There are times when I really do see it.
I’m comfortable in my skin. Really living my purpose.
You’re by my side. We can design our day, better yet, our lives as we please.
You’re free and fulfilled. I’m free and fulfilled.
There are no borders.
We’re healthy. Abundance flows.
It’s beautiful. We’re beautiful. Life’s beautiful.
I wish you could see how strong you really are.
How capable.
How everything you’ve ever wanted is but a choice away.
That if you believed and saw the light within you’d be unstoppable.
I am learning that in order to make life happen you gotta really want it. You could have your dreams or you can have your excuses but you can’t have both.
It doesn’t even have to be difficult. There are ways to break down big goals into smaller bite size goals that can be easily accomplished.
What do you want?
Really.
What do you truly want?
Are you afraid to dream big?
Or are you able to dream but tell yourself it just isn’t possible?
Well.
I’m here to tell you that you CAN dream big and you CAN make it happen.
The thing is, that BIG dreams require BIG action.
Are you up for the work?
Because nothing comes without energy.
Energy will be needed to bring about that vision into reality.
It can be done in easy, small steps.
Are you willing to be patient?
Great accomplishments take time.
Are you willing to enjoy the process and be happy in the here and now as you move towards the climax of your life?
Are you willing to remain present? Remain joyful every step of the way?
Are you willing to stay committed? Encouraged even when there are unexpected setbacks?
Life is unpredictable. We gotta learn to adapt. Adjust. Be flexible.
Play. Dance. Move with the flow.
Know that you have everything it takes, keep at it, and don’t give up.
I think a lot. A lot.
I realize that most of my thinking hinders my ability to simply experience the beauty of the present moment. The sounds. The smells. The colors. The joy of being part of the eternal now.
My thoughts give rise to my emotions, which gives rise to more thoughts, and circles endlessly.
When I interrupt my thinking mind I feel peaceful. I don’t project myself into the future or wallow in my past or my fears.
Letting the thoughts just play like a song on a radio allows me to be the observer of the thoughts without identifying or giving them more energy to persist.
When I let my thoughts carry me away like the mighty waves of an ocean, I lose myself in my mind. I drown. I start to believe my limiting thoughts are my reality. I play and replay scenarios in my head. I remember the past. I rehearse for the future. I replay all my fears. I analyze. Overthink. I beat an idea down over and over until I am overwhelmed and uneasy.
Then I remember I have a choice. I can either live in my head or live in the moment. Do I live in the mental stories or do I actually live? The stories make me feel good or make me feel bad, or something in between. The stories do not provide lasting peace as they are always changing, analyzing, criticizing, judging.
Regret. Fear. Anxiety. Love. Nostalgia. Guilt. Shame. Sadness. Pride. Creativity. My myriad of emotions. It’s all tossed in my head like a salad.
Then I chose to take a seat. I just sit there and watch the thoughts. I watch them until they are done rising and sinking. I let them ride but I don’t join. I actively interrupt the thoughts by commanding myself to “Be here. Be present.” I take deep breaths and focus on the feeling of the air filling my lungs and then releasing.
In…
Out…
In…
Out…
Be here.
Be present.
In…
Out…
In…
Out…
Be here.
Be present.
My mind becomes quiet. I am brought back to the present moment where everything is ok. The colors penetrate my eyes. The smells dance in my nostrils. The sounds tickle my ears. The air makes sweet love to my lungs. I am well. I am here. I am not identified with the stories in my head. I am not my memories. I am not projecting myself into the future. I am not trying to control. I am not trying to do more, be more, have more to prove some point to myself or the world. I just am. I just am this living being who is settled in peace, inner stillness and soothing joy.
“When you finally have a last look at your life you don’t want to then realize you’ve done everything while forgetting to have fun.” – Laura Gonzaga
Go out into the world and do what lights you up. Go ahead and do the things that bring you joy. Do them not because you want some kind of reward or recognition, do it simply for the pleasure the activity brings you. Rewards and recognition may or may not come, and this shouldn’t be the reason to stop you from just doing what you enjoy.
I really love to draw, but I have no real artistic talent. I can’t draw a beautifully realistic picture, and even my stick figures come out funny. I can imagine deeply creative work in my head, I just don’t have the skills to translate my vision using my hands on pen and paper. But I draw my “crappy” art work anyway! I do it just because it’s fun. I do it just because I enjoy it.
What is it that you like to do but have been putting off because you’re too afraid you’re not skilled enough?
Go do it!
Sing if you love to!
Dance if you love to!
Draw if you love to!
Bake if you love to!
Make crafts if you love to!
Write if you love to!
Don’t worry about whether you’re great at it or who is better than you, do what you like to do simply because it lights you up! Everything else will follow from there :)!
Here’s my art below! 🙂 It’s called “Never too late.” Because indeed, it’s never too late to just do something you love because you love it and just for fun.
