The worst feeling in the world to me is the feeling of helplessness. I can’t stand it. When I feel out of control of my life and my circumstances — that’s the time to hunker down into spiritual practice.

If my life is created in my mind then I get to re-create my life when I feel out of control. I get to change the experience by changing my mind.

This has been at the forefront of my mind today because of all that is happening in the world of U.S. politics. It’s very easy to sit back and feel like there is nothing that can be done, but that’s not the case. The best thing we can do is speak up. Let our voice be heard. That’s a great deal of democracy. If I decide not to speak up about something, then I’ve decided to give up my power to change what I want changed.

Active participation in democracy as a constituent doesn’t mean that I have to protest to have my voice heard. In representative government we must contact our representatives — both for the things we don’t support and for the things we do support.

When we speak, a great spiritual practice is to ensure we speak from a heart-centered point of view rather than from a reactive and emotional state. We are certain to be heard and understood more readily when we do this.

There are ways of ensuring that the position from which we speak is a position of love, respect, and compassion. Although the political scene doesn’t seem to be representing those attributes very often these days, we can be the point at which change unfolds for the better. So in voicing our opinion be loving, respectful, and compassionate — and also be clear.

Activate your life by participating in life. Fear not! Your authentic voice has value. Using it adds to the great conversation and eliminates the feeling of helplessness.

Speak up! You'll be grateful you did!