242 thoughts on “Choosing To Live My Life, My Way”

1. Penny I agree how people don’t like inviting us for dinner because of our food and beverages choices. It’s like we have to fit into their live’s, when there is no fitting into anything but allowing one to be. It’s ok to observe drugs, alcohol, etc to be consumed whether in small or large quantities, a socially acceptable behaviour. Yet when a person is taking responsibility to care for themselves, then it is un-accepted. We are an unusual breed.

   However, we also need to bring in the understanding that people will struggle with the reflection too and they’re just not ready to make any changes until they are ready. In that way the judgment is removed.

   We have free will, so allow another to be. No law is being breached, we’re just choosing another way of living, which feels truer.

2. Richard what you have written make sense to me a true friend would back and support you especially if they could see for themselves the changes that were being made were so beneficial to our body.

3. This is a decision that takes a lot of self love and value of self too: “One day, I just decided that I would rather be on my own forever than settle for being with someone who was not really interested in being with me.”

4. Making loving choices often feels amazing in our body and this is how we can learn to tune into what works and what does not.

   1. As we make more loving choices, we find there is more to go, and there is another nook that requires that love bomb…It’s forever expanding. Love it!

5. At a time when someone chooses alcohol and drugs and is miserable, you would think that family and friends would be concerned, but this is often not the case. And then when a person chooses to stop the alcohol and drugs and is more happy, you would think that family and friends would celebrate this rather than try to convince them to return to old habits that do not truly support? Is this not strange as a common phenomenon in our society?

6. Interestingly when someone says they are Muslim and do not eat pork, most people will respect this as a cultural decision. Same for a Muslim who abstains from alcohol, or a Jewish person who also has particular choices around food or drink etc. But when a person does not give a religious or cultural reason to not drink alcohol or take drugs, it is interesting how the pressure is then on to try to make them do this.

7. This is amazing to read but I also know from my own experience that it is true.
   ‘We continued to see Serge for sessions regularly as we knew that the way we felt after a session was something that we didn’t feel normally in our life but wished we could.’
   Eventually for me after a lot of support from the Universal Medicine practitioners I found it possible to live in a way that was far more interactive with the world and everyone in it.
   Serge Benhayon offers to everyone the possibility of making changes that support us all to live free of the shackles that our spirit has bound us with so that it has control over our bodies and we are mere puppets. This is not how we are supposed to live but for many it has become our everyday normal.

8. It is lovely to read how you now are inspiring other people after yourself being inspired by Serge Benhayon, ‘Serge Benhayon, his family and Universal Medicine have inspired and encouraged myself and my husband to re-connect back to ourselves, to trust ourselves and trust that we already know what our bodies need and that we are already love.’

9. It could be said that in arrangements we seek to confirm the source of energy we are having a relationship with.

10. I was appreciating Penny how when the reactions came a second time around to the changes you were making you knew it was part of the process and to stay steady. So many relationships are arrangements based on comfort, i.e., no one challenges the status quo by growing and changing, the dynamics stay the same and the comfort of stagnation and not being challenged to leave safety and security is ensured. We can see how the system of comfort is set up, and its bedrock is relationships.

    1. I am finding out how insidious comfort can be as it doesn’t ask us to be more but entrap us into the stagnation you speak of Melinda Knights.

11. We don’t realise how unsettled we feel in our bodies till we feel what settled feels like. It seems that it is a constant unpeeling of our ‘normals’. I would never go back to my old normal as looking back now it was a road to exhaustion and illness.

12. There is nothing more powerful than when we live our way – its what we were born to be, and each way is different to another, each potential brings a different quality to the world. Its why we are here.

13. ‘they too can make choices for themselves, if and when they are ready’ and that’s just it, to feel a freedom to choose what works for us, and not feel so pressured to be the same as those around us, or to cave in because of the reaction of those around … that’s such a huge blessing for all of us for it opens the space for us all to consider what works for us and what doesn’t, and choose accordingly when we are ready.

14. Yes Richard, and how much Serge Benhayon and the Benhayon family lets us see how real and loving life can be when we are present with ourselves. How truly beautiful is that – how much enriching life from there onward becomes, as I find it does, naturally so, no need for trying.

15. Even when we seemingly have it all we know and can feel whether the life we are living is to the truth we know or not, and if not there is a deep yearning for the truth to be lived.

16. Lifestyles send a clear message of what life is all about and all is not about; what is in and what is out. We are its creators, but often time we leave Ourselves out.

    1. Yes and by leaving ourselves out we do the same with others, hence the separation further exists and is allowed. A good lesson it is to start seeing that what we choose and the quality of our living effects others and our universe.

17. I remember that pattern so well, of thinking that I was young and carefree, that I could party on, do whatever I wanted to my body and it would be fine…. but I tend to brush over the mood swings, or the way I would get horribly depressed on a Saturday morning as I could feel how shallow my life was. The changes I’ve made to my life have given me a strong baseline that I can always come back to, and an appreciation of how gorgeous I can feel inside if I let me feel it – that there is no better feeling that that.

18. “I also used to have mood swings, cry a lot, get angry for no reason and hated myself” This should be enough for those who love you to see something is terribly wrong and support you to turn things around. Yet when you change you tell others, simply by the reflection, that they should change and that is very confronting. Well done for being prepared to be the change in your own life regardless of other people’s opinion because it has inspired many.

    1. But then is that the part of our lives that we are covering up – not being honest about it, trying to get away from it with the partying, distractions etc? And it is challenging for others because they quite possibly have exactly the same things going on in their lives.

19. How upside down is the world when we are pressured to harm ourselves with alcohol and food, etc, and people react when we take loving care of ourselves – no wonder there is so much illness and disease when our families and communities do not support one another in true health and wellbeing.

20. It is interesting to see that so many people react when you change your life but it also makes sense because they are feeling the tension of a different reflection and that they are not choosing that for themselves. What I also love about this blog is that it also shows that when you are steady in your choices to change, this first reaction phase changes and often goes away.

21. I love how you describe that you live life your way, I think way too often we succumb to the pressures around us and start imitating or fitting in with other people’s choices rather than claiming our life and what is truly right for us.

    1. When we live what is truly true for us from our deepest essence, we live what is true for all as our essence connects to the true needs of all.

22. Even when we have achieved everything we aimed for, dreamed of or anyone could wish for, as long as the internal unsettlement of not living harmoniously as who we divinely are, we will not find what we are actually looking for. It is an honest choice to allow oneself to feel the unsettlement instead of burying it and exploring it to the very depth; the answer we seek is in the unsettlement itself as it shows us what we are missing and why and how we keep ourselves in a state of separation from it.

23. The more I choose and live my own life and who I am,the more I get aware of how much I hold back and being held back not externally but internally by the ideals and beliefs I have succumbed to; hence it is through the process of increasing awareness and releasing the pictures and concepts that I get to know more and more of who I am and always have been. The process of shedding off the false layers seems to be a forward movement but in truth it is a return back to what has always been.

    1. That is is such a wonderful example of how much we are already what we are striving to get to so it is not about going anywhere but about unpeeling the layers we have put on to cover up the gorgeous souls we already are.

24. It is when we stand for the truth we live and are consistent and reliable in our way of living that we may get reactions but at the same time no one can actually resist recognizing the truth or at least the integrity of those living such way. This integrity is untouchable and something everyone is looking for, the strength to stand up for one´s choices, being accountable and committed.

    1. Totally agree Alex, people notice someone who has a strong sense of self and a platform where they are not swayed. It can be uncomfortable for any of us when we come across that as it reflects back on us how we are living, but we know deep down that they are a great source of support.

25. Great blog Penny, I too had reactions from friends to my not drinking alcohol, it was difficult for them to be confronted with their own choices, and now my group of friends is very different, I no longer feel the need to fit in, the choices I make are the most loving ones for myself and my family.

    1. This is so strange isn’t it??? Why should anyone care what you drink or don’t drink? Surely if we get really honest we can see that there are some simple decisions to be made about what we consume if we want to change the trajectory for our physical and mental health.

26. Love from another does not judge or dictate it just holds and reflects and in that reflection we get to feel that we are love too and then we start to hold ourselves in the same love and then the abuse of ourselves makes less and less sense and becomes more and more difficult to do.

