, but I chose not to give it my full attention. I checked in with myself: Is this my responsibility, or is it just someone else’s story?

My old me would react and over explain myself, but I paused. I returned to my body, my breath, and what i actually wanted to be doing. This small conscious choice—to stay present, to not get distracted by someone else’s energy—is a practice in honoring my own flow and boundaries.

I realize that being present, focused on my own moment, is sometimes the most generous thing I can offer, both to myself and others.

Reflection question: How do you decide what truly deserves your energy?

5. Detaching from Approval

As I set a firm boundary and felt at peace inside, my mind immediately wanted to overexplain, justify, or anticipate how others might react. Even days later, when the drama continues, thoughts pop up: What will they think? Will they disapprove?

I notice this pattern with curiosity. It’s amazing how the old need for approval keeps showing itself, even when I know my worth and act from wholeness. The practice isn’t to stop the thoughts immediately—it’s to see them clearly, let them pass, and return to my own center.

This is the process of detaching from external validation: recognizing the pattern, observing it without judgment, and choosing presence over reaction.

Reflection question: In what ways do you still seek external validation, and how could you soften into self-trust instead?

6. Releasing Old Roles

On Wednesday I noticed a subtle voice within me when I saw something connected to a place I used to belong. A quiet feeling arose, whispering that I had been left behind and pulling me toward the connection I once had there.

In the past, it was difficult for me to see things continue without me. I was attached to my role, believing I was an important piece and that without me things would fall apart. Whenever I heard that the experience was not the same since I left, a small pride would arise in me—validation that what I gave had value.

But the truth is, my worth is not tied to a role. Life keeps flowing, and so do I. The connections I cherished are not limited to one place or time. The essence of what I offered continues to live in people’s hearts, whether or not they express it.

The lesson for me is to release attachment and pride, to bless the paths that continue without me, and to recognize that my gift is not bound to the past. I am not diminished because life moves on. My essence is eternal, and connection is available in every moment, everywhere I go.

“Today I choose gratitude. I bless what was, and I open my heart to what is.“

Reflection question: Where are you still defining yourself by who you used to be?

7. From Pressure to Flow

On Saturday morning, I felt a bit under pressure and also doubtful. I had come to the West Coast to surf, yet after four days, I still hadn’t entered the water. My mind was loud: You should go surfing. You should finish that book you started—Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. You should figure out your income, your bills…

It was almost comical — here I was, reading The Power of Now, while my mind was doing everything it could to drag me out of the now. So I applied what I was reminded of, I paused, rested, and returned to the present moment, and everything shifted!

From that space of presence, the decision to surf came effortlessly. I didn’t overthink the conditions or measure whether it was “worth it.” I simply felt happy to get in the water, to enjoy each ride for what it was—without needing to perform, without needing it to be more than the joy of being there.

At the beach, I met Ricardo who told me he was already tired after one hour and asked me: Are you going to surf for one or two hours? I smiled, unable to answer his question. My intention wasn’t about time at all—I had left my watch at home. For me it was only about entering the water, forgetting time, and being fully present.

Surfing reminded me of the essence of conscious living: when I let go of pressure, control, and measurement, I rediscover flow. Presence transforms ordinary moments into freedom.

Encounters with people reflected the same truth—some open, some closed, but I stayed rooted in myself. I didn’t avoid or absorb; I simply met each moment with awareness and choice.

All of this is a beautiful reminder that conscious living is not about perfection, but about returning—again and again—to the simplicity of presence, where life flows naturally.

Reflection question: Where could you release pressure today and rediscover joy in the present moment?

Closing

If these words touched something in you, you’re welcome to stay connected in whatever way feels natural.
You can follow my journey on Instagram, or simply explore the project and support it if you feel called.

With love,
Mili