There are moments in time where I feel so bored and so blah about life and where I am headed. I start thinking about all the things that went wrong and how I should have taken action earlier. I ruminate.
Yesterday I heard a powerful message by Shirly Joy Weiss, where she reminds us of how normal this act of having negative thoughts is. She goes on to say that it would be a joke to think that we, as humans, wouldn’t experience negative thoughts and emotions. She reinforces that it would be a joke to think that even spiritual teachers themselves don’t go through difficult moments and have negative thoughts and emotions. She recalls to us that this is a fact of life and it’s one of the most normal of experiences. Hearing her reaffirm these statements just made me feel so much better about being human. It’s ok to be bored sometimes. It’s ok to have negative thoughts. All these things come and go. Even the positive thoughts come and go. Our thoughts don’t define us – not the positive, not the negative. We will experience highs, lows, neutrals, in betweens and all else in the spectrum. This is what it means to be alive. To experience. To learn. To be.
We just have to flow with it and remind ourselves that we are so much more than our thoughts and we have to continue to persevere. Let’s persevere together! We can overcome our obstacles and not feel bad because sometimes we fall a little short. We’re human! It’s part of the program!
We got this. Let’s keep on moving! Keep on dancing to the beat of our beautifully unique soul!
WE ROCK!
“If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in?” – Unknown
Much of our life is made up of ordinary moments. Eating, brushing our teeth, walking, cleaning, sleeping, bathing, running errands, taking out the trash, doing laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, driving the kids to school, doing homework, and on and on and on.
The bigger, less ordinary, moments in life like getting married, reaching the top of your career, graduating college, moving across country, buying your dream home, among other grand achievements, happen with less frequency. When we live our entire life neglecting ordinary moments because our mind is too busy chasing after peak moments, we fail to enjoy the entirety of our life experience. Like a hamster running on a wheel, we fervently chase, chase, chase the next moment because right now, just as we are, is not quite enough.
All too often I catch myself feeling frustrated because right now my apartment is too small. Right now, I have debt to still take care of. Right now, I am not at the top of my career. Right now, I am not exactly where I wish I were. So what do I do? I spend time neglecting my ordinary moments chasing after the next moment. I beat myself up and don’t feel good in the here and now. This state of mind blocks me from seeing the beauty in the ordinary. It inhibits me from realizing that although I am not yet experiencing the bigger, more defining moments of my life, it does not mean that my life isn’t already big and momentous in and of itself in the present.
Each day, I realize more clearly how important it is to my wellbeing to simply enjoy the journey without getting worked up about the destination. Life is not about chasing moments, though it’s easy to get caught up in the cycle of chasing. It is easy to get stuck in not feeling enough because right now you are just not there yet. The funny thing is, there is no there – there is only, always, here and now. It is always in the now moment that we will experience anything, ever. To live a happy and satisfied life, we must carry happiness and satisfaction with us in both the everyday standard moments as well as the bigger more rewarding moments. If we place our happiness on any future desire then most of our days will be gloomy because we will always have more average days than peak days. We will always be waiting for happiness to happen in some future time while our present suffers. It is in the here and now that we have to find our joy. It is in the ordinary that we have to see the extraordinary. It is in taking out the trash, washing the dishes, walking the dog, driving the kids to school, brushing our teeth, washing our hands, doing the laundry, walking to work, and all the other little things that we have to participate in with joy. The joy we experience in the extraordinary is the same joy we can carry with us when experience the ordinary. Life will be joyous not just because of the great things you will achieve, but it will be joyous because YOU in and of yourself are great and joyous. Feel it! 🙂
After standing on my feet for several hours, I began to notice how wonderful my feet really are. I began to notice how gracefully they support me all day no matter where I go.
I started to thank life for my feet. I began to see how I take so many things for granted. There are times where I focus so much on what I am lacking in my life and forget all the blessings that I already have.
Having a sense of gratitude is so important to our wellbeing. Thankfulness allows us to see the good that we already have and refocuses our attention on the beauty that is currently present. There is nothing wrong with wanting more from life, but it is crucial that we remember what we already have.
I started a gratitude journal. I recommend it. Even if you don’t write in it every day, take some time throughout the week to focus on what you are grateful for in your life. It could be the smallest of things, like the wind blowing in your hair. It could be the sunrise. It could be your coffee or tea. Anything that brings you joy; anything that serves you. You can even be bold enough to be thankful for the challenges that have strengthened you and opened your eyes to new knowing. Whatever it is for you, give thanks. There is always, always, always, something to be grateful for.
I am thankful in this moment.
Thank you, feet for supporting me and taking me from place to place.
Thank you, brain for being the source of my functions.
Thank you, hands for making this post possible.
Thank you, lungs for allowing me to breathe this air.
Thank you, bed for allowing me a comfortable place to rest.
Thank you, weather for being so pleasant today.
Thank you.
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