27. I had a conversation just recently to a family friend I had only just met about which food substances are not good for you. This person knew which were not supportive for their health and wellbeing. They nominated them – coffee, alcohol, dairy and sugar…. I found it amusing they already knew the most obvious food choices. I have participated in Universal Medicine healing courses, retreats, and workshops and this is what gave me solid awareness on what I felt about my food choices.

28. Making the decision to choose a lifestyle based on your own terms, and not those of your peers, family or society in general can offer a truer path in life.

29. When we have relationships based on sharing an addiction, we tend to believe that we say yes to the people who share it and that they say yes to us. Yet, in truth, we primarily say yes to the addiction and then it becomes us. We are part of something because we have said yes to it probably for reasons which are similar. So, there is a familiarity in our patterns. This is what we like. It feels like family while it lasts.

30. How important it is to stand in your knowing and choosing your life from there. For without – life makes no sense. And our being ness totally falls short. Hence, we need our body and connection to our whole-ness back for us to take it a step further (deeper).

31. We can turn our lives around and live who we are, rather than living a life of expectation or fitting in. Understanding that support is essential, so we can move on and let go of all of our harmful behaviours.

32. It does take courage to stick to what is true to you, especially in the face of what people.society wanting you to be another way. The more you do it, the more you show it is possible.

33. The inspiration offered from Serge Benhayon is inspiring! It is without doubt a great gift to be treated with such respect by someone, and in that care and consideration exhibited by Serge, we are reminded of who we are.

34. A life filled with drama is totally exhausting – I know this from experience – this amendment to day to day living alone changes everything.

35. When we change our diet or let go of certain habits such as drinking and taking drugs it challenges others to examine how they are living and treating their own bodies. Unfortunately, it can also make them so uncomfortable they can go out of their way and try and lure you back into your old ways – and the choice is always ours as to what we choose to align to.

36. Alcohol and drugs were for a 25-year period my way of relieving the tension from daily living and when I stopped 24 years ago I simply went to the replacements that numbed me in a different way. When I was introduced to Serge Benhayon some 15 years ago I was still in the illusion that I had overcome my addiction to drugs but thanks to the presentations by Serge I realised how my body had a lot to clear. Around 10 years ago I could taste and smell the marijuana coming out of my body! Energetically letting go of what has kept me from my true connection, that, which has persisted with me to keep me in the illusion is slowly shifting thanks to the continuing support from Serge.

37. The beauty in this return is that we are getting more and more understanding for everything that is occurring in life and that everything is related to each other. Nothing stands loose. In that understanding we then have more openness to view ourselves and people in it.. We seem to be able to understand people more and ourselves. We come to see that each person chooses their own way in their time — and that giving space is our key point here. As without space there is no love. This is one of the basics of the teachings offered by Serge Benhayon.

38. When it came to food, emotions, relationships, well everything really that Serge has presented from lived experience it has all made sense. At first when I started listening to my body again and giving myself permission to go with it, I reacted a lot because I could feel how long I had not allowed myself to make certain changes in my life. To my family and friends it would have come across as controlling and extreme initially but over time they could see a consistency and stability in me that didn’t waver. For example there are certain activities and food that I would never be swayed to do again which I see people around me trust and know.

39. Yes great point when our normal is not normal at all we have to ask ourselves what’s really going on.

40. Gosh, reflecting on my life 8 years ago this is the picture I get, on edge and stressed all of the time, searching spiritual new age for answers and getting only relief, I was drinking and smoking, anxious and unfulfilled. I had lengthy holidays to exotic places, owned my own home, had a boyfriend and spent plenty of time socialising with friends. My life ticked the boxes but it wasn’t true. Now, I may not fit in to the ‘norm’ in the same way as I use to but the quality of life I now have is incomparable, I feel vibrant and joyful, I have a growing business which I love, the relationships I have with others are deepening and I feel content within myself. There is not one bit of me that could go back to the way I was living and I don’t think my body would let me, even if I wanted to.

41. Funny how when someone goes to make changes in their life, friends and family can be properly challenged by it and so are unable to support them and instead become critical because of the reflection if brings up for their own lives. Its an important observation Penny, and prepares one better for when this does happen, allowing more understanding of what is going on.

42. Whilst we all know what feels right in our own body we do not always adhere to this. The big question is why don’t we listen to the body and what is it that we get out of abusing ourselves because we definitely do get something out of it. What I have learned for myself is that when I do the right thing by myself it asks me to be more and more responsible and it is this responsibility that we run away from.

43. I was at a Universal Medicine event yesterday and I observed over a hundred people looking really well, joy full and very few over weight. They were all interacting with each other and enjoying the connection. I went to a conference recently and where I observed three quarters of the room being over weight, most looked very unwell and miserable. No one were really connecting to each other, rather sitting alone drinking coffee. The two gatherings were like chalk and cheese.

    1. Yes, this should be inspiring shouldn’t it because, let’s be honest, we all want connection and deeper relationships as that is one of the traits of being human.

44. What a beautiful testimony of how developing a loving relationship with ourselves, living in connection to our love and truth within, is what truly guides us live our lives with far greater enrichment. This is what offers real inspiration, being met with a loving way of being that is naturally lived, representing the truth who we all are in essence.

45. If we are ‘told’ what to do we are inclined to rebel but when we are inspired by another by the choices they are making and can feel the difference then we feel free to choose to make changes to the way we live.

    1. It’s never worked for me to be told what to do, it feels really imposing. Even if it’s good advice I still need to try it out and see if it works for me.

46. The words that spring to me at this moment Penny is true commitment. Appreciating the movements made to strengthen your living foundation and trusting that everything you need is right there within you to support the changes is super inspirational. When we stop and observe the choices made without perfection, true healing starts to unfold. Thank you for sharing.

47. When I stopped drinking alcohol (which was a few years before coming across Universal Medicine) I too experienced the pressure from friends and family to ‘just have one drink’, and this is something I too have done to others for loving choices they have made which I am jealous of or find exposing. And this is the nub of it isn’t it? We trundle along in our relationships where we have unspoken rules and arrangements about how we behave and interact. If someone then ‘breaks’ the rules, the others will feel disturbed, disrupted, uncomfortable, exposed and instead of celebrating the one who has chosen to step off the numbing hamster-wheel and allow ourselves to be inspired, many, if not most of us instead feel anger, jealousy, rage even, and will do whatever we can to sabotage the loving choice of another so we don’t have to feel the lovelessness in our own choices. As soon as they are back playing within the rules of the game, we relax back into our comfortable arrangement. I’m pretty sure there aren’t many of us who would consciously choose to do this, so why do we unconsciously choose it? Could it be that we will go to any lengths to protect ourselves from being exposed in the irresponsibility we choose to live in?

    1. Thank you Lucy for your comment expanding the conversation, you’ve made some great points and I appreciate what I have learnt from what you have shared.

48. What you share here is beautiful Penny, I can relate with this part and am choosing this too, ‘to re-connect back to ourselves, to trust ourselves and trust that we already know what our bodies need and that we are already love.’ Absolutely.

49. What is becoming clear to me is my response to another when they are in reaction to me and how the response is dictated by the choices I have made previously eg. when I am in the momentum of listening and honouring myself I am less likely to react but if I am rushing or listening to doubtful thoughts in my read then I am more likely to react. Developing a momentum where my choices are loving builds a foundation of love and the more steady the foundation is the less likely I am to harm myself by reacting.

50. I am noticing that the more loving a choice I make the more other people seem to react. i have also noticed that the way other people react seems related to my ability to appreciate and accept my own choices without apology. If I am steady in myself I am rarely questioned about my choices.

    1. Thanks Leonne for your comment, “i have also noticed that the way other people react seems related to my ability to appreciate and accept my own choices without apology.” I hadn’t considered this so I plan to look into this in my own life, thank you.

51. It’s crazy that when we make loving choices this can trigger so many people, sometimes the reflection is too much for them to handle and they feel exposed in their loveless choices even though you haven’t said a word or judged them in anyway it has rocked their comfort – in a good way.

