My name is Rita Andriello-Feren and I am powerful in the ability to make decisions in my life. I’m looking at my name and realizing that for the first time in my life I chose my name. When I was divorced twenty years ago, I decided I wanted my maiden name again. I claimed it, after denying it for 27 years. I was so glad to get rid of it when I was 18, but, I changed my mind. When I was divorced, I decided to take it back. And, then I married Patrick Feren. I changed my mind again and decided to add Feren to my name. What I didn’t know is that at any time, I could have changed my name should I have decided to do so.

We can change our mind about anything any time. Our life’s journey is destined by our moment by moment decisions. People used to stay in their jobs for their whole working lives. It was considered responsible and loyal to do that. I’m sure people still do that, but I witness many people (including myself) who decide to leave jobs and take on new ones, to become entrepreneurs, to start Centers. Changing our Mind doesn’t mean we are irresponsible. To me it means I am growing. I am expanding.

I get to change my in any moment and for me this is a good thing. This whole philosophy that I practice called “New Thought” is based on this premise. I get to change my thoughts and change my life. When things are not serving me, I get to have a new idea and drive the wheels of causation in a totally new direction. It’s like making a U-turn. It works. I know it because I have proved it. My whole life is based on the decisions I make.

However, one thing I know about making decisions and changing my life is that there is a process involved. Once I’ve made a decision, there is a change in mind first. But, it is not until that decision is embodied that the change takes place. Evolution is the time it takes for our decision to become our experience.

Recently, I changed my mind about my hair. I decided to go back to my original color. It didn’t happen by me just saying I wanted to change my hair color. I had to take action. We have to take action with our new decision.  I had to find a hairdresser or go to the store and buy the color. Then, I had to go through the process of changing the color.

As in my case, sometimes process takes stripping away the old. I had to strip away the old color that had taken over my hair. Sometimes, we have to strip away the old beliefs that have taken over our minds.We can’t just say we’ve changed our mind about something and expect anything to happen if we are still holding on to old beliefs that are counter to our new decision. We have to be willing to let go of them.

And then, the new color is applied. Still, there is a process. Yes, after we’ve changed our mind about something – made a new decision; however, we have to be patient. We have to trust and have faith. We have to trust the Law of Growth, which is the natural time it takes for our decisions to take form. The more faith and surrender we have, the quicker this process will be. In the case of Jesus, whose faith was undeniable – it was instantaneous. When we get the mind he had, we will have similar experience. For now, I invite us to trust the process of our decisions taking form. This takes re-affirming our decision daily. Otherwise, we’ll just go back to our old ways and old beliefs.

Just as I changed my mind about my hair and might change it again, we can change our mind in any moment. We are not static, we are not automatons. We are Spirit. We have choice. We have volition and it is ours to use, and as long as our decisions are in harmony with the Universe which is a Universe of Good, of Love, our lives will have that same harmony and balance.

We have all the power in the world. Ours is as much as we decide to use. It is as much as we can embody and believe we have. The Universe is to us as we are to it. Our decisions set our claim and make our lives. I invite us all to have faith in our decisions and to know that at anytime we can choose again.