source: "Tablespot"

Happy Friday and congratulations on making it one month into 2015! 

It's a great time to check in with yourself and your goals. 

Give yourself credit for the positive steps you have taken and consider the direction you'd like to steer yourself next. 

Remember all the little steps pay off over time.

Today, create with intention. Each action you take is like a stroke of paint. What are you creating? Live your masterpiece. 

Change is necessary for growth, but "growth and comfort do not coexist." (Ginni Rometty)

Despite this discomfort, sometimes we need to make a few cracks in the shell of who we are, so we can open up to something greater. 

Can you be honest with yourself about what you need to change? 

What is holding you back? 

Can you give yourself enough respect and courage to take action? To walk to the edge and take a leap? To have faith that you'll spread your wings once you jump?

Have you considered that surrendering your resistance to the unknown, to your fears and anxieties, to controlling every outcome just. might. yield...

Exactly what you need and exactly who you're meant to be?

Wow, there is a dose of perspective for you!

This is a great reminder to check in with yourself. 

Confession: I tend to over-think, over-analyze, worry, and live in my head a little too much. It's often hard for me to be present.

It's so important to remember to stay out of your own way though. 

Not everything requires thinking to the nth degree; sometimes it's best to just do it (thanks, Nike).

To bring myself back to centeredness, I like to exercise, meditate, pray, write, dance, or go for a walk in nature.

It's also nice to stop what you are doing. Take a deep breath, put your hand over your beating heart, and just listen. Listen to your intuition, connect with yourself, and feel what's within. 

You know more than you realize if you let yourself hear your truth.

Take a second to acknowledge yourself and your feelings and then move on.

When you get out of your own way, you make room for greater things to come into your life. Welcome that. How can you help yourself today?

When you are true to yourself, you will attract the "right" people whose wavelength is similar to yours.

When taking action and changing yourself, the people who are most present in your life may change. Throughout life's milestones, the people in your life inevitably change.

There's no need to fight it because what is meant to be will be...so let it.

I do not suggest that you stop reaching out to people who matter to you; however, if your energy frequencies shift (back to the idea of electromagnetic waves) because you are taking action toward living as the best version of yourself, then it is okay to let your relationships reflect that.

My point is to be true to yourself. 

Embody your values. Take unapologetic action towards fulfilling your potential and living your dreams. 

Confidence is not knowing that people will always like you; it is being okay if they don't.

The people who are meant to be with you while you grow will be there. Be open to others coming forth too.

How can you take action that reflects your goals and values today? Can you be at peace and trust that you will attract supportive relationships? Can you cultivate fulfillment during your journey?

"Everything you need is already inside of you. And who you really are is far beyond your comprehension." 

--The Afterlife of Billy Fingers

 This a great reminder to open yourself to the ocean within you--to that part of you that is infinite, to that part of you that is whole and complete. It's there.

There's so much within you...You have the calmness you need. You have the strength you need. You have the love you need.

You are more than you realize.

Another one of my favorite quotes is, 

"To be human is an infinite potential waiting to be awakened."

--Deepak Chopra, a wise dude

Can you give yourself the gift of realizing yourself? Can you recognize yourself for all that you are and all that you can be? 

Know that this is not selfish or egotistic. 

By honoring all that is within you, you let the world see you...and believe it or not, we all need you to own your unique contribution and share your gifts.

Know that everything you need  is already within you.

I love this.

I definitely would not go as far as to say "I fall in love," (hah!) but I greatly appreciate any person who is real. 

I think we are all just trying to figure out life, what makes us happy, how we can make ends meet, how we can find a sense of meaning, and find whatever it is that makes us feel as if we have arrived, as if we have done enough. 

BUT have you ever considered that you have arrived? 

That this is your life right now. These little moments make up your life.

No more, "I'll be happy when I accomplish this..." or "I'll relax once I make it through these next few things."

Those thoughts emit a low energy frequency--they emit a sense of lack. It's okay to not be satisfied, but complacency and contentment are two different things.

Appreciate where you are now. Be grateful for the people and the course of your life. You can be happy with where you are and have a desire to go further.

Gratitude is fruitful; it's the foundation of further creation. In all seriousness, when you are grateful, you bring more goodness to your life.

I'm not saying fake it. That's the point of this. Let's be real--we have days where we seemingly hate everything.

Part of being real, however, is accepting that things aren’t perfect and being grateful anyway.

Consider that where you are right now is significant. Your life is imperfect and it always will be.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. No one does. Everyone bears something beneath the surface. People's skin isn't always as thick as it seems. The best and most intelligent people are always questioning, discovering, and questioning more. Humility and honesty, friends.

Uncertainty is beautiful. The journey is beautiful. Don’t forget about the arrival point though.