52. One thing that has happened since starting to make choices from my heart and being solid and steady in those choices – some friends move away and even family members can go distant, and this was not the intention but simply to live more truly myself. It’s more a reflection of what perhaps those friendships were based on – something which was not true to begin with, but this doesn’t mean there is judgement or hardship.

53. I have also had the experience of changing many things in my life for the better (sometimes only temporarily) but still not feeling completely satisfied or settled. It was only when I started to connect to a love and stillness inside of me (with the support and inspiration of Serge Benhayon) that I realised that I am ok as I am, and then this sense of settlement or ease in my body was really there and then it became much easier and more permanent to make my life how I wanted it to be and feel.

54. “They are all used to our way of living and respect it, and our choice to not drink alcohol or eat gluten and dairy is not an issue to them now.” It makes such a difference in your relationships when you claim what is true for you.

55. It is fascinating that people give you a ‘hard time’ for giving UP alcohol and other harmful drugs… they should be giving us a hard time for taking them up in the first place and continuing to use them despite the in-your-face obvious ill-effects. We have it completely upside down.

    1. Yes we do! But I do see things changing, or perhaps becoming more extreme in the sense that there is much more awareness of the harm of alcohol and therefore more months where charities challenge people to give it up for a month.

56. I can relate to the knowing of what feels right but then not being able to live it. It is powerful and very confirming to meet someone like Serge Benhayon who simply lives his truth no matter what the world is living or saying otherwise. A true blessing, a reflection we so very much need in this world as it all helps us to build trust in ourselves again and to live what we know is true.

57. When there is a constant present of some crutch, whether it be drugs, alcohol, or huge consumption of food (amongst many other things) this must tell us something isn’t right. It surely must say: “there is something inside you are not wanting to feel or address”. For those who are willing to say “I want to be me, and I want to get rid of that crutch” – Serge Benhayon offers insights that are invaluable in supporting that change.

58. It can show how little our relationships with friends and family are based on love when they actually encourage others to drink alcohol and change their diet back to unhealthy ways, supposedly to be social and fit in. Love actually supports people where they are at and let’s them be – no imposition. Serge Benhayon is a great example of that love.

59. It is truly a conundrum how much people react when they see someone they know making healthy choices. The pull for them to do the same is very present and must feel super uncomfortable when they ignore it for old familiar unhealthy ways.

60. It is strange how much peer pressure there is to not make loving choices and not expose all that does not work in this life.

61. Thank you Penny for sharing. It is our life to choose how we lead, but if it’s not Love that we know and feel in our body, then it’s not the full us we are bringing anyway. This can sound a bit blithe or rather blunt but the more I honor this, the more I can see there is no substitute for truth: that is we are all made to live with stillness, appreciation, openness and grace – anything less is just a mirage.

62. Most people initially have an opinion about whether I drink or not, (why not?) or don’t have dairy or gluten ! When I express the fact that my body feels so much better without these things and the response I often get is about how difficult and limiting it must be for me to enjoy my food. I did miss some items of food when I chose not to have them anymore, but not for long!

63. It is very exposing of where we are at as a humanity when people not drinking alcohol or numbing themselves with certain foods become abnormal. It’s actually the normal we have settled for that is super abnormal!

64. Hello Penny and how we see the world is an interesting one. There are some that see nothing wrong with drinking alcohol, there are some that advocate it, there are some that don’t care either way and just think it’s life, there are some that know’s it’s not great but still choose it, there are some that can’t drink it for whatever reason and there are also those that choose not to drink it. You would think that this is a number of different people but in fact we are all the same and simply making different choices.Whether you drink or not that doesn’t define you and just because you have stopped drinking or don’t drink it doesn’t mean you know something or are better then someone who does. If you are seeing or aware of something that someone is not, it’s not our purpose to show them or to have them join us or for them to get it, it is merely up to us to give them a true reflection. In this reflection they will have the space to choose the truth if they are ready and if not then you can see still that they know and equal to you. We often think and still hold that we are better for making choices that are different to others, anything but holding a true reflection or connection is a judgement to another and puts pressure on them. We are not here to give answer, direction and solutions to each other, we are here to live truly connected and from there everything takes care of everything.

65. Penny, this is awesome. I love how much of an inspiration you are to your friends. I have experienced people having difficulty accepting my self loving choices in the past, but then like you, have come around and really embraced it as they see how well I’m doing as a result of it. It’s so important to stay true to yourself, because it can only be a great reflection for others.

66. To be confirmed in what we deep down know to be true is a gift to receive, it allows oneself to take every step more in the knowing of oneself. It builds trust and confidence.

67. To make self-loving choices in our society today is unfortunately like swimming against the tide, simply because disregard is so wide-spread, however as you share if we manage to hold ourselves steady and not get affected by this general resistance it is very much worth it and eventually people around us will see that too.

68. I read you blog Penelope and cannot but wonder how many people in the world today are showing facade or particular face to the outside world while they are crying on the inside.

69. It is in the choice for changing our lives for the better. That we inspire others. It is this love for ourselves is showing us our true essence.

70. ‘We are already love’ and when we are ready, we are all equal in choosing when we want to clear all that is not love that we have taken on.

71. It’s really crazy that people react when another makes changes for their own wellbeing and to enhance their quality of life. Yes, it is exposing and asks us to look at our own choices when confronted with someone choosing to live more lovingly, but why attack that with a lure back to patterns being left behind?

72. People reacted to me (a lot more than I cared to admit at the time) when I made choices that supported me but although I felt hurt I didn’t allow it to affect me and go back to how I was living before. The simple changes like going to bed early and cutting out alcohol made such a difference to how I was feeling that I couldn’t go back. As I continue to make changes in my life I too have come to understand that people react in different ways and some hang on to the resistance within themselves and some don’t but no matter what is going on for them I am learning not to react to them but with consistency keep offering love.

73. I had a similar experience of uneasiness when I finished university. Everything looked rosy and sorted on the surface in terms of relationship, career, money, fitness, health etc but underneath it all I felt miserable and empty and not content at all. There was a deep unsettlement in my body that did not ease until I re-discovered my connection with my body and my inner heart and started living more truthfully according to how my body felt not what my mind was telling me was the norm.

74. Its super interesting how when we come to make some choices that we consider to be healthy but are at odds with the way the rest of the world or our family and friends are living that there is no support. Of course it is very confronting for everyone else because it exposes those same choices in them.

75. This shows so clearly that it is not about pushing anybody into changing their life or tell them what to do but that we are all allowed to have our own rhythm and by letting each other live and living our own life to our own awareness we inspire each other and thus bring change to us all.

76. If we change things in our lives because someone tells us too, we are allowing another to be more powerful than we are in our own lives and these changes never work. When we make changes because we have felt the truth and come from a place of love they are far more likely to be the changes that really support us.

77. I love how so many people, inspired by Serge, choose to connect back to who they are and make choices in honour of that connection and how they feel… trusting their bodies to guide them in a way of living that is deeply supportive and transformational to the point it then inspires others to do the same as if love is contagious. Very cool.

78. Alcohol seems to be a peculiar addiction that has the power to generate the illusion that we are one (when we are under its influence). It also provides a great alibi, if anything goes wrong, alcohol is ythe one to be blamed for (the people choosing to drink it have not responsibility here). Only when one is out of this created reality, one realises that alcohol cannot really help to establish any real foundation for relationships, that the relationships created around it are empty and not true. The veil gets lifted.

79. Changing your lifestyle when you were younger shows you that you knew, like we all do. Beautiful to read how you connected back to the truth of your body when you felt the loving reflection that Serge Benhayon gave to you and your husband. And now you are a loving inspiration for your family and friends, your love for all is what they get and feel.

80. Standing strong is very helpful when you wobble so you can get up and be strong for another.

81. Good to see and realize where our choices bring us. I also made the experiences to choose alcohol and other ‘things’ like foods and entertainment to not become aware where I and the world was and how it feels. Now while I am ready with alcohol and many other ‘things’ (still not perfect and no pressure to become) I become more and more aware. My life did get better, but also more challenging. Or better said: I become more aware of the challenges and I am more free to make a choice again. To take responsibility again in full is a journey away from the ‘normal’ life of most of us and it feels like I am a pioneer – with all the ups and downs of this position. Thats my way.

