June 2024  
Reading time < 2 min

What game are  you playing?

Each moment of life can be seen as a game in which we actively participate. Most often, I play the woman who works, who calls those she loves, who packs her bags, and goes on a trip. Sometimes, I also play the woman who judges herself harshly, who tells herself she's not doing enough, who questions her decisions. I play this game until I wake up and take my power back.

And what about you? What game do you play most often?

In every situation, we can choose to play the game of love and joy, or we can choose to play the game of doubt and fear.

Does it not seem like a choice to you?

That's normal. Because the game of doubt and fear is not just a simple game; it's a trap.

As soon as we experience negative emotions (such as doubt or fear), we lose part of our awareness. We lose access to our full wisdom and the best answers we can give ourselves. We distance ourselves from our power by making ourselves believe the following: "I, or those I love, will not be able to face a situation or its consequences."

Yet it's fear itself that prevents us from being capable. It's by adhering to this lie that we alter our self-confidence and get ourselves into trouble. We take away our power and prevent ourselves from making another choice, like the choice of love and joy.

When you realize that you are playing the game of doubt and fear, and have understood the mechanism, there's no more effort to be made, not even courage. You are "awake".

So, what can you do? 

To "wake up", you need to observe yourself and spot the signs that you are playing the game of doubt and fear.

How are you behaving? Are you sleeping less? Are you eating more or less than usual? Are you saying "I don't know" more often?

By becoming the observer, you will become more aware of what's going on and remind yourself that another choice is possible.

At every moment, you have the choice of which game you play.

You can choose to complain about a situation, or you can choose to use that situation to ask yourself, "How can this situation serve me?"

Who do you want to be in this situation?

Do you choose to play the role of victim or hero?

Victim: Doubt and Fear
Hero: Love and Joy

To facilitate the transition from one game to another, you can:

• Make a list of activities and roles that bring you joy, and integrate these activities or roles into your daily routine. Keep this list handy.
• List your past achievements. Remind your brain of what you are capable of. Our ability to forget is phenomenal!
• Ask yourself what you have inside you that makes you feel good. What can you rely on that is within you and that no one can take away from you, regardless of the circumstances (e.g., your creativity, your sense of humor, your values...).  

You have the power to choose your game and transform your life and the lives of those around you.

So, what do you want to play today? 

Stephanie Romeo

May 2024  
Reading time < 1 min

The Profound Message of Emotions 

Do you ever feel sad, anxious, stressed, or annoyed? 

When you receive a letter, you open the envelope, read the message, get it, then move on with your life, don't you? 

Feeling anxiety, sadness, stress, annoyance, guilt, anger or any other negative emotion is part of our human experience. What's not necessary, however, is to prolong these emotions over time. 

If you feel a negative emotion and you prolong it (more than a few minutes), it's like rereading a message you've received over and over again. In a way, you're replaying the message, almost in a hypnotic state, without taking it in. You prolong these unpleasant emotions and suffer unnecessarily. 

The good news is that we can avoid unnecessary suffering by deciphering the message. 

The message… It's simpler than you think.

Only, it's like a treasure hidden in the twists and turns of an underground labyrinth.

But I’ll make it easy for you and give you the deeper message hidden behind all our emotions. I said "deep and hidden", so much so that it can be difficult to access by ourselves. 

Why is that? 

Because we remain on the surface of the emotion, in the swell or the storm (depending on your vision of emotion), behind which lie the tranquility of ocean depths or the serenity of an immensely blue sky. 

The message is a message of love and a search for connection, or the expression of the deep desire for a world where we would all be well, feel good, and live in harmony. 

This is the deeper meaning of all emotion. 

Behind your fear of not succeeding, your frustration when someone is late, your anger at an untenable situation, lie the search for love, for connection, and the longing for a harmonious world.

And since you feel unpleasant emotions, it means everything is already there: love, connection, harmony.

Stephanie Romeo

April 2024  
Reading time < 1 min

"I'm not as I should be" 

Have you ever had the feeling that you didn't measure up, that you didn't fit in with the expectations of the person looking at you, or the people around you? If, as a child, you felt that you didn't meet the expectations of your parents or teachers, or that you struggled to identify with others or find your tribe, you may have developed the idea that you're not "as you should be ».

Perhaps today, without being aware of it, it's this mechanism that comes into play when someone makes a remark that seems harmless to them but hits you like a blow to the heart. It's possible that deep down inside you, this cruel little phrase is resurfacing: "I'm not the way I should be". Then begins a real attack of self-criticism. You clam up or react somewhat aggressively. You don't like your reaction and you think there's something wrong with you.

Thus, you've just convinced yourself that you're not "as you should be ».

We often experience "thought errors", erroneous thoughts that run our lives without us being aware of them. But when we manage to identify them and free ourselves from them, another life begins.

You understand that you are exactly as you should be, unique, in your own way, and the best thing you can do to counter these thought errors is to provide yourself with the support you need. Repeating the phrase 'I love myself and I accept myself' is an invaluable antidote to neutralize these unfounded reproaches.

By the way, what does "being as you should be" mean? It means being 50 different versions of yourself, 50 different versions depending on the 50 people watching you.

Choose the version you like.

Stephanie Romeo

March 2024  
Reading time < 1 min

Where is Love?  

It’s more or less easy to admit that, no matter what we say, no matter what we do, what we desire at the most intimate level of our being, is to be loved.

We can seek this love outside ourselves and feed on it as if we were quenching our thirst at a fountain — but what happens when the water stops flowing? Or we can recognize that love already exists within us, deeply rooted in ourselves.

If love weren’t already present within us, we wouldn’t feel any suffering. We wouldn’t experience emotions such as sadness, anger, or fear.

It's because love already exists within us, because a part of us "holds on" to us, that we feel these emotions. Behind every frustration, tear, or disappointment lies in reality, a manifestation of this love.

When we feel a so-called “negative" emotion, it's this love within us reacting.

This love carries the following message: "I love you and I don't want you to hurt." Hear this message.

Recognizing that love already resides within us allows it to grow, to grant it the space it deserves so it can flourish.

By making room for it, by listening to its message — by listening to all the love within you — you take care of it, you take care of yourself.

Stephanie Romeo

February 2024  
Reading time < 1 min

More Love 

We talk too little about love, as if love were just a personal and secret matter, a closed circle in which only a select few are allowed. As if love were fragile and needed to be preserved, as if its quantity were limited.

But the opposite is true: love is an inexhaustible force, without limits or restraint. Love is not a closed circle, it's what surrounds us. It's everywhere, in you, in each of us.

Love is not a rare resource to be saved. It is an abundance to be distributed, available to everyone and to which everyone is entitled. If you think you don't have love within you, or that you're not entitled to it, it's an illusion. Because it is there, simply waiting to be recognized. I will explain all of this to you soon.

This newsletter is the first in a monthly series to stay in touch with you. I found the date appropriate for this celebration.

Sending you lots of love.

Stephanie Romeo