Opening your mind is the first step to unleashing the unlimited power within you. You must learn to identify all the things in your conscious and subconscious mind that stunt the growth of your mind, body, and spirit. Positive changes will be evident in your life when your body and mind are open and receptive to the energy that created you and the energy around you.

We have been given the power to develop ideas and exercise free will. We grow and develop egos that preserve very particular ideas about ourselves in relation to the world around us. It is those ideas; both good and bad, along with free will, that make you feel that you are better than others. The development of these ideas and/or the obsession with these ideas may be what makes some people evil, violent, angry, or sad. They teach us to discriminate, hate, stereotype, and judge unfairly. Those ideas may be good for some, but not for all. From these ideas there are lessons to be learned, but you can freely discard any part of them in order to reconnect with the perfect, peaceful, loving, and kind energy that created you.

To help you further understand how to open your mind, try one or more of these simple steps:

• Get Your Ego In Check: Your ego is your conscious mind, that which controls your behavior and tries to give meaning to your external, material reality. It is powerful and can control your life, if you allow it to. Your external reality is a direct result of your mental and spiritual self. If your mental and spiritual self are not where you want them to be, your external and material self will suffer. The ego cannot improve the quality of your mental and spiritual life.

• Rid your mind of judgment: Our minds are full of ideas instilled in us by countless sources: our parents, culture, friends, history, teachers, loved ones and religious leaders. Judgment tells you that a finite set of ideas are the only correct ideas. All other beliefs are wrong.

• Practice Silence: It sounds unbelievable, but most of us living in modern societies have a very hard time being quiet or enjoying the absence of verbiage. Sometimes we are too darn busy talking, listening to music or trying to relax with special gadgets that we forget about ourselves, and cause undue stress, anxiety and diseases in the process. Understanding that we have the power to soothe and relax our mind, body, and spirit with no outside help is essential to opening yourself to all the possibilities that lie ahead.

• Learn to Meditate: There are many meditation techniques, but the end result is (or should be) always the same: create a relaxed state of mental and physical being by focusing and calming the mind. When you are in silent meditation, there is a balance between the internal and external you that will help heal, empower and create a revitalized you.

Learn To Pray: It sounds somewhat silly since most of use have been taught by our guardians or friends a very specific way of praying. In fact, most of us were taught that praying is something reserved for very particular situations, such as getting something that you want. Yet, prayer should be a conversation with ourselves and the divine energy that created us in order to find common ground and find solutions to our problems.

• Trust Yourself: Always remember that you are a divine creature. There is reason and meaning, not only for the different experiences in your life, but for your life as a whole. We are all here to learn and better our lives for ourselves and those around us. Trust in every experience because every single one of them will bring you closer to your life's destiny. Never think of them as a distraction or a detour. Recognize the lesson in each positive or negative experience, and try to find the meaning of each one.

• Keep Hope Alive: At some point or another, we all lose hope. Life is full of challenges. While discovering your path or purpose, it is not uncommon to encounter situations or problems that seem too big to handle. When this happens, it is perfectly normal to feel discouraged and lose motivation. You may go back to old habits or engage in new, more distracting habits that lead you away from your path.