82. Everything about this blog was enjoyable, at the risk of sounding like a sycophant it just made me want to meet you and your husband one day. You writing is so accessible, relatable, there is no trying to be anything but who you are. Thank you for taking the time to share your story with everyone.

83. It was only after I came to Universal Medicine that I realised that I had actually hardly ever made choices for myself even though I thought I was in charge of my life. Many choices were made in reaction to the world and people around me. What I have learnt is that I have to get to know myself in essence in order to make choices that are in alignment with the true me.

84. I like how you changed your life style because you could feel there was truth in it and then weren’t able to sustain it, it simply shows that we do not learn to support ourselves to live in a way that feels true to us and then we doubt ourselves instead.

85. Thank you for sharing your story, showing us that it isn’t about what’s coming from the outside. But that it is what’s coming from inside of us that matters.

86. Thank you Penny for sharing your journey back to you, trusting the love that your are to guide you along the way.

87. To assess where is one at, we have to observe its movements. Appearances cannot trick us if we really want to know.

88. Your blog Penny, proves to me once again that we know what is good for us but are not supported in living this accordingly and instead are challenged to live that life in comfort that all others are living. Stepping out of that construct will always give reactions from our family, friends and other people we know. Now we are blessed with Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine who do support us in returning to that way of living we all know is our natural way but have avoided from living for many reasons. He just acknowledge that we are that much more and deep within always have known. His support assist us enormously in standing strong when the reaction of people comes to us when we make the choice to step out of the normally accepted and agreed on patterns based on what we sense is true to us in our hearts.

89. The beauty of our own connection and the choice to make changes to support ourselves lovingly is magic. Thank you for sharing your experiences and inspiring us all Penny.

90. I think its such a great feeling when we stick to our guns and do what we know feels right for us and our bodies, regardless of whether that leaves us socially isolated, in the end it isn’t worth compromising ourselves to be in relationship with people who only wish your company if you will conform to a set way of being. And as Penny shares, many will come round to seeing how positive the changes are when we live true to what feels best for our health, provided there is not a preaching that this is the way everyone should live. Ultimately it is each persons choice how they wish to live and what they wish to do, as evidence so beautifully by Penny’s sharing the complete lack of judgement of her behaviours by Serge Benhayon.

91. Penny you and your husband are simply the best role model ever to let people around you feel and see how beautiful it is to live the way of the livingness.

92. Our bodies really do know when enough is enough but we are experts at denying its messages. We do this at our own peril.

93. Hi Penny, I experience very similar reaction with family and friends when I initially changed my diet and lifestyle some 30 years ago. I found it so strange and very hard to handle the reaction of others but persisted for about 7 years without drugs or alcohol or dairy, or meat for that matter. I was a little radical though taking my family to the extremes of eating raw food and fasting. Because this change was in reaction to how I had been living previously it did not last as I soon swung back to coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, dope and dairy. When I saw how harmful smoking dope was watching my teenage children I gave that up. When my first granddaughter was born I gave up cigarettes. When my body could not handle even one glass of alcohol I gave that up. By the time I came to Universal Medicine I had already made significant changes in my life but the change that the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine inspired me to make of the greatest significance were on the emotional front. It was the emotional drama that had gone unchecked for a lifetime that needed addressing along with my lack of self worth and low self esteem. This was dealing with hurts in a whole new way; from a place of being love first. I realised that I had not previously really dealt with any of my hurts; I had only ever magnified them by pulling them out at the drop of a hat and then stashing them back in the body to build on the next time round!

94. Who would have thought the choice to not drink alcohol (which poisons your body), and cut out foods like gluten (that bloat you and and weigh you down) are such controversial decisions… it’s one of the many ways that human beings live that doesn’t make sense currently.

95. Thank you Penny for sharing, I love how you say you and your husband never felt judged by Serge Benhayon, I can also attest to this. Serge has always offered complete and unconditional love and never ever have I once felt judged by him, this in itself is something quite extraordinary as even when people say they don’t judge there is often an underlying tone, whist with Serge there never is. When we are given a space that is free of judgment we are being offered great healing.

96. I love how Serge treats us all with the same equalness without any judgment or comparison. He lives a simple true loving way of life and has inspired many to make different choices and live a life that is true for each of us.

97. As more people choose not to drink alcohol and listen to their bodies when choosing what to eat, the balance of ‘normal’ is gradually shifting. By law all food packaging now has to list ingredients so that it is clear what is included so that we can choose. The laws on drink driving and drug driving are becoming clearer and more accepted so that saying ‘no’ to alcohol causes less suspicion and ridicule. The law is catching up with what our bodies have been telling us.

    1. Mary I agree, and the Gluten and Dairy free section in supermarkets is expanding as the demand is increasing, not because it’s trendy but because people are recognising the true health benefits cutting out gluten and dairy offer.

98. This thing about those around us disliking any decision to change our drinking habits is because it provides them with a reflection on their own choices and that can be uncomfortable as the realisation hits. That may then set off a fear in us of not fitting in, or worse of being ridiculed, even rejected and abandoned – and so we’ll often cave in. But your experience goes to prove that anyone can get used to anything – it just takes time on their part and conviction, commitment and self worth during the layer of turbulence on yours.

99. I love the power of your honesty expressed here Penny. Making changes in our lives starts with us and the choice to bring responsibility back to the forefront. That is hugely healing and much too appreciate. Thank you.

100. It is true that Serge Benhayon is showing everyone a true, connected, love filled way to live. He gives everyone the respect and space they need to realise the love that they are. There is story after story of how Serge did not preach or tell anyone what to do, he just presented the way he lives and what that brings to all of us. I could never have imagined the depth of this and the way it goes deeper each day. Years ago I would have imagined making my life great and then keeping it so, dealing with the ups and downs so that I could get back to great. Now I know that life is so much more than that and the deeper understanding that I have now will be nothing to the understanding I will have as my journey progresses.

101. Is it possible for one man to change the world? As we can see and experience ourselves the answer is yes.
     Serge Benhayon shows us what one true man can do just by being love all of the time.

102. Living how you are without reservation and without preaching inspires people. No need to offer advice however only given when called/asked for. This is true support and giving people the space to develop in their own time.

103. What an inspiration Penny! Your sharing of your journey to where you are now is clearly your own choice, no pressure from anyone else, just listening honestly to your inner most. It is great to hear your family and friends accept your decisions to change your life for the better and that you have your Husband who joins you in your amazing changes!

104. “Serge Benhayon, his family and Universal Medicine have inspired and encouraged myself and my husband to re-connect back to ourselves, to trust ourselves and trust that we already know what our bodies need and that we are already love. And we in turn, are now inspiring others by our daily living, showing them that they too can make choices for themselves, if and when they are ready.” I love this final paragraph Penny, especially the line ‘when they are ready’. I too have been learning this , as when I first came to Universal Medicine presentations I was so enthusiastic to have found a way that spoke to me with true integrity I became preachy – and of course that went down like a lead balloon! Now I have more understanding – of myself and others – people notice the changes and now ask questions – if they want to know more. And if they don’t, that’s fine too nowadays.

105. With self-acceptance, we no longer will need to “to feel accepted and ok with others.”
     With appreciation we can strengthen our self-acceptance of ourselves, others and the world we live in.

106. Penny, all I feel when I read your blog is the love you are and the love you have for people.

107. This is so important Penny, what you have chosen , your way, is the way that serves you. Whatever friend that is yours will allow that no matter what. This shows who true friends are. Friends are not about comfort or comforting , but who are you offering you the pull to forever sing (live) higher than ever before. To continue your way , in a world were many do not, it takes true strength and love to stay and trust your way, but this is what we are all capable of.

108. This is very exposing Penelope of how our society (still!) interrelates. Instead of welcoming someone who is making clearly loving and wise choices for their health, they are peer-pressured into reverting to the previously harmful ones. Acceptance by the groups we belong to is an easy hook for us to get caught in, and thus succumb to making unhealthy choices once again. I loved that you had felt what was true for your body at such a young age, and then came back to that later on by virtue of support from Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon. What this displays to me is that you have been supported to return to the wisdom you innately knew from the very beginning, and this wisdom is in each of us waiting to be connected to.

