If they have taught me anything, the books I have read on relationships have taught me not about partnerships like marriage, but much more about the Self as it relates to every single thing and every single being on the planet. And, most importantly, the relationship to Self.

The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) says, “If you can’t see God in all, you can’t see God at all.” To see God in all is to see God in yourself as well. He also says, “I shall see God in all, I shall serve God in all,” that means serve the self, too. This relationship to Self directly corresponds to your ability to give on every level. You have to give to yourself, in order to be given to. It’s pointless to want love in your life, if you are unwilling to love yourself the way you are wishing/dreaming/imagining someone else should love you. If you give of your time to others, but not to yourself, you end up depleted and possibly resentful on some level.

There are three tools I use in my personal life and I am grateful to be able to share them with you. I once read a book called, Conscious Loving (Gay and Kathleen Hendricks) and applied their simple 7 step system to loving myself. This has made a very profound difference in my life. The second, and you may smile, is that I have a weakness for a good romance book. The romantic traits are inspiring, and I use them. I look to cultivate those traits within and to be that for myself.

The third tool is Tithing. I am blessed to work in the Dasvandh office, yes, but Dasvandh is a very personal and intimate thing of itself. My position is one thing, the opportunity tithing itself allows me is another. For me, it is the most intimately fulfilling art of giving there is. The tradition of tithing is giving back to Infinity. To see God in all, is to know God in yourself, and to give to Infinity is to give back to yourself.

If you do not already participate, I invite you to step into this intimately fulfilling art of giving, by starting your tithing program today. It is a place of profound trust, yes, but it allows a freedom of spirit achieved in few other ways. The relationship to Self is to grant yourself the freedom of feeling the Universe taking care of you.