Last night I was blessed as a guest at the United Nations with Oprah Winfrey and the amazing Belief team. The evening was so surreal, and in so many ways it felt like a complete miracle. What I observed was Oprah Winfrey and a group of incredible people all striving for the same thing… Love, Peace, Connection, Value, Expansion, Healing, Purpose and Acceptance. From the camera crew to the ambassadors to Oprah to myself, and to you… we are all the same.
I left a successful career as an actress and model because God spoke to me in a whisper one morning saying: “You will find fulfillment and happiness when you serve the world. Just get out of your own way.” I called my agent and manager that very day and shared that I was finished. I even canceled my flight the next week from JFK to LAX. I was scared, but the emptiness that burnt in my stomach when I woke up in the morning disappeared within a few days, and I knew that was a sign that I was on the right track.
Last night Oprah Winfrey was sharing her new and amazing series, BELIEF with the United Nations. She had nearly everyone in tears, and at the same time there was a lightness in the air because the Hope she was sharing for our world was contagious. She told a few stories which emphasized the beauty of seeking optimism when promoting world peace instead of depicting the tragedies which hurt us all so much to see. When we are devastated and helpless, we get stuck and cannot uplift others into seeing the beauty of miracles and transformations. When we see devastation, we contract ourselves instead of fueling our passion to elevate our planet. I feel this is the law of the human psyche which we all have as a means of protection in a fast paced world which is so in need of hope in something beyond the mind games.
Oprah also shared how similar we all are. It does not matter where we come from or where we are going, we have the same heartfelt desires and longings. I believe that we walk around with facades because we are so afraid of showing the world our truth and our vulnerabilities; yet, once we open and walk in the grace of our authentic selves we allow others to do the same. And, once we step into our authenticity, we allow the Divine to work through us.
We are all lost souls searching for our place of belonging in this world. It does not matter what we look like, how much money we have, where we live, what religion we practice or what our professional status is. We all question if we are enough and we are valuable.
One of the highlights of my evening was chatting with my new friend, Reshma Thakkar, who will share her beautiful story in the series. Reshma and I talked openly about the longing for God we experienced in our prior careers. We even chatted about the physical sensation of a pit in our stomachs when we woke up in the mornings. We made excuses for the discomfort saying: “Maybe when…. it will pass… Maybe when… it will feel better… Maybe it is just who I am… Maybe…” Until one day we realized that what we were missing was the fulfillment of allowing God to live within, around and through us.
I truly feel it is time that we share these feelings with one another. We are searching for love outside of ourselves, yet it is right here within us right now. We have everything we need in our hearts. Sometimes we just need to allow ourselves the gift of solitude, reflection and silence so we can tune into the elevated illumination of Belief.
I have learned that we are all brothers and sisters on this planet who want to hold hands. Once we let go of the shoulds, coulds, woulds, what ifs and the incredible fears of letting go of control, miracles begin to just show up because we are no longer in our own way. I hope we can all unite and recognize ourselves in one another… It is time! We are not as different as we think. Yet, it is the heart that holds the discernment. The mind is full of illusion.
Living through the heart…
I recognize myself in you.