109. lt takes a lot of strength and absoluteness to turn your unhealthy habits around and make them more self loving choices but when you finally do the rewards are worth every moment to of initial struggle. l need to remember this.
     Thank you for sharing.

110. Penny beautiful how your friends have come full circle and how they respect the choices that you have made.

     1. Yes, there will be those that drop away but the ones that really count and truly care are usually those that come full circle and support us all along.

111. A lovely confirming read Penny. How interesting that so many of your friends struggled when you chose not to drink alcohol. There are some people who have not had an experience of what is is like to be social without drinking alcohol. I didn’t realize this till I stopped drinking. Hopefully over time they get to see how amazing it is to socialize, enjoy good company and feel amazingly bright and focused the next day!!

112. It can be very uncomfortable for friends and family when we make the choice to give up alcohol, as deep down they have to feel and reflect on their own choices.

113. I find it beautiful that you have lots of friends besides your esoteric student friendships and that your relationships have a loving quality irrespective of wether they are connected to Universal Medicine or not. I experience the same in my life.

     1. How odd would it be to only have friends who did the same things as you, it is like only ever looking at 1 colour! Life would be so one dimensional. We all have different experiences to bring to one another, that colour comes from sharing and learning with and from each other.

114. It is a very strong and insidious force that beckons you back once you stop consuming something that is not of your true nature. I too have experienced this and its like the ‘group’ know you are pulling away and are there offering you more than ever to entice you back into the fold. When one is awakened from the stupors of what is not truly who are, they liberate themselves onto the path back home – inspiring a light for all others.

115. It is interesting how making choices to sell care and result in others feeling uncomfortable, I did not consider this when I decided to look at my diet and connect more to my body and that my choices would be at times provoking for others to witness. Simply it offers a different view and challenges what many of of us consider ‘normal’. Something else I had not considered was true benefits of beginning to refine my diet to support me more, I have the practical increased vitality and steadiness, but also this deepening connection with my inner essence, what I am truly made which has been staggeringly beautiful to experience.

116. You make some great points here Penny. One of the things that I have really appreciated about Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine is that everyone is free to make their own choices. There are no set rules or criteria for people to abide by and no one is policing others: we are all working out for ourselves what feels right and making changes (or not) in our own time. It can be hard for others around us to understand why we make the choices we do, but over times, the benefits can’t be denied.

117. It is amazing how when we choose to care for ourselves people react, and when we hold on to it and don’t make ourself less to feel like fitting in, that changes and our livingness is inspiring them.

     1. Ha ha yes! Initially I think it irritates others that ‘we mess up the status quo’. Why do you have to change bread after all this time?! (You can substitute bed time, face creams, exercise routines, whatever you want really). On the whole I can attest to being like most others I have met… There are 2 things that are very confronting; change and responsibility particularly personal responsibility. We need to be the change we want to see in our lives,indeed in the world; it is actually the most empowering opportunity.

     2. It is so true Benkt. Holding on to what we know is true, allows others to be held in their reaction and then supported to feel the inspiration, if they so choose it.

     3. Well said Benkt. It stands to reason why we need to get to the point where other peoples opinions don’t matter to us any more.

118. Penny an honest sharing, and lovely to hear how you transformed your life by choosing to simply love yourself and say no to self abuse and harmful substances. The journey back to our true selves can be lonely, especially when our new choices are misunderstood or ridiculed by family and friends. We gain so much more, by choosing to stand firmly in love,and when we do loneliness diminishes as we reclaim and live life our way. With time, and as you have found, we earn a new found respect from those that once judged or criticised. They can see and feel for themselves the amazing effect our choices have had on health, energy and relationships.

119. The level of acceptance, allowing and understanding Serge Benhayon has for each human being is beyond words. Never judging our choices but constantly, 24/7, offering us the choice of love by reflecting this.

120. I also experienced that people turned away from me and commented on how boring it is to not go out and party, drinking alcohol and taking recreational drugs and for sure it is an uncomfortable reflection to them, but we also have to take into consideration that we did not live our true self and that we basically role played another person and that people related to this person and not the true one. So when I changed and started to live from what I truly felt i was not the person anymore they knew and they had decided to relate to before. This is just a reflection of how far removed from our true selves we lived and how empty our relationships were.

121. I live in a small town where nearly all events revolve around or include alcohol. Drinking alcohol when you go out is a very ingrained behavior in my community as I’m sure it is for others. When I choose not to drink people get really offended and judge me and assume I lead a boring life. Others believe that if they gave up they wouldn’t have anyone to hang out with. They have formed a brotherhood based on alcohol yet none of them appear very happy and there always seems to be some sort of drama going on. I would rather form a brotherhood based on love.

122. LOVE it Penny. Thanks for sharing how when you were in your 20’s you naturally felt to give up caffeine, sugar, dairy etc.. There are a lot of things in life which do not make sense, and when I chose to not have food like Gluten and dairy I felt so amazing. It made me wonder, why did I not ask the question earlier? Why was i so fixated on what I want in life but not prepared to listen to actually truth and symptoms that I was experiencing, let along the peer pressure that is massive in high school.

123. I love this story Penny. It just goes to show, that when we allow others to support us to be who we truly are, great things start to happen.

     1. Yes I feel it is so important to surround ourselves with inspiring people like this.

124. This is a sweet story, the fact that you both went to see Serge together is very warming. Often one partner may sit on the fence and be challenged by the idea of Serge for sometime. Usual the men from my experience and then when they meet him 98% of the time they absolutely fall in love with him too.
     The fact that your husband wanted true self love and wanted to reevaluate his life just as you did is super romantic. Your friends and family all coming around to accept who you both are and how you live is testament to how you would interact with them and sounds like you always meet them as equal no matter what their life style choices.

125. What I found interesting here Penny is that when you and your husband made the changes in your life from a foundation of love first, it caused less reaction in those around than when you had previously changed your lifestyle, and also with you being so solid in your choices makes you less likely to be concerned about how others may react. I find this very inspiring.

126. I’ve read this a couple of times now and I always find it rather inspiring. Because you’re just doing what feels good and base your life from that. It’s interesting how people feel threatened when others start making good self loving choices for themselves…

127. I have had lots of reactions from people for not drinking alcohol. Some people just don´t want to go out with me because not drinking is not fun for their way of life. It is sad, but at the same time if they value alcohol more than relationship, what can I do?

128. Very cool article. I love your developments ! What I can feel from your writing and developments so far is that the more consistent you are living, the more people around you start to notice that there is another way. Also, is that our consultancy is so important so others can see it is real and not just ‘a right thing’. I love how your family is in harmony with the fact that you both made those choices (not drink alcohol, gluten- and diary free etc.). I guess because you both have increased in health and vitality a lot.. That people can not deny that those choices are actually healthy for you.. For everyone!

     1. Very Good Observation Danna, thanks for sharing 😀

129. Penny thank you for sharing your experience, I also had a very similar experience with my friends when I gave up drinking and changed my diet. I didn’t want to engage in drinking anymore, I was becoming more aware of how my body felt and that drinking alcohol was something my body struggled with to clear through my system. My friends stopped inviting me round because they didn’t know how to be with me. I have hugely felt the benefits of changing my diet and making my own choice not to drink, I now have a relationship with my body, which before I had numbed so much I could hardly feel it.

130. It is interesting that there is little support for making choices that feel right in your body unless you have a life threatening disease, then it’s ok. I’ve noticed that anyone making these choices is remarkable and remarked upon. That’s a big reflection for our society.
     The more we choose what feels right, guided by the body, the more support others have when they come to considering making those choices.

131. That’s the way it is done, isn’t it Penny? Our change inspires others and on and on. For quite a long time after I stopped drinking I also stopped socialising, now I am enjoying initiating and nurturing many friendships.

132. That’s exactly how Serge Benhayon is, he never imposes or tells you what to do. Somehow he just holds you in love and you find your own answers. Being held in such love is really the biggest answer on its own to what we already feel in our lives that is so wrong for us. It’s love that helps us find our way back, not knowledge or following others. That’s why Serge is just love with everyone.

