Are you currently living your life as a version of yourself that’s utterly satisfying?
Do you awake each morning thrilled to feel the breath enter and then escape from your functioning lungs, only to have another rush flood immediately in?
Do you look at the people, opportunities, experiences, memories, and emotions that create the metaphorical fabric of your life and pour out gratitude for each and every one?
Do you realize how lucky you already are—right here, right now—in this very moment?
Do you see the glass as half empty or half full? How does that viewpoint make you feel? Does it apply elsewhere in your life?
When was the last time you stopped to smell a beautiful flower?
Do you indulge in simple things that bring your much joy? (Hint: sometimes the best things make everyone else around you raise an eyebrow in question. That’s okay! Do it anyway! They’re probably just jealous of your sense of freedom.)
Which terrifies you more: failing or succeeding? (Be honest with yourself!)
What do you want?
I love, love, love the convolutedness of this question. It is so bloody simple, and yet it seems to be one of the most difficult for people to answer. Why is that? Don’t we all feel things bubbling in our bellies that indicate we’re more drawn to certain things, people, foods, colors, movie/music genres, etc. So, what’s the point in ignoring or denying that?
The questions could just keep pouring from my fingertips like the colorful scarf emerging from the magician’s sleeve—never-ending, colorful, captivating.
But tada … I feel that such potent material is sometimes best ingested in smaller doses. At least until a higher tolerance is built up.
Adjusting one’s mentality is not a quick turnaround process. But, it’s a ridiculously important one! So please … don’t deny yourself such an opportunity. Don’t downplay your abilities and capabilities. Don’t be too hard on yourself, or too soft. Don’t deny yourself from yourself!
Smile wide, and laugh often!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
We have a choice
We have a choice …
… whether we choose hate or love.
… whether we take someone else’s life or rehabilitate our own.
… whether we live inside the darkness or journey into the light.
We have a choice …
… whether we surrender to fear or commit to the knowledge that we are capable of more.
… whether we lend a hand or walk on by.
We have a choice …
… whether we harm or heal.
… whether we judge and criticize, or show compassion and caring.
… whether we hold onto the burning coals of anger, or we learn how to forgive and let things go.
Inside our moments, we are always making a choice. And inside those choices lies the power to architect our own story.
And no, choices aren’t always simple and easy. But they are ours to make. So we can continue on living our life justifying and rationalizing. We can continue on saying, Well, that’s just who I am. And change is really hard. But I think that’s bullshit. Because who you’ve been up until today doesn’t dictate who you’re always going to be.
And being who you’ve always been when it no longer serves you or the world is a cop out from really living your life.
Today I’m calling you on your bullshit. Why? Because I’m calling myself on mine too. Because I will no longer make excuses for why I can’t be my biggest self. I will no longer cling to old ways of thinking and being that sabotage my abilities to harness my power. I will see fear, anger, and darkness as opportunities for healing and enlightenment. I am choosing self-realization, examining the hard stuff, living inside generosity, and striving for mastery.
Because if we’re going to change ourselves and live our most purpose driven life, then we can best start by examining the hard truth about the choices we make.
And if nothing else inspires you to change, then live your life today for the people who didn't have the chance to change anymore, to peoplewho no longer gets to dream, to people who no longer get to be the person they wanted to be.
(This post is dedicated to all the little girls with big heart and big dreams)
… whether we choose hate or love.
… whether we take someone else’s life or rehabilitate our own.
… whether we live inside the darkness or journey into the light.
We have a choice …
… whether we surrender to fear or commit to the knowledge that we are capable of more.
… whether we lend a hand or walk on by.
We have a choice …
… whether we harm or heal.
… whether we judge and criticize, or show compassion and caring.
… whether we hold onto the burning coals of anger, or we learn how to forgive and let things go.
Inside our moments, we are always making a choice. And inside those choices lies the power to architect our own story.
And no, choices aren’t always simple and easy. But they are ours to make. So we can continue on living our life justifying and rationalizing. We can continue on saying, Well, that’s just who I am. And change is really hard. But I think that’s bullshit. Because who you’ve been up until today doesn’t dictate who you’re always going to be.
And being who you’ve always been when it no longer serves you or the world is a cop out from really living your life.
Today I’m calling you on your bullshit. Why? Because I’m calling myself on mine too. Because I will no longer make excuses for why I can’t be my biggest self. I will no longer cling to old ways of thinking and being that sabotage my abilities to harness my power. I will see fear, anger, and darkness as opportunities for healing and enlightenment. I am choosing self-realization, examining the hard stuff, living inside generosity, and striving for mastery.
Because if we’re going to change ourselves and live our most purpose driven life, then we can best start by examining the hard truth about the choices we make.
And if nothing else inspires you to change, then live your life today for the people who didn't have the chance to change anymore, to peoplewho no longer gets to dream, to people who no longer get to be the person they wanted to be.
