To view this newsletter in the browser, click here                 Issue #98       A newsletter from Creativegarh to help you live a life of passion, purpose and meaning.         We always have two choices.                     Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing. Most of the time from a subconscious space of fear. But there always are signs and two clear choices presented to you.           Many believe that there is a very fine line between fate and free will. It's called *dekhi jayegi.* But once this is approached from a space of love, acceptance and surrender, it is never about giving up on life and asking the question, ‘what’s the point of all this’. It's about a daring life to play with you and you becoming an active participant in this game making the choices, always the best decision in that moment in time.           And when you are willing to make the decisions, there are always two choices in front of you.           The first is the lessons you are here to learn. You can't change the syllabus. It has been agreed on, stamped and sealed by your guides and gurus. But you do have the choice of a teacher to learn those lessons - you can choose joy or suffering.           Then comes the next set of choices. Just wanting to learn the lessons is not enough. You need to put those learnings into the real world as you give selfless sewa to the universe and honour your swadharma. Now, you have two choices of pain - the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.           The choice of the pain of overcoming your fears and showing up for yourself or the choice of the pain of living with your fears and living in regret for not doing the things that spark your soul. The pain of action and building new habits or the pain of inaction, blame and sleepwalking through life. The pain of being vulnerable and open or the pain of being closed, conditioned and inflexible.           As you make the little shifts in your life, the universe sends you another set of choices - evolve or repeat.           The same situations are created in your life again and again for you to learn your lessons and evolve. But you can still choose not to and then the situations play on loop. Wherever there is a repetitive pattern in your life, think of it as a sign being sent to you that you need to evolve. And on the other side, whenever you are feeling unfulfilled in your life, you’ll be seeing a repetitive pattern.           A choice is there. Pick the one that seems harder.                 In gratitude lies the power of presence.                     Make a list of the hundred things you lack in life right now and chances are that you would not be able to go beyond 10. At the max, 15. And surprisingly, none of these would be small things.           These would be the big ideas that have not been able to travel beyond the pages of a journal, the big dreams that are not getting realised, the big promise of fulfillment that still sees no light in the tunnel, the big relationships - personal and professional that put you right in the middle of the power games and allow your ego to control the shots, the big cars, the big holidays that break the internet and WhatsApp groups of envious friends and family, the big numbers of followers, the big brands, labels and tags, the big numbers on the weighing scale that refuse to come down, the small numbers on the bank balance that refuse to go up.           Now, make a list of everything that you are grateful for. And as you start with the relatively biggest things, you slowly see that you turn your attention to the smallest as well. The hair clip does not make it to the list of lack but it does make it to the list of gratefulness and abundance. The self-help book on the bedside table gets no attention when you see the world as painful and unforgiving but as you see the world loving and abundant, the book takes centre stage. In a world of lack, the toothbrush feels unwanted, neglected and slighted, but in a world of gratitude, its bristles sparkle with joy. In a world of lack, a small car feels ignored and overlooked but, in a world, filled with gratitude, every car irrespective of its size feels as if it has been chosen to live its purpose of ferrying the kids from the piano class to the tuitions.           When you live in a state of gratefulness, you notice the little things around you. You become as present to the ceramic cup as to the flavour of the coffee in it. You are as thankful to the cushion in the car as you are to its shockers. You are as present to the safety pin that holds your saree as you are to the staple pin that holds the pages of your manuscript together. You see the world for everything as it serves you and not only the things that serve your ego.           And then, if there ever is a prayer, then there can only be a prayer of gratitude. Because only a prayer of gratitude comes from a space of plenty. Every other prayer comes from a space of lack and dearth. And in the present moment, joy comes when you show gratitude for the now and unconditional acceptance and abundance of life.             Our upcoming retreats                         Jodhpur Sold Out 11th to 17th August     In a place of princely palaces and forts, travel back in time as we seek to relook into your life. Rediscover yourself amidst the undiscovered side of Thar at this retreat.   More details         Athoor Last 3 Seats Left 22nd to 28th September     Nestled amidst the serene Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, the picturesque village of Athoor will make for the perfect setting for relaxation, introspection and exploration.   More details     Reignite conversation     Mandi Last 4 Seats Left 7th to 13th December     Mandi’s tranquil environment serves as the perfect backdrop for personal metamorphosis, ensuring you return home with a revitalized spirit and fresh perspective of life!   More details     Reignite conversation           This week, let's revisit     Nainital February 2023                         Experience a life full of purpose                     My life’s purpose is to make the world a far richer place by making kindness the primary currency.   Vipul Thakkar Kasauli, July 2023         The purpose of my life is to create beautiful and magical spaces, full of joy, happiness and energy.   Shivangi Shahane Kasauli, July 2023               For a daily dose of Creativegarh and our retreats, follow us here:                                 Watch All Episodes Here                 From Our Community                           creativegarh.com             You are receiving this newsletter because either you have subscribed to it through our website, interacted with us by filling an invite form or because you have asked us to put you on the database. 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