133. Beautiful sharing. I really love how you describe that you had the feeling for what was right for your body all the time, but that the social pressure made you override this. This happens so often that the so call “normal” takes over and we live abuse as normal. The beauty is how we can through reflection inspire others to choose love as their everyday normal too.

134. What a revelation… Knowing you and your husband today and seeing your before and after photos, you have made changes for the better – absolutely! If this has all come through inspiration then it’s worth it for people to check out Serge Benhayon and see how he lives. I know my life has totally changed and is so awesome today!

135. Awesome sharing Penny, of the miracles of re-connecting back to our own essence and sharing this with others. Thank you.

136. Penny, thank you for sharing the power of making a true choice. It’s great to be reminded of this every now and then, as I am realising how I still hold onto an image of how I would want to see things/people to be and idealise them, and am really appreciating the importance of feeling the truth for myself.

137. I really enjoyed reading your blog penny. I know what you mean, when you talk about people’s reactions, when you first change your lifestyle choices. The same happened to me. Certain people found it so hard that I didn’t drink alcohol anymore and got upset with me. I even found, they didn’t know how to be around me anymore. What I find sad, is just because someone chooses to not drink alcohol…. that does not make them a different person. We can still have fun and talk just like before. It’s just without the drink. Why does that affect people so? I wonder…. if it is because how we are living reflects back to them how they are living that is not true to themselves. I wonder…..

     1. Great point jodybladin, why does it effect people when we choose not to drink? What are they truly reacting to?

138. Thankyou Penny for sharing the fact that on the outside many look and project that they are fine and their life is great but on the inside they do not feel that way at all. This is a sad fact of modern day society as evidenced by the escalating rates of depression. By you choosing to be you and doing it your way you inspire everyone else to express and balance that true inside to outside wisdom and awesomeness that we all have innately. Great blog.

     1. I agree Suse, there is what i would call a dis-association from the body to feel the honesty of what the body is sharing as opposed to the make believe persona from the head. I see this increasing even more so through the use of social media as a playground to present a picture but not to share what is truly going on.

139. Thank you for being the inspiration for others in you life Penny Scheenhouwer. We are the role models through the choices that we make and by our way of living as a result of these. These role models are so much needed in our society where there is almost not true refection for people who are looking for another way, as they experience their current life as hard and unbearable for they have numbed themselves with coffee, alcohol, drugs and by indulging in foods for not to feel the atrocities in their lives.

140. It is amazing how much other people need us to stay the way they have known us to be. You would think becoming happier and healthier would be applauded but somehow it ruffles feathers. I can imagine it was hard to stick to the changes you felt to make when no one supported you. The second time you had felt your inner connection, which would have made the other enticements in life not so appealing.

     1. So true Fiona….you would think becoming happier and healthier would be applauded but for some people it does ruffle feathers as you said. I just know for me…. I would never go back to the way I used to live in this body. I too have felt my inner connection.

        1. I have pondered on this also, and have come to consider that when others make healthier and happier choices, the reason that some react or find it hard to support, is because it can feel uncomfortable and can expose our own choices up to that point. So in a sense, as long as everyone is doing the same thing, we are not exposed in our own behaviours and (often unloving) choices, but as soon as someone makes a different choice, we are presented with the possibility that there is in fact ‘another’ choice. When we are wanting to avoid taking responsibility for our choices, we often look for ways to either avoid or criticise the choices of another, however when we are willing to be honest about our own choices, the choices of another can be super inspiring and supportive because in essence, it simply allows us the opportunity to consider that we also have another choice.

        2. so true Angela .

        3. Very true, Angela’s comment is also a great expansion. If we look at smoking it is a great example. Smokers all know what they are doing is harmful to their lungs, there is an honesty there but when they try to give up the relationship changes and the hanging out no longer happens. Relationship groups change as the abusive behaviour no longer becomes a choice.

     2. You are so right Fiona. It is absolutely true. We are aiming to live more healthy and happy, but we often don’t appreciate it or welcome the answers with open arms. This to me then highlights that our resistance is only strong at the beginning stages, because we have given the opposite of health and true harmony a role in our life. We need to claim what is true & what we truly want in life, in order to break this stubborn pattern and possibly arrogance that ‘we all got it’.

        1. Lets drop the self-defense and let go off all our old ways (that are keeping us away from truth). Let’s get real here.

        2. Yes Danna l feel it as the comfort of arrogance.

     3. It is amazing how others around us can react to changes we make in our lives. Change is difficult for many, and making choices based purely on love can be challenging when we are so used to accepting abusive behaviour as our ‘norm’. It’s so true that when we have a strong inner connection, making loving choices becomes so much easier and we are less likely to be affected by those around us that find it hard to accept.

        1. I have indulged in fear of change and it has played havoc with, much delay, in my life. We cannot evolve without loving and encouraging the consistency of change in our lives.

     4. Beautifully put Fiona. others can be so unsupportive as it brings up jealousy in them.
        They secretly wish they could do it.

     5. Very true and clear said, it is important for each person to feel what is true and express that and so offers others that truth than too.

141. I love how you share that in your early 20’s you chose to stop alcohol, gluten and dairy of your own accord and felt so much better. So many people report huge improvements in their health and vitality when they remove these foods that don’t feel good in our bodies (nobody can pretend that they feel vital after a night out drinking!) Yet society, including loving friends and family members, often do not support these beneficial changes – is it because they may have to look at what they are eating and drinking and may have to take responsibility for their choices in life?

     1. Thanks Carmin. Often people react to other people when they are presented with someone making a different choice and it is an offering for them to see something different. And because we are so used to what is normal and have believed that we have to follow what is normal by societies standards, we are shocked to see someone who is ‘abnormal’. But someone making a choice for their health, diagnosed by themselves and truly felt and honoured by them should be normal and it is very disempowering to say otherwise so or that we need science to prove things before we do them. If it is true and is harmonious in a true sense then lets embrace whatever that is I say!

142. Gorgeous sharing Penny, I too loved how I felt after a healing session or course and wanted more of that in my life. Once you feel the love inside you can’t turn your back on it, as much as we may try to fit in with others it just doesn’t cut it. To feel the love and live to support that feeling becomes at some point more important than what other people think. I am just at the stage where I now aren’t willing to hide how amazing I actually feel compared to where I was 10 years ago, and I am not perfect or joyous everyday – but I know people who are living with joy and harmony in every moment and thats what I am allowing and developing. It’s awesome.

143. This is a very inspiring story you share Penny I love how it is now for you that “we in turn, are now inspiring others by our daily living, showing them that they too can make choices for themselves, if and when they are ready.” As what you have expressed here is that you hold no push in you to have others to be like you, instead what I feel is the acceptance of others for where they are at, while equally holding them in the same love you hold yourself. Just beautiful.

144. Thank you Penny for sharing how you knew in your 20’s the changes you needed to make in your life but were unable to sustain them because of the pressure you were put under to ‘conform to the norm’. It is inspiring to hear how you and your husband have transformed your lives and the positive impact that this has had on your relationship with each other but also with those around you.

145. That is true inspiration Penny, you changed the way that you live to what you feel to do, and not because anyone has told you to. It’s interesting how you already made the same choices years ago – you already felt the truth in that way of living!

     1. Agree Melissa, it’s very lovely to build a trust in ourselves and let that be our first go-to for advice.

146. It’s really interesting that when someone starts to make positive choices that others get angry with them, or want them to go back to old ways and will even hassle them to go back to old ways. This is most often at the difficult point of breaking an old habit, in the early days where the patterns and cravings are being stopped. It doesn’t just come from people around us, but also from society, with ads on television, in newspapers, and when we walk down the street past cafés and restaurants, or even through the supermarket. There’s this constant bombardment with advertising and visual stimulation to consume alcohol, caffeinated drinks and foods high in sugar and fat. It’s no wonder that as a society there are so many problems with obesity, food addiction and excessive alcohol consumption. I don’t feel the health care system and, in general, society, are really understanding the impact of all of these products, not only on our physical health, but mostly our mental health. I’m so grateful for the inspiration from Serge Benhayon to begin to feel my body and feel what it really wants, then develop the self love to actually make the choice to take care of my body.