Let yourself arrive, feel grateful, and feel “good enough” even if you want to go further.

"How Generous Are You Willing to Be?"

I read this beautiful article, and needless to say, I was moved.

For 15 years of my life (ages 5-20), I did ballet. For over half of it, I trained seriously to become a professional ballet dancer.

I arrived at the goal line after a wealth of sweat, blood, and tears, only to finally admit to myself that I could not fulfill my life's potential if my spirit was continuously confined by the physical limitations of the dance world.

If I was really going to grow, I needed to stop hearing "You're so short", "You're too short", "You're so small."

Physically, I might be small, but my spirit within often feels so large that I am concerned my body might burst.

And I HAVE to do something with that. I HAVE to give all of my energy to the world. I would rather not exist than live without fully giving my spirit, mind, body, and self to the world to make a positive impact on the lives of others.


I'll write about this more another time, but the article!!

                                                              Google images: modern dance

The author went through some serious health problems and decided to take modern dance in college one semester.
(By the way, modern dance is VERY different than ballet. Both are quite foundational, but they are NOT the same at all. Google Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, or Lester Horton modern dance and then Google American Ballet Theatre performance and you'll see the clear differences in the movement).

Her teacher finally called her out in class for dancing underneath herself when she has such long limbs and the ability to travel and move with greater expansion.

She says,

"How generous are you willing to be? How generous are you willing to be with your whole life? Will you share yourself with us? With the world? Do you dare? Or are you just going to hold yourself tightly in, hold these long arms and legs all to yourself?

Are you just going to be stingy? Just keep yourself to yourself for the rest of your life? In case you fall? In case you fail? In case you make a fool of yourself? In case we see how imperfect you are?

OR: are you going to choose to just be generous anyway? To just take up as much space as you actually take up? To be as big, as graceful, as long, as gorgeous, as enormous as you actually are?"

This my friends, is what I call beautiful.  You deserve to exist in the total and complete fullness that you are. Be willing to take a risk. Be willing to take a bigger step and do not fear losing your balance. Do not fear falling, "failing", or embarrassing yourself.

It's only failing if you do not try again, if you do not learn, if you do not open yourself to life.

Today, open yourself. Seek opportunities to expand yourself, to experience life, to live a little bigger, to live beyond what you've known, to get outside of your bubble of comfort. It is a disservice to yourself and to the world to play small. Life is a gift--get out there and live it.

Wow. 

It's powerful, right? This beautiful saying is actually pictured on a card that my boyfriend's dad gave me for Christmas. My boyfriend and his dad are two of the best, most hard-working, kind-hearted, and inspiring men I know. I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

I posted this card to my wall beside my light switch, so I read it each time I wake up, leave the house, come home, and go to sleep. It reminds me about how I want to live--that whatever you do, do it well, with all of your heart.  Work until you are proud, until you can look back and know that you gave your best (and it is okay if your best fluctuates a bit from day to day--you're human), and be proud to have your name associated with what you do.

I am using this beautiful quote to check in with myself each day. What am I putting into my life? Am I  living with all my heart, focus, and gusto? Live fully and make this day beautiful. Today, right now, only happens once.

The Inauguration

Here we are! I'm finally starting a blog because I need an outlet for my creative energy and the endlessly turning wheels of my mind! Not only do I intend for my blog to be a mental release, a source of expression, and a way to stay in touch with my true-self and inner drive, but I want to share positivity with the world. If anyone happens to read this, well, I hope you find it inspiring or thought-provoking. Either way, I want to help people engage with themselves, their inner thoughts and passions, and by extension, life and others. 

Let's Back Up for a Second...

Blogging is something I have always wanted to do. This awesome post was my motivation for finally starting my blog! 

Manson wrote that there are things we wanted to do as children, but lose touch with as adults. For me, writing is one of those things. I used to spend time writing stories and creating characters. Even when I played Barbie dolls as a little girl, I spent more time creating characters, names, and family trees than I did playing. 

In honor of Manson's #4, this blog is me embarrassing myself and attempting to get back in touch with writing. "Right now, there’s something you want to do, something you think about doing, something you fantasize about doing, yet you don’t do it." What is this for you? Everyone is a beginner at some point or another.

One More Thing...

I'll end with my favorite point that Manson brought up. "Passion is the result of action, not the cause of it." 

This is so true. While some people are fortunate enough to have a calling, or have a sense of being drawn to something, there are also many times when we do not know we are passionate about something until we experience it. Face-to-face communication, language, and voice tone are all nuances that I care about fervently, but did not know so until I took a communication class last year. 

What can you take action on? Sometimes feelings stir once you decide to begin.

                                                        image credit: gohawaii.com  No, I've never been, but I'd love to go. :)