“Your Daily Dose” is a quick two minute read packed with bite-sized wisdom from all the great teachers. But you could also choose to turn it into something more… a powerful daily practice for personal growth. Give it a try!
A message from today’s meditation:
Welcome to a brand new week in which to create at your very highest potential! Every day is a blank canvas, a new opportunity to paint your life with the colours of your dreams. As we embark on this new week, let’s take to heart the inspiring words of our teacher for the week, Iyanla Vanzant.
She’s an American inspirational speaker, lawyer, spiritual teacher, author, life coach, and television personality. Her life is filled with a wealth of experience from which she draws, along with the teachings that she was a student to along the way.
Vanzant was born on September 13, 1953, in the back of a taxi in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother died when she was two years old after which she was raised by relatives. Her first husband was physically abusive and she left him in 1980, taking her three children.
I’m sure that you’ll enjoy her wisdom this week as much as I do.
Here’s a thought to get your week started:
“Every day is your day if you claim it. If you wait for somebody else to make it for you, you’re going to be disappointed.” – Iyanla Vanzant
“Each day, focus your attention on what you want. Each day, take one step that will bring you closer to it. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! The key is to identify it, claim it for yourself, and believe that you are worthy to have it.” – Iyanla Vanzant
“Instead of running from what you don’t want, walk with commitment toward what you do desire. Focus on where you are going rather than being obsessed with where you have been.” – Iyanla Vanzant
“If you should encounter angry or unkind actions today, take a deep breath, reach deep within and greet that lack of love, with love.” – Iyanla Vanzant
We can create from a place of fear, or we can create from a place of freedom. We can create by running away from what we don’t want, or we can create by stepping boldly towards what it is that we do want. When fear is your biggest motivator then you’re always creating while looking over your shoulder, and the best you can ever do is become the best version of your scared self.
Start every day this week by choosing who you are putting in the driver’s seat. Will your fears be doing the driving or your soul?
Try these affirmations and choose to create from a place of freedom!
- “I am worthy of the life I desire, and I take one meaningful step toward it today.”
- “My energy flows toward what I focus on – today I focus on possibilities, not limitations.”
- “Every challenge I encounter today is an opportunity to respond with love and grow stronger.”
- “I am the author of my own story, and today I write a new chapter filled with intention and purpose.”
- “I choose to create from freedom rather than fear, focusing on where I’m going instead of where I’ve been.”
As you step into every day this week, take Iyanla Vanzant’s advice and claim each day as yours. Each day, focus on what you are creating. And each day walk with commitment towards the life you deserve.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Jumpstart the week.
Today’s LIVE meditation
https://youtu.be/ap1jOKiZSpY 2026
https://youtu.be/kb3GbiNsoOs 2025
https://youtu.be/noaAGGNzTp4 2024
https://youtu.be/EmclD51gqsw 2023
https://youtu.be/53dHuY8SqY0 2022
Practice the “Daily Dose”
Let’s put it into practice! Choose what works for you – daily, once a week or whenever inspiration strikes. Putting pen to paper wires the neural pathways that will create your new habits.
1 – Affirmation
Write down your favourite affirmation on a sticky note and place it somewhere that you’ll be able to see it the whole day.
- “I am worthy of the life I desire, and I take one meaningful step toward it today.”
- “My energy flows toward what I focus on – today I focus on possibilities, not limitations.”
- “Every challenge I encounter today is an opportunity to respond with love and grow stronger.”
- “I am the author of my own story, and today I write a new chapter filled with intention and purpose.”
- “I choose to create from freedom rather than fear, focusing on where I’m going instead of where I’ve been.”
2 – A moment of reflection
Use today’s question as a journal prompt. If you don’t have the time to sit down and write, just take a moment to reflect on your response.
Your Daily Canvas of Possibilities: Consider the metaphor that every day is a blank canvas, and that the actions you take end up as the brush strokes on that canvas. Over the next week, how do you want to “paint” your life? What colors, images and themes will your actions paint? Be specific about the opportunities you can recognize in your current circumstances—at work, in relationships, for personal growth, or creative expression. Write about three concrete possibilities available to you right now that you might have been overlooking because you were focused on limitations rather than potential.
3 – Quotes to share
Send a quote to someone who needs it, or share them all on social media to spread the good vibes!
4 – Q&A for deeper learning
Read through the questions and answers and write down at least one “aha moment” that clicked for you.
Q1. What does it really mean to “claim your day” in practical terms?