147. Thanks for sharing Penny. I love the way Serge Benhayon operates, he just lives a deeply loving way and shares that love with everyone he meets equally and consistently. That naturally inspires us to develop that in ourselves.

     1. Yes I love that too katechorley, it is really inspiring how Serge Benhayon never tells anyone what to do.

148. Very powerful Penny, thank-you for sharing so honestly… The strongest impression I am left with from your blog, is of the ‘heart cranking open’ – bit by bit, accepting that greatness of love that Serge Benhayon spoke of in your first session.
     This brings home to me so much of what I have also heard from Serge’s presentations, and that is, that it is ‘all there within us’…
     How deeply we can resist this great love, do our darnedest to deny its existence, and yet, how profoundly our lives can change when we commit to the way of ‘re-opening’ our hearts, ‘cranking open’ those forgotten hanger doors… What astounds me to this day, is how amazing it feels, even to allow the smallest opening, allowed by letting go of what has hurt in life that had left the doors well and truly shut.
     We are indeed so much more than we would, by and large, want to give ourselves credit for, so much more…

     1. I love the way you describe the doors to our protected hearts as “‘cranking open’ those forgotten hanger doors”, that just hints at the enormous love that has sat there, waiting to be restored into our lives.

        1. Exactly Rosanna. And how it is the shared experience of so very many people, particularly since coming to the work of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, that those old, neglected ‘hanger doors’ over our hearts have indeed been ‘cranking open’ – most definitely so! The love that awaits is at once profound and amazingly powerful, and then so very natural.
           Experiencing this, it becomes such a crazy notion that we would ever have constructed barriers to this love. Holding onto such hurt most surely is something we needn’t feel enchained to.

     2. Yes Victoria, it astounds me too at how amazing it feels to open up, let go of what has hurt and embrace love again. Letting people in is a big part of that for me.

        1. Me too Harry. And the fact that we are aware of the fact that we can go deeper and ‘crank the doors open’ to letting people in, and allowing our own love ‘out’, is something to celebrate in itself. This marks a commitment to people and life that the world so deeply needs. I stand beside anyone so committed in nothing but celebration – for it is with such heartfelt intent that the world will change, and our interactions open up to the love each and every one of us is capable of.

        2. Beautifully Said Victoria! ❤

149. Now this is more than a ‘good news story’! This is something worth celebrating day in day out, (by the feel of it you already are) truly inspiring Penny.

150. Thanks for sharing your beautiful story Penny. It’s inspiring to read about the connection ( to the love you naturally are) you and your husband felt after your first session with Serge Benhayon, and the commitment you both had to continue with the sessions eventhough it caused a reaction with those around you. The amazing thing is that you both provide such a beautiful reflection to them all now.

151. Such a beautiful sharing with us all Penny – thank you. So often I find when others including family and friends know that you do not drink or eat certain foods how many like to tempt you – ‘Go on just one won’t hurt’ they say! They then either go to one extreme of hiding away when consuming their chosen drink/food or exaggerate their choices in front of me. The one thing I am not doing is judging them – their choice. Underneath I know that they can feel all their choices in their body. So can I.

152. Such a great sharing here with us all Penny – the point when you mention the pressure of others/friends trying to ‘tempt you away’ from your way of eating or not drinking alcohol I can so relate too. Overtime the more I supported myself and the benefits felt in my body I became less easily persuaded and know that others could feel this too.

153. The fact that one day while you were having a great life (seemingly so from the outside) but nonetheless you decided to put a stop to it, carries an enormous weight. Recognising that one is not settled in the body and say no to it is something that not everybody is capable of doing and yet, amazingly, is something very easily reacted against. This is a marker you never forget and at some point returns to.

     1. It’s true emfeldman. Often it is a crisis in life that has us looking to make changes but for me all seemed well, in fact fantastic to most. It was of course a crisis within myself and how I felt about myself and life, and for me this was a way I could no longer live. The rest is history as they say, for today I live a life that is full of so much love and playfulness and my relationships with everyone, including the friends I partied with back then, are more open and loving than ever before.

154. We don’t need to talk about what we do differently, just living the love reflects so much to others, that eventually they can ‘t but align in the future, whenever humanity is ready.

     1. Absolutely Steffi ‘just living the love reflects so much to others’. Reflection is so powerful and then when people want to know more they will naturally ask.

155. This was really beautiful to read Penny. A life of tears and mood swings to inspiring others by the way you live is an incredible transformation. This vast contrast is something I too can appreciate since being inspired by my sessions with Serge Benhayon and the unwavering love and support he offered me. I look back only wishing that I had chosen to connect to the love within myself much sooner rather than hide in a life of recreational escape to hide the misery I was in. Thank you for reminding me how deeply appreciative I am to Serge and the choices I have since made for myself.

156. A walk down memory lane. Those changes and the Love that Penny and I have now almost 3 years on from when this was written has been ever increasing. We have become the walking proof that there is a different way.

     1. It’s true Mick. Choosing to live the truth of who we are has meant that our relationship continues to deepen and that the love that we have does not have an end point but is always asking us to be more individually and together.

     2. Beautifully expressed Mick, you two are walking proof that there is another way; a way of life that’s built on a true foundation of love. Thank you for sharing; you and Penny are so beautiful.

     3. What an amazing couple you and Penny are Mick. You both are an awesome reflection for all of humanity….true role models.

157. Penny, I love that you knew in your 20’s what you needed to do to support you. It doesn’t matter that you went back on that, because frankly the world wasn’t ready to support you with those choices, so it would have been extremely hard to keep that up on your own. Even more amazing is that you came across Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine later in life to revisit what you already knew… this time packaged with the support you needed.

158. Wonderful Penny that is a great story thank you so much for writing this amazing blog. I made the same experience like you – that it is sometimes hard for people around me if I change. For me that is normal because the people around me then cannot stay in their comfort anymore.

159. Wow Penny – you have come so far – we all have – after reading your story I am in deep appreciation for all UniMed and Serge Benhayon has offered us and very inspired to feel that this is now what we offer all others in life too. Thank you.

     1. I agree Gemma. What has and is continually being reflected by and offered to everyone by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine is the opportunity to know who we truly are and that a life lived based on love is in fact our natural way of being. As you say we now offer this same reflection to others by simply being all of who we are in our every day.

160. Hi Penny, thank you for telling your story, I can relate to the fact that people often find when we change our diets or habits such as drinking others find this somehow uncomfortable to be around. It is often thought that to be gluten and dairy free also makes life difficult also. All it takes is a little adjusting to and changing our mindset, buying different ingredients but still quite easy to delete gluten from our diets and remove milk etc. and all very worthwhile.

161. Penny I also found that “The biggest issue for most people was that I chose not to drink alcohol”. It definitely takes really knowing who you are and sticking with what feels right for you no matter what the outside pressures are. What helps me is to realize that the pressure comes from people who are uncomfortable with seeing someone make a healthy choice that they know they are not making for themselves (while secretly wishing they were), and wanting everyone else to drink alcohol too so they can feel comfortable. Which means they do know the truth! And therefore the most loving and supportive thing to do, not only for ourselves, but for them also, is to keep showing that truth by sticking to our healthy choices. And you did it! Thanks for sharing your inspiring story.

162. Hi Penny, beautiful to read how you have transformed your life, through the choices you have made, having been inspired and supported by Serge Benhayon.

163. Your title “Choosing To Live My Life, My Way” is the answer. Adding “with Love”. Thank you for sharing how you did just that – by choosing love in your life.

164. Thank you for sharing, Penny, that un-common fact of what pressure we are put under when we take that so important step of making a better choice… to trust that choice completely. Trust ourselves that we can constantly and consistently make as many choices as we feel to – really go for it – and trust each choice that is made for, and from, the body, and not from pre-conceived ideals of “what is the best or right thing to do”. Learning and experiencing feeling great, not needing another or anything to fit in, what feels right and committing in full…

165. Thanks Penny, I have enjoyed reading this blog and how you and your husband have transformed your lives by choosing to reconnect to that love within us all and how we can offer to others a true refection of who they are.

