Tag: encourage

Love is Spoken Here

“People grow when they are loved well. If you want to help others heal, love them without an agenda.” 

Love – a word that holds so much weight. 4 letters that have a meaning for each one of you reading this. I am here, connecting to you through my love language, opening my heart to you. This is my passion I know. As you read on, my hopes are that you will feel, see or think of the various bonds of love within your own life.

Love is exceptional. I manifest love for the “soul” purpose of amplifying compassion and light in the lives of others. I know how daunting emptiness and darkness can feel. If there is one thing I’ve ever been sure of, it is that we should never leave the people we love in the dark. Everything comes and goes, love always remains. 

Love knows no time, distance or boundries. Our journeys are deeply rooted in love. Genuine connections – soulful relationships – they are unbreakable bonds of love. There are innumerable types of love and affection. I undoubtably believe that the greatest and strongest bond of love is when the people involved are essential to each others individual natures. Growing separately, together; near or far. It is a force that unites people. Love is an alliance to bring out the soul, passion, potential and human in one another. To bring out the most of everything. Love is a vow to show up and be present (physically and metaphorically).

Love requires a foundation built on:

  • values
  • trust
  • honesty
  • reliability
  • balance
  • support
  • communication
  • appreciation

Love presents itself in many forms, on many levels. Love can feel calm and chaotic. Bonds of love vary; some will thrive while others may be fleeting. We are reflections of all the people we love; past and present. Open your heart. Feel the love within you. Head up, heart strong.

Make sure you tell the people you love that you love them. Some will love you back. Others may not. Both are okay. Both are blessings. 

♡

You are loved. 

 

The Pursuit

We’re all pursuing something

to achieve a sense of fulfillment.

Love, wealth, independence, purpose.

We mark these successes as lives lived well.

Do you prioritize based on

filling those empty spaces within you

easily, quickly, fully?

Does it have a shelf life?

When you capture what you are after

do you become less satisfied? Uninterested?

Is your attention shifted to the next chase?

When you capture what you are after

does your heart radiate love?

Is passion poured into your soul?

Does it feel like home?

In our divine human nature

we must seek balance and perspective.

How do we distinguish between fleeting + comfortable

versus long-lasting + worthy?

Are you pursuing to feel something or

do you chase to feel anything?

It is a world of difference. Maybe even a lifetime. 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Architects

“The core of who you are as a person I believe is permanent, a foundation built throughout the early years of your life. The good stuff however – kindness, selflessness, drive, reason and understanding, all come later. How you choose to decorate who you are is entirely up to you. So be creative.”

-Beau Taplin // The Architect

I’m here. I’m ready. Journeying freely throughout each given day.

The art of reflection is a beautiful practice.  It is a way to remind myself where I have been and the direction in which I want to set foot in. I encourage you to reflect, too.

This time of year I find myself especially focused on reflecting. For me, it is the perfect opportunity to step back and understand the complexities and simplicities of my trials and my successes over the past year. Often times we are so caught up in whatever is in front of us that we fail to make sense of it all. We are never going to be able to get closure, answers or understanding of everything that we experience + that is alright. Some experiences are meant to be a simple encounter at that. To distinguish the difference, I ask myself, “is it going to matter a year from now?”

I lead with my heart, but I will never stop questioning. My passion and desires are rooted deeply in my pursuit for growth. I want my soul to be fierce and free while simultaneously allowing myself to explore the truth that lies within my life. To successfully do this, I focus on three things: understanding myself wholly, journeying presently and being mindful of the key people in my life at each given time.

I want my soul to dance. I will move to the rhythm of love, compassion, understanding and open + honest communication. 

Open and honest communication allows me to diminish distance between myself and others. I am able to effectively convey my thoughts and feelings to both myself and the key people in my life.  I have said it before and I will say it again, my heart thrives on open outpours of love. I love my family who strengthen my heart. I love the one who puts a smile on my face as we grow separately, together. I love my friends and my deep connections with others. I am grateful for the ability to radiate the sensations that these relationships generate in my life.

We are the architects of our lives. Let’s commit. Let’s commit to seeking and pursuing our purposes and our truths genuinely, lovingly and with good intent. The time is now.

May you become everything and more. 

Dance with Me

“Let em come, the storms, the rain. Let them blow and shake, rattle and flash. These feet will not move, I will lean into the fray and dance in the chaos. I am built for enduring all that can be thrown at me. See me here, still, and listen to the sky tremble.” // Tyler Knott

I’m dancing in the rain. This has been, to put it lightly, a whirlwind of a week, month, year. So here I am on the road again, endlessly discovering myself and my purpose. Refocused and ready to find clarify through this mayhem.

