What do you hold sacred?

I'm somebody who has lived a transitory existence, moving locations, changing jobs, and always on the look out for a new adventure. I don't place too high a regard on stability or the acquisition of possessions. So this month as I pondered what I held sacred I realised it boiled down to karma. 

But what does karma mean to me?

Cause and Effect

When most people talk about karma, they’re usually referring to the concept of cause and effect. And the belief that whatever thoughts, energy or actions you give out—is what you attract. In religious terms that can be coined as you reap what you sow. 

I can still hear my mother's voice prompting "treat others like you want to be treated". I was disappointed when some people I encountered didn't have the same set of values—but have always tried to follow my mother's example.

Take Action

Another key concept of karma is that you're not a passenger in your own life. You're the driver. 

If you want to make things happen in your life, you have to take action. You can't just sit around waiting for your dreams to magically appear. 

My mother always told me that I could be anything I wanted in life, I just had to want it bad enough, and work hard enough to achieve it. 

Despite not having the opportunity of going to college, I eventually landed a lucrative job, with a corner office and generous expense account. I worked on international projects that relocated me to London, Sao Paulo, and Stockholm. 

I got promoted countless times, and lost count of the number of times I sat behind my large corporate desk, pinching myself, and wondering how long it would be until I was discovered as a fraud. In actuality, I got there because of long hours, a passion for what I was working on, and compassion for my team mates.

One day I realised that the life I was living, was not the one I wanted. Instead of bemoaning the fact that I was unhappy with the life I was living, I took action. 

I abandoned my corporate job; became a freelance writer; and moved to Turkey.

Own Your Happiness

Karma is a belief that we own what happens in our lives. We are the product of the actions we take and the decisions we make. It's easy to blame others and outside forces for the situations we find ourselves in. But that's abdicating responsibility for your own happiness. You have the choice of accepting your current situation with gratitude, or changing your circumstances. 

My glass is always half-full. I take responsibility for my actions and believe we have one life to live. So have to make the most of it. 

Karma is sacred and at the core of my belief system. I value it enough to let it accompany me along the path I'm heading down. What's surprising is that it's taken me until now to realise it!

About Jay Artale

Jay Artale abandoned her corporate career to become a digital nomad and full-time writer. She’s an avid blogger, podcaster, and nonfiction author helping travel writers and travel bloggers achieve their self-publishing goals. She shares tips, advice, and inspiration to writers with an independent spirit at her website Birds of a Feather Press, and documents her travels and artistic endeavours at her blog Roving Jay. Follow her on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter.

Jay is the author of A Turbulent Mind: A Poetry Collection of a Mother's Journey with Alzheimer's.

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 “Karma is a philosophy of how to live our lives so we can truly become the best version of ourselves and live the most fulfilling life we desire,” she says.