Awesome Beaches in Europe

WHEN I finally take my ass to Europe, I will definitely be checking out one of these beautiful beaches! 

http://www.globalgrasshopper.com/travel/10-beaches-europe-travel-snobs/

Supposed to do WHAT?!

In life, often we feel pressure to do certain things.  Our parents want us to be in business, our Mom wants us to be a nurse, our Dad wants us to get our PHD, our friends think we should act and do things a certain way.  He wants me to work out more; she wants me to call her more.  There is no friggin rulebook for who does what.  What if I want to sit around and be lazy all day and only work 3 days a week?  Ha!  I'm sorry if I don't call you or love you the way you prefer.  I.  AM.  ME. 

We are all different.  We all have different perspectives, different opinions, different life experiences that shape the way we do and look at things.  The beauty in life is to find those missing puzzle pieces.  Find those who YOU enjoy being around and those who enjoy being around YOU.  Seeing, appreciating and discovering other people, culture, and things in life that open your mind to new places are treasures most hope to find.

Life is precious.  Make sure you are in a place where you feel happy.  Make sure you are able to give and receive love, appreciation and kindness.  Life's too short to spend wasteless energy on those who will never understand your light. 

 

Feel Fear and Leap Anyway

Via Soulseeds.com
 
We spend sway too much time waiting for the right conditions to take steps. When the spring comes, I’ll start running again. When the kids are old enough, I’ll start my dream business. When my finances are secure, I’ll travel. When the work stress ends, I’ll give up smoking. When, when, when….. a constant search for certainty and perfect conditions. Perfection is nowhere and certainty is an illusion, fueled by fear.

To be fearless is to live without certainty. It is to dip at least one toe into the future without knowing how it will feel (how potentially good it will feel) or where exactly it will lead you (potentially some incredibly exciting place) or who will join you (potentially some phenomenal people). In other words every step is a leap of faith, opening up incredible potential. But not even one step offers certainty.

Take steps NOW. Feel the fear and leap anyway. Re frame fear in your mind. Instead of fearing fear, and submitting to it like a school yard bully, stand up to it. Maybe even think of it as your friend. Pema Chodron said, “Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.”

 
WHAT DO YOU FEAR??  WHAT COULD YOU BE MOVING CLOSER TO, VERSUS AWAY FROM?  


Read the full article here:  http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2013/01/feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway/


 

Learning To Trust Love Again

Another beautiful article from one of my favorite websites, soulseeds.com.

Here are a few excerpts... 

It’s natural to protect yourself from the elements, but you don’t need an umbrella under blue skies. The same is true in life and love. When you've been hurt, you naturally protect yourself from intimacy. You don’t want to go through it again. There comes a point though, when you let your guard down enough to see that the only thing raining down on you is love. You never know if it stops raining if you don’t peak out from under your umbrella to check the sky. Take a peak. When you feel strong enough, put away the umbrella, open your heart and receive the love on offer. It’s elemental to who you are to trust love. You just have to remove the protective layers to receive it.

The Sufi mystic Rumi said, Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

Remove the barriers to love one at a time and enjoy the bliss; not just romantic love, but also platonic love for friends, the love of parents and grandparents, love that includes other species, love that includes yourself. Love is not something that comes down from above or from outside of ourselves. Love is something that is discovered from the inside out. You don’t even find love. Love finds you when you remove all the barriers within yourself and allow love to flow.

The crazy thing is that it actually takes more effort to resist love than it does to surrender to love. Building walls is exhausting. Give yourself a break. Stop resisting and surrender to love’s lead. If you’ve been hurt, betrayed, exhausted and misunderstood, love your humanity and persistence and let it grow from there. Love is your nature.

You know that you will be hurt again. Life stings. That’s the nature of life when we bump up against each other’s walls. Keep loving anyway, because it’s your nature to love. In any case, being trapped inside your fortress of self protection will quickly suffocate you in a cocoon of isolation.

Trust yourself. Open your eyes, put away some protection and unclench your heart. Trust others to do their best to love you. There is so much love to receive, and all you have to do is open yourself to it.

Check out the full article here: http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2013/01/learning-to-trust-love-again/
 

You Are Beautiful

Excerpt from a BEAUTIFUL article on Soulseeds, Jaycee Lee Dugard - Her Inspiration and Example.

...As you are liberated from your own fear, your presence automatically liberates others....
 