I have always said that time is merely a concept and for reasons that I cannot explain, life will turn to us at any given moment and say “time to put this chapter to rest, lets write an even better one.” So that is what we do, because at the end of the day I think it is safe to say we all know and understand that pain in never permanent.

One day, one decision, one brave moment; that is all it took. I sincerely believe that we have to take risks in order to learn hard life lessons. It isn’t always easy and I promise you that no matter how much you try, you will never be prepared for whatever the outcome is. I tried to protect and prepare myself for all possibilities: it was not enough. There are some things that we just cannot feel until we are in the moment as it is unraveling. Bittersweet and coated with anxiety. When it happened I thought the answer was to gulp the pain and avoid making others suffer. I put myself in a position that I perceived as weak. Thank-you to my friend who reminded me that taking a chance is brave and I should be proud – no matter the aftermath.

There is no growth in comfort. We grow most as a result of the painful and challenging times. This life is not a matter of win or lose – it is a matter of learning. If there is one lesson I encourage people to embrace in their own hardships, it is that you should never reject your instinct. Trust it. Look within and follow your gut – it is leading you somewhere. Be mindful of yourself. What is meant to be will be. I truly believe that some things are meant to stay while others are destined to leave. It is dangerous to count on someone else with your heart and soul. However it’s a risk we take and I’ll tell you one thing – it’s always worth it. People do not want that pressure; it scares them but we do it anyways; often times surprising ourselves with how much we are capable of. So be your own foundation and seek support from friends and family. They are your home team; they are your #1.

When you are facing times in your lives where you are hurt by circumstances you cannot control, take the chance that life is giving you to heal. When one door closes, many doors open.

So until then, dance with me in the rain.

 

Head up, heart strong.

 

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule –  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Simply put, treat others as you would like to be treated. This is one of the oldest lessons in the book. A very matter-of-fact moral principle relating to a fundamental human nature that was taught to us in our early stages of life. But for some reason, our world is filled with individuals and groups that just do not seem to understand how matter of fact The Golden Rule truly is. Many times in my life I have been the victim of venomous words and actions. I too, have also been a perpetrator. We are in an era that makes forgetting The Golden Rule very easy. People hide behind computer screens and cell phones to verbally harass and abuse others. People are belittling one another through vicious words and name-calling. It’s hateful and it’s sick. They can be so tragically and traumatically cruel to strangers, friends and loved ones. I see too many people encouraging disparaging remarks and actions. I witness too many good people treating others with apparent disdain for them. We are all worthy of seeking respect and others are worthy of receiving it.

Words and actions are powerful. They can be so influential to the point that they change peoples’ lives – for the better and for the worse. I have seen both. I have experienced both. As a product of other peoples’ insecurities, I have been torn apart mentally through both words and actions. As an outcome? Well, I became who I am today. A woman I am proud to be. Not perfect, not near it but I am working to be the best version of myself that I can be and then I am going to strive to be even better than that. We as a generation need to spend more time building one another up, supporting each other on our paths to success and teaching our younger generations love and kindness rather than hate and cruelty.

I am not naive. I am not blind to the reasons why people are mean. But I do not want to live my life putting other people down. I do not like everyone. Matter of fact, my circle is small. But I will not lower myself to the levels of others who treat people with disrespect. This world can be hard and life is messy. Everyone truly is fighting their own battles. The way we can make a difference in this world is to help make others’ lives just a little bit easier, lighter, and happier. And if you cannot do that, keep your disrespect and blatant disregard for good to yourself. Indulge in kind words, big hearts and the potential of goodness that we have within ourselves. Inspire yourself to inspire others. It is an act so simple yet so immense. Mother Teresa said, “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

Seek Your(selfish)

Many times in my life I have neglected my own happiness in fear that I would be hurting the feelings of someone I care about. I’ve done it with friends, family, and lovers. Not to fault of their own. My heart is big, my soul genuine. I love, and I love unconditionally. But there is truth in the saying, “It is both a blessing and a curse to feel everything so very deeply.” I am not great at being selfish. Most of the time that I have decided to put myself before others it resulted in me feeling torn down or regretful. However, being selfish is something that every individual should practice. It is healthy for our minds and souls to be aware and active in putting ourselves first. There is a thin line between being selfish for the good and just straight out being a selfish person. One lies within conscious decision making and positive outcomes. The other can be destructive to both oneself and your relationships due to the misguided interpretation of what being selfish means. This is not black and white. This is a balancing act. Put yourself first in situations or decisions that better your quality of life. By bettering your own life