(This post is dedicated to all the little girls with big heart and big dreams)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
I wonder what and when is enough
This is a story about my generation—or maybe just me and some of my friends. We are always searching for more. When we were in high school, we wanted to have more friends, to be cooler, to be cuter, to be more handsome, to be more popular—you name it, and we wanted more of it. When Facebook was first introduced, we wanted more friends and included everyone we came across in real life without discrimination. When we first entered college, we wanted more prestigious awards, more fun, more experiences, and more college experience. We want more from our friends, more contacts, more networking, and more opportunities. In our relationships, we wanted to meet more people and enjoy more. When we first graduated, we wanted more from our jobs, more from our life, and more than we were getting. Wherever we were, in whichever part of our life or the world, we wanted more.
In a constant struggle with myself, I wonder what and when is enough. What standards do we have for contentment? Do we even know what contentment is, or has it become an estranged relative who we vaguely remember? Is society to blame for its trends in excess? Who do we blame for the mass of extra large T-shirts, extra large french fries and Diet Cokes, the wait for some extra money on lotto tickets so we can have some extra cash for luxuries and brand names? Where can we draw the line for contentment? When one reaches their death bed? It has always bothered me—this struggle for the riches, and the desire for more. Not because I was immune to it and looked down upon others, but because I have to constantly battle it out, and because I see many of us are struggling with it.
Contentment is a choice, not a settlement with life. It is an active decision, and not always an easy one. Before making that decision, we need to define the word “need” and what our needs are? I can’t define them for you. I can only do so for myself, and I’ve found that the morning cigarette was not really a need.
Oftentimes, we forget the difference between needing something and wanting something, which results in an increase in the number of items that we think we need. Let’s take the Internet for example: We need the Internet to be accessible twenty-four hours a day, preferably in the palm of our hands. It is convenient to have that, yes, but it is hardly a need (unless you work is time sensitive). Most likely you don’t need this much access, and if you do get it, then (like me) you waste it on hours of Google searches, Facebook updates, and slowly falling into an abyss of a fantasy Internet world where everything is instant and accessible.
Some of us (again, like me) are aware of what we are doing, yet we do not change. We do not recalculate our needs or analyze our wants, which seems irrational. Any rational being would make the logical decision to cut down on investing in something that is hardly a need and is not valuable.
Trustst me, after years, used name brands are no longer valuable, and neither are the hours invested surfing on the Internet. If quality is our aim, then we would consume rationally and we would socialize rationally, as no one would doubt the benefits of physical socializing over virtual socializing. Also, we would invest rationally in items that would generate profit or help develop society, communities, and our future. The desire to want more right now and to want more without limits is sadly enough depriving us from having much in our future. Want proof? Why don’t you just google it? (Yes, that’s an acceptable verb). Despite knowing how to increase the quality of our lives and the benefits of work-life balance, we work endless hours to make more money to get more. The fact that we all know this and still we manage to keep these lifestyles indicate not only irrationality, but also an addiction and a void within our own personal structures that we are constantly trying to fill. So, when is it really enough? I don’t know. If I did, I wouldn’t be writing this article.
In a constant struggle with myself, I wonder what and when is enough. What standards do we have for contentment? Do we even know what contentment is, or has it become an estranged relative who we vaguely remember? Is society to blame for its trends in excess? Who do we blame for the mass of extra large T-shirts, extra large french fries and Diet Cokes, the wait for some extra money on lotto tickets so we can have some extra cash for luxuries and brand names? Where can we draw the line for contentment? When one reaches their death bed? It has always bothered me—this struggle for the riches, and the desire for more. Not because I was immune to it and looked down upon others, but because I have to constantly battle it out, and because I see many of us are struggling with it.
Contentment is a choice, not a settlement with life. It is an active decision, and not always an easy one. Before making that decision, we need to define the word “need” and what our needs are? I can’t define them for you. I can only do so for myself, and I’ve found that the morning cigarette was not really a need.
Oftentimes, we forget the difference between needing something and wanting something, which results in an increase in the number of items that we think we need. Let’s take the Internet for example: We need the Internet to be accessible twenty-four hours a day, preferably in the palm of our hands. It is convenient to have that, yes, but it is hardly a need (unless you work is time sensitive). Most likely you don’t need this much access, and if you do get it, then (like me) you waste it on hours of Google searches, Facebook updates, and slowly falling into an abyss of a fantasy Internet world where everything is instant and accessible.
Some of us (again, like me) are aware of what we are doing, yet we do not change. We do not recalculate our needs or analyze our wants, which seems irrational. Any rational being would make the logical decision to cut down on investing in something that is hardly a need and is not valuable.
Trustst me, after years, used name brands are no longer valuable, and neither are the hours invested surfing on the Internet. If quality is our aim, then we would consume rationally and we would socialize rationally, as no one would doubt the benefits of physical socializing over virtual socializing. Also, we would invest rationally in items that would generate profit or help develop society, communities, and our future. The desire to want more right now and to want more without limits is sadly enough depriving us from having much in our future. Want proof? Why don’t you just google it? (Yes, that’s an acceptable verb). Despite knowing how to increase the quality of our lives and the benefits of work-life balance, we work endless hours to make more money to get more. The fact that we all know this and still we manage to keep these lifestyles indicate not only irrationality, but also an addiction and a void within our own personal structures that we are constantly trying to fill. So, when is it really enough? I don’t know. If I did, I wouldn’t be writing this article.
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