166. Having come from the same I can very much relate to the lifestyle you had Penny. Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have indeed supported you, me and thousands of others to eliminate such self destructive habits with absolutely no imposition… Instead allowing us the grace to unfold, come to and feel the truth for ourselves before finally making the self-loving choices to eliminate such harmful habits.

167. What an inspiring blog, thanks Penny. I love that in your early 20’s your body knew what it needed.

168. Penny I love how you describe that the changes you’ve made have been your choice but lovingly supported by sessions with Serge Benhayon. For me this is one of the key points of difference to Universal Medicine and the esoteric modalities, they are not needed to keep feeling better because you are supported to connect to the love that is naturally inside and so life simply becomes more enjoyable, symptoms fade away as does the weight, and the unloving choices that were easily made.

169. A very gentle way of changing habits with love and support, without judgement or pressure. That is why you can say you can support others to do the same “if and when they are ready”.

170. I enjoyed reading how you and your husband recognised this feeling you had after your sessions with Serge Benhayon, a feeling that you did not otherwise have in your life but wished you could. And then how later on this feeling has become normal to you, proving the fact that we make the changes and ultimately live the lives our choices create.

171. This is a great story, Penny. It can be all too easy to impose our ways onto others. You show how much more powerful it is just to be there for family and friends, with no imposition. It is also a testament to how you changed your life over time and slowly worked out what was working for you in your life and what wasn’t. It certainly makes me feel more patient and understanding with myself.

172. Great story Penny – I have also made many changes in my life without necessarily being focussed on giving up anything in particular. The focus was on coming back to love which is so simple, anything that does not support this eventually stands out and is not needed anymore. So rather than feeling like I am giving up anything there is more and more love in my world.

     1. So very true what you say here Nicole, The focus was on coming back to love which is so simple, anything that does not support this eventually stands out and is not needed anymore. I have found this also, that with choosing more love for myself, your body just naturally tells you, this is not needed anymore. Love certainly gives you an okayness around anything that you choose to let go of, and as you say, there is more and more love to be had, as a result.

173. Wow, awesome Penny. I can really relate to the mood swings, crying, getting angry for no reason and hating myself then having all that change when I too made most of the choices you have depicted above… But I really like how you have shared what your like with others. I’m always like ‘hey you should try this and this and this and that’ which I realise isn’t the best thing to do. It’s quite pushy actually.

174. Thank you Penny – I loved reading this. Practitioners associated with Universal Medicine are the most unimposing practitioners I have ever come across and I have seen many! Reading this I was reminded of the way you supported me to make my own choices to stop drinking, smoking and partying with the same grace and acceptance you describe experiencing with Serge Benhayon. It is awesome to feel.

175. It was very familiar reading that you made all the changes once, really changing the way you were living… but that it did not stick because the underlying issues were still there, and once you caved in to the peer pressure you slowly slipped back into what is seen as normal.
     The benefit of Universal Medicine is that there is the support, from Serge Benhayon, from the Universal Medicine Practitioners, and from a wider student community to bring those issues to our attention, to help us, to inspire us and to point out when we take a backward step. It is that support that truly helps us develop

     1. Yes Simon this was the missing ingredient for me originally. Understanding that true change comes from addressing the underlying issue was the key. Also the ongoing support you talk of, from Serge Benhayon, Universal Medicine and the incredible community that we, are has allowed me to know that no matter where I am at or what is going on I will always be supported to connect back to the truth of who I am.

176. I just love reading about people being their own scientist, first by being honest with where they are at (regardless of what the “picture” looks like) and then the courage to make true and lasting changes, step by step – all the while keeping the “scientific honesty” of where they are at and where to next. Thank you Penny

177. I too chose to stop drinking alcohol many years ago. Even this Christmas I still got offered a drink from someone who knows very well I don’t drink. The pressure from society is very strong, but never stronger than my choice to honour me and what I feel.

178. I have enjoyed reading how your choices have brought such huge changes to you and your family; in fact, everyone you come in to contact with. Having met you personally, I am inspired by you and your husband. You are filled with such joy!

179. It is crazy how we cave into peer pressure despite how we feel when we do conform. But this blog is a great example and inspiring of how choosing to live in our own personal way is far more supportive than going with the crowd.

     1. I had the same thought – why do we all conform to the trends and what is around us rather than choosing our own lives? This is a perfect example of the benefits of following your own heart and choosing a different way to live.

180. It is great reading about how you’ve claimed to live your life in the way you know is true for you. From regularly using alcohol and drugs myself when I made the decision to stop it was very uncomfortable for many friends at the time. Looking back, it was such a big part of life and any interaction I had with people – it just became normal. With the inspiration of Universal Medicine what I consider normal has most certainly changed back to being far more loving and caring of myself.

181. I love Penny, how you have described your relationships with your family and friends.

182. This is beautiful Penny, I can relate to a lot of what you say. Alcohol and drugs has played a big role within my family and I know how destructive it can be to the lives of the taker and the family members. It’s great to read that you and your husband have found your way back and live a much fuller life, without the need of the drugs and alcohol.

183. Interesting to read this now – only little earlier today I was listening to Radio 4 (London) briefly and a man was talking about peer pressure and how in his youth he could see he was going down the destructive path, because if he tried to be different (meaning normal) he would be, and I quote: ‘eaten for breakfast by his peers’. It is obviously huge for most if not all of us. Connecting to that inner-strength, is the best and most loving thing any one of us can do. It may bring some unpleasantness at the time, (as you described Penny) but it sure pays off big time to be true to ourselves and to make loving choices.

     1. Thanks Dragana, I can attest to this as I’m sure many if not all can. Peer pressure and changing ourselves to fit in is a very big part of growing up (as it currently is). It is good to remember this because it brings back awareness of things that I just wanted to shut out and didn’t want to feel, like the attack that came from not following the trend, but I was just being what is naturally me. Peer pressure is even rife at University and this time its more subtle because everyone is developed in their intellectual capacity. I strive to be aware all the time of the peer pressure that controls humanity. It obviously isn’t working just by taking one look and from personal experience it hurts a lot to succumb to peer pressure, so I would never choose again.

184. Penny, thank you for allowing us to appreciate how each and everyone has their own pace and tempo to their lives, and for explaining how your commitment to making loving choices for yourselves is stronger and simpler when you are being allowed and supported in this natural rhythm.

     1. I agree Rosanna, I’ve only more recently realised how important it truly is to be exactly myself and do things exactly as I feel and when, never copy anyone else, because we all bring something different that adds to a bigger whole.

     2. Such an important point Rosanna, that everyone has their own timing and space in which to come to feel what’s right and what works for them. What I have found is that this path is always fast-tracked when I connect more deeply back to my own body, because it’s in this that I can feel truth. Serge Benhayon has been and continues to be, an amazing inspiration and role model in that regard.

185. Yes I can also relate to the peer pressure of parties and drinking as it is ‘the done thing’ and also in most cases seen to be the best avenue in which to not remain single, and in which to catch a man/husband/partner etc… and then go on to live a ‘normal life’, and do ‘normal things’ so that everyone can see that you are ‘normal’. What your article has shown is that to break away from all the or everyone’s perceived ‘normalness’ can actually lead to an amazing life with great and true relationships and that this way of living naturally, is in fact the real normal and furthermore that this way can inspire others. Thank you Penny.

186. Penny – you obviously knew what worked for you but like so many caved in to peer pressure as it appears easier to fit in and do what everyone else is doing and have a so called normal life. It is not until you were able to feel you were worth so much more that you were able to stand firm in you choices to be more loving and from there grow into the amazing person that you are. A person that others now look to for support as they can see and feel that what you have is different but making all the difference to your health, life and relationships.
     How many of us know inside that the way we are living simply doesn’t feel right yet lack the courage to break the mould, buck the trend and try a different way?
     It is wonderful that people like you are willing to say no I deserve more and live that as an example that life can be different and fulfilling and loving so others can say I am worth more too.

     1. Well said Rachel

187. Absolutely beautiful Penny – wow (there were some things I didn’t know about you and would never have guessed based on the amazing woman I have known you to be)! It is beautiful that you honoured what felt true in your body and made choices based on this, and not because anyone (including Serge) told you to do so, or imposed on you. It is indeed such a loving way to live and so true that we are able to inspire others by our daily living, simple really!

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