Claiming your day starts with getting clear about what you want your life to look like, because it’s hard to move toward something you haven’t named. Once you know what you’re reaching for, whether that’s a career change, a healthier body, a deeper relationship, or a creative project, claiming your day means taking one deliberate step toward it each day instead of waiting for someone else to hand you the opportunity. The step doesn’t need to be dramatic. It might be sending the email, taking the walk, making the call, or carving out twenty minutes to work on your goal. What matters is that you start the day by deciding where your attention and energy will go, rather than letting circumstances, other people’s agendas, or old fears decide for you. Over time, these small, intentional actions add up to real momentum, and you’ll have built the life you want one claimed day at a time, rather than hoping it arrives on its own.
Q2. How can I tell if I’m creating from fear versus freedom?
Creating from fear typically involves making decisions to avoid negative outcomes, constantly worrying about “what if” scenarios, or staying in situations that feel safe but unfulfilling. You might notice physical tension, anxiety, or a sense of being trapped. Creating from freedom, on the other hand, involves making choices that align with your authentic desires and values, even when they involve uncertainty. You feel energized, curious, and open to possibilities. A key indicator is your focus: fear-based creation focuses on what you don’t want to happen, while freedom-based creation focuses on what you want to build or experience.
Q3. I’ve faced significant trauma or setbacks like Iyanla Vanzant. How can her teachings apply to my healing journey?
Vanzant’s life demonstrates that our wounds can become the source of our wisdom and strength. Her teachings don’t minimize trauma but rather offer a framework for transformation. Start small – claim just one hour of your day rather than the entire day. Use the practice of “greeting lack of love with love” as a way to heal your relationship with yourself first. Focus on what’s possible now, even if it’s simply getting through today with one act of self-compassion. Healing isn’t about forgetting the past but about refusing to let it dictate your future. Consider working with a therapist or counselor as you apply these principles to ensure you have proper support.
Q4. What should I do when I encounter people who are consistently negative or draining?
Vanzant’s advice to “greet lack of love with love” doesn’t mean accepting abuse or neglecting your boundaries. It means responding from your centered, authentic self rather than reacting from hurt or anger. Sometimes the most loving response is to limit your exposure to consistently negative people while maintaining your own emotional equilibrium. You can practice compassion for their pain without absorbing their negativity. Set clear boundaries, choose your battles wisely, and focus on what you can control – your own responses and energy.
Q5. How do I maintain focus on my goals when daily responsibilities and distractions constantly pull me off course?
Staying focused begins with what we’ve already covered: you need to know what you want your life to look like, because without a clear intention it’s impossible to know which direction to step in. Once that vision is clear, the next skill is learning to say no to the things you don’t want. Of course, some responsibilities can’t be avoided, such as work, family obligations, and the daily tasks that keep life running. But it’s worth asking honestly how much of what fills your day falls into that category, and how much is made up of distractions you should have declined in the first place: the commitments you accepted out of guilt, the endless scrolling, the meetings that could have been an email, the favours you agreed to without thinking. Every yes to something that doesn’t serve your vision is a very loud NO to yourself. Start small by noticing where your time actually goes, then practice turning down one unnecessary demand each day. As your no becomes stronger, you’ll find more space for the steps that move you toward the life you want, and your focus will feel less like a constant struggle and more like a natural result of choosing where your energy goes.
Q6. Is it selfish to focus so much on what I want instead of serving others?
This is a false dichotomy. When you create from a place of authentic purpose and freedom, you naturally have more energy, creativity, and love to offer others. Living from your scared, depleted self doesn’t serve anyone well. Claiming your day and pursuing what truly matters to you often leads to greater service because you’re operating from your strengths and passion rather than obligation or resentment. The most generous thing you can do for the world is to become the fullest expression of who you’re meant to be.
Q7. What if I try these practices but don’t see immediate results or changes in my life?
Before worrying about the lack of results, it’s worth asking what “trying these practices” has actually looked like for you in the past. Did you get specific about what you want, or is your vision still a vague sense of wanting something better? Did you really take steps toward it every day, or only on the days when you felt motivated and had spare time? Did you start saying no to the commitments and distractions that pull you away from it, or did you keep saying yes to things you don’t want while you’re deeply unhappy about always trying to please everyone around you? It’s easy to feel like we’ve been trying when we’ve only dipped a toe in, and we can’t judge a practice we haven’t fully put into action. If you can honestly say you’ve done all three consistently, then be patient, because small daily steps compound quietly, and the changes often show up inside you, in your confidence and clarity, before they become visible on the outside. If you find that one of the three has slipped, that isn’t failure. It simply shows you where to begin again today.