Like millions of others I was captivated by the Jaycee Lee Dugard interview with Diane Sawyer. After 18 years of isolation, abuse and outright torment that started when she was kidnapped at age 11, she could be forgiven for being bitter and broken spirited. In the interview, Jaycee was unbelievably composed and at ease with her situation. She displayed a sense of inner peace that most of us, who have suffered far less, only wish we could experience.
No doubt Jaycee has her difficult moments. However I was incredibly inspired by this woman and offer her as an example of so much of what we describe as spiritual qualities; inner peace, poise, forgiveness, kindness and wisdom.

Maybe the feature that stood out most for me was her authenticity. She seems at ease with herself. Her book is called A Stolen Life and the mind boggles at the things that were stolen from her; her innocence, her childhood, her family, her development, her sexuality, her freedom…Yet in the interview she said something that stayed with me. When asked if she was angry, she said

"I don’t feel like I have this rage inside me that is building… I refuse to let him have that. He can’t have me… [if I felt rage] it means that he won..….he didn’t get all of me."

We could all take this last phrase to heart. People and circumstances can steal things from us; our possessions, our ideals, our opportunities. However there is a part of us that no one can touch, a spirit that no circumstance can dampen.

This is the true self, which so often gets buried under the dramas of life. For most of us these dramas are minor, like career setbacks or injuries. For others like Jaycee, the dramas are substantial, like abuse or major illness. The lesson of Jaycee is that no matter what happens TO us, there is a part of us that can’t be taken FROM us or damaged. It is always there, and the journey to authenticity is to recover that true self. It is the most important part of you, and it’s not at all egotistical because it doesn’t desire anything other than acceptance for yourself and others. It doesn’t compete or compare, judge or divide. It wants only peace for everyone.

This true self doesn’t seek vengeance. It wants wholeness, for everyone. It understands that hatred eats at YOU more than the person you hate. It recognizes that anger is only one letter short of danger. Your authentic self lets all resentment go, surrenders all hostility and enjoys the freedom of a light spirit.

Jaycee Lee Dugard is a truly great human being, an inspiration to all of us to be at ease with who we are, no matter what happens. It’s easy to spend time trying to fulfill an impossible image of greatness, when all you need to do is be more yourself. To paraphrase a famous Jewish proverb, when you reach the next world, God will not ask you, “Why were you not like Moses?” Instead the question will be, “Why were you not more yourself?”

You, right now, not after some spiritual makeover or earth shattering enlightenment; you as you truly are, without any pretence and with the layers of drama put in their rightful place. This is your true greatness.

In the words of Marianne Williamson,

Who are you not to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. You are meant to shine, as children do. You were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within you. It’s not just in some; it’s in everyone. And as you let your own light shine, you unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As you are liberated from your own fear, your presence automatically liberates others. (Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles)

Just as Jaycee Lee Dugard’s example has liberated many, so your authentic essence is a gift to the world. Dare to be yourself today. Shine! You are beautiful, or if you break the word beautiful down it reveals authenticity’s mantra- BE YOU TO THE FULL!

http://www.soulseeds.com/grapevine/2011/07/jaycee-lee-dugard-her-inspiration-and-example/

:)

I've just had one of the best weeks ever. Sometimes the universe just aligns things that makes you notice all the beautiful things before you. From new people entering your life, amazing time with your girlfriends, to just noticing beautiful clouds and skies, I've had more happy moments in the last week than I can ever remember. Having all of these type moments compacted on a daily basis for a week makes for a lot of smiles. I must say I love my friends and I love my life. :) #thatisall

New Year New You

This article is from one of my favorite websites, The Frisky: http://www.thefrisky.com/2013-01-06/5-tips-to-be-a-better-you-this-year/

A new year is upon us and with that, a time to turn over a new leaf and make some tweaks to ensure this year is better than the last.  New Year's resolutions are great and all, but they are usually superficial (lose weight, quit smoking, stop procrastinating, etc.) and don’t lead to lasting changes since it’s all over the first time you slip up. Getting what you really want out of life requires internal changes that in turn, change the way things work out in your life.  To help you get more happiness and satisfaction out of your life, I’ve rounded up five essential tips to help you be at your best. 


1. Gratitude
It may sound cheesy, but a little gratitude goes a long way when it comes to your overall well being. Most of us are trained to look at what’s wrong in our lives, rather than what’s right. We yearn for a better job, a better relationship, better friends, a better body, we hone right on on what’s missing and overlook what’s right there in front of us.

It may sound simple, but learning to be more grateful is actually quite challenging. Don’t believe me? Try keeping a journal and writing down two things you’re grateful for every day. The catch is you can’t write the same things, everyday you have to think of new things to be grateful for. This may come easy to you at first, but after the first week the real work will begin and you will be forced to train your eye to pick up on the good. Doing this can be enormously transformative and soon enough you’ll find greater joy and satisfaction in everything.

2. Giving
When someone is feeling down, be it about their relationship or just depressed, I always tell them to go out and give. This could mean doing volunteer work or just trying to give something to someone (it doesn’t have to be material, it can be as small as giving someone a listening ear or giving advice). Giving takes you outside of yourself, outside of your own needs, forces you to look at what someone else needs.

This can be especially beneficial when it comes to your relationships. The trouble with most relationships is people are completely focused on what they can get from the other person, not what they can give. As a result, people are left feeling constantly frustrated with their partners. This also sets the stage for neediness because you will be focusing on a lack that your partner needs to fill.

A lot of women claim that they give their man everything, and this might be the case, but true giving is when you recognize what your partner needs. For instance, let’s say a guy is super into electronics and to him, electronics are everything. So for Christmas, he buys his girlfriend the most expensive, high-tech power drill on the market. He certainly gave her something that to him was significant and valuable, but to her, it’s utterly useless.

Most people engage in a selfish kind of giving- they give what they would want to get. To truly experience the joys of being a giver, you have to give what the other person wants to receive. This isn’t only true of material things. You can also give when it comes to emotional support. Some people need tough love, some need a listening ear, some need to be understood. Try to tune in to what it is the people in your life truly need and try to provide it in the best way you can. You won’t only be a better friend/partner, you’ll be a better person overall.

3. Be genuinely happy for others
This one is much harder than it sounds. Your best friend gets engaged and you want to be happy, but all you’re really thinking is how badly you wish it were you. Your friend loses a ton of weight and you secretly hope she’ll put it all back on. It is so, so hard to be genuinely happy for people, even the people we love.  I think when someone gets something you want, there’s a sense that they’re taking it away from you, as ridiculous as that sounds. Just because you’re best friend found the perfect guy doesn’t mean you never will. Just because someone else landed a dream job doesn’t mean you’ll find a job you love. Someone else’s’ good fortune should serve to inspire you, not discourage you.

Going forward, try to be genuinely happy for other people and realize that you have everything you need to get what you want in life. Don’t despair over what others have because no one has it all. We all have a set of skills and circumstances unique to us and as a result, can’t compare ourselves to others.

4. Let go of past pain
A new year is a time for a fresh start and this entails letting go of the ghosts of your past. Be it a guy who broke your heart, a parent who never made you feel good enough, a friend who betrayed you, try to let go of the pain they caused and forgive them for it. This doesn’t mean you need to keep that toxic person in your life, just try to forgive them and move on.

A good way to do this is to visualize yourself back in that difficult situation. Try to imagine the scene exactly as it happened. Only this time, react with calmness and clarity and tell the other person you forgive them and wish them all the best. Try as hard as you can to send some positive energy their way as well. I did this exercise to release the pain I was carrying over a guy who cheated on me and believe me, it wasn’t easy. However, when I was able to push past the hurt and anger, I actually did manage to get to a place to understanding and inner peace and I was able to successfully forgive him for what he did.

You may think that the person who hurt you doesn’t deserve your forgiveness, fair enough. However, by holding onto the anger, you’re only hurting yourself, so being mad at this person really isn’t the best revenge, being over it is.

5. Be nicer to yourself
Most of us are our own worst critics and cut way more slack for the people around us than we do to ourselves. If you have a constant stream of criticism playing in your own mind, you will train yourself to pick up on criticism from the outside, even where it doesn’t exist. Start by being nicer to yourself, be more accepting, don’t get so down on yourself if you do something wrong or make a mistake.

If one of your friends is trying to lose weight and you see her eating ice cream, would you blow up and say “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you have any self-control? You’re gonna be fat forever!” Probably not, so why do you talk to yourself this way?  Instead, you would tell her that it’s OKAY to slip-up, she’s doing great and she should be proud of herself and she can easily get back on track. You would be nice, kind, and encouraging to your friend, so why not try and be the same way to yourself?

When you learn to be nicer to yourself, outside criticism will have no power over you. People only react to criticism when they believe it to be true. When you stop feeding yourself this negativity, you’ll have a lot more clarity and will be less vulnerable to the opinions of others.

Blue skies

Long road trips always make time for reflection. And at the top of a new year my mind is flowing with so many thoughts.

Seeing these blue skies peek through the clouds after an amazing new year followed by a rainy day illustrate how my thoughts are unfolding and revealing themselves these days. CLARITY. The older I get the more I understand ME and can more consciously and comfortably make decisions that create my life. To me, that's what life us all about. Being happy and comfortable.

Remember, we choose our life. I wish for everyone to have clarity and strength to create the life of your dreams. :)