Dying to Be Me (28 page)

As far as I could, I’d try to free myself from needing my health to be a certain way in order to find happiness and just create joy in the moment, as though I were already healthy. Living in the present means not carrying any emotional baggage from one segment of time into the next. Every instant is unique and can’t be replicated. It’s our choice whether to carry our fears with us, keeping us stuck in illness.

You don’t have to be a spiritual guru or anything. Just make the most of every minute, living it to the fullest and doing things that make you happy, whether you have a month to live or 100 years.

Q: Theories are interesting, but what about practical advice? How do you stay healthy now—what do you eat and what do you avoid in your diet?

A: Well, my diet
has
changed since my NDE, but I’m afraid it’s not in the way you think! I used to be paranoid about what I ate. I was a strict vegetarian. I consumed only organic foods and was into macrobiotics, vitamin supplements, and wheatgrass juice—and that was before I got sick. I thought that everything caused cancer, from microwaves to preservatives. I used to eat very healthfully, but I did so out of fear.

Now I eat whatever I’m drawn to. I enjoy chocolate and a good wine or champagne from time to time. I just make sure that I have a good time with food and life! I think that it’s more important to be happy than anything else.

It’s no fun eating all the so-called right foods out of fear of getting sick and being miserable about it. Being anxious causes a whole other set of problems. Our bodies are actually a lot more resilient than we give them credit for, particularly if we’re happy and not under stress.

Even when I choose to eat healthfully, I do so out of love instead of fear. That’s my method in every aspect of my life, and I invite you to live the same way.

Q: If there were a message or lesson from your NDE that you wish everyone could know or understand, something that you wish you could shout out from the rooftops, what would that be?

A: I would want you to know that
every
part of you is magnificent—your ego, intellect, body, and spirit. It’s who you are—a beautiful product of this Universe’s creation. Every aspect of you is perfect. There’s nothing to let go, nothing to forgive, nothing to attain. You already are everything you need to be. It can seem so complicated, but it’s not.

If a religion makes you feel lesser than its deities, then you’ve either misinterpreted it or it’s not doing a good job of teaching you the truth. If a guru, teacher, or master makes you feel that you aren’t “yet” enlightened and still have more to “learn,” “release,” or “let go of” before getting there, then they’re not doing a good job of teaching you who you truly are, or you’re misunderstanding them.

Remind everyone close to you to be themselves, and tell them that you love them just the way they are! They’re perfect and so are you. There’s nothing not to love. Most suffering stems from feeling “less than.” You aren’t less than anything or anyone! You are complete.

The
only thing
you need to learn is that you already
are
what you’re seeking to attain. Just express your uniqueness
fearlessly
, with abandon! That’s why you’re made the way you are, and that’s why you’re here in the physical world.

  
Afterword
  

Before I close, I’d like to leave you with a few final words. Always remember not to give away your power—instead, get in touch with your own magnificence. When it comes to finding the right path, there’s a different answer for each person. The only universal solution I have is to love yourself unconditionally and be yourself fearlessly! This is the most important lesson I learned from my NDE, and I honestly feel that if I’d always known this, I never would have gotten cancer in the first place.

When we’re true to ourselves, we become instruments of truth for the planet. Because we’re all connected, we touch the lives of everyone around us, who then affect others. Our only obligation is to be the love we are and allow our answers to come from within in the way that’s most appropriate for us.

Finally, I can’t stress enough how important it is to enjoy yourself and not take yourself or life too seriously. One of the biggest flaws with many traditional spiritual systems is that they often make us take life too seriously. Although you know that I abhor creating doctrines, if I ever had to create a set of tenets for a spiritual path to healing, number one on my list would be to make sure to laugh as often as possible throughout every single day—and preferably laugh at myself. This would be hands down over and above any form of prayer, meditation, chanting, or diet reform. Day-to-day problems never seem as big when viewed through a veil of humor and love.

In this age of information technology, we’re bombarded with news seemingly at the speed of light. We’re living in an age of high stress and fear, and in the midst of trying to protect ourselves from everything we think is “out there,” we’ve forgotten to enjoy ourselves and to take care of what’s inside.

Our life is our prayer. It’s our gift to this universe, and the memories we leave behind when we someday exit this world will be our legacy to our loved ones. We owe it to ourselves and to everyone around us to be happy and to spread that joy around.

If we can go through life armed with humor and the realization that we are love, we’ll already be ahead of the game. Add a box of good chocolates into the mix, and we’ve really got a winning formula!

I wish you joy as you realize your magnificence and express yourself fearlessly in the world.

— Namaste!

Anita Moorjani

  
Acknowledgments
  

To me, this is possibly the most important part of the book. This is where I get to express my gratitude to everyone who, in some way or another, is integral to this work coming about. Some were directly involved in its manifestation, and others indirectly, but all have played a major part in my journey from there to here.

To Dr. Wayne W. Dyer—what can I say? Your generosity of spirit continues to leave me speechless—and that doesn’t happen often! I know that the universe conspired to bring us together even before we were aware of it, at the perfect time. You’re such an intrinsic part of my journey, and I couldn’t have accomplished this without you. Your kindness and advice along the way have meant a lot to me, and it’s no wonder that the world is inspired by you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you
, from the bottom of my heart for opening the door for me to share my story with the world and for making my life so magical. But most of all,
thank you for being you
. I love you dearly!

To my best friend and soul brother, Rio Cruz—whatever I say in gratitude sounds trite and doesn’t even come close to how I feel about our friendship. During these years, you’ve been such an integral influence in my life, helping me along as I tried to fit into a world that wasn’t always ready to hear what I had to share. Your vast knowledge of NDEs brought me tremendous comfort, and your unyielding support when others challenged me kept me sane; and I can’t thank you enough for that. You’re my best friend and believed from day one that my story needed to be shared with the world. Thank you for gently nudging me throughout the journey of this book, encouraging me to finally bring it to its fruition. I love you mucho, amigo!

To Mira Kelley—you are such a beautiful soul! Thank you so much for being part of the synchronicity and for bringing my story to Dr. Dyer’s attention. Your actions actually brought the theory of allowing to fruition. I love you!

To Jessica Kelley, my editor—thank you so much for helping to bring my story alive on these pages. I’m so grateful for your patience and for always being so astute in understanding what I was trying to say. You were fantastic to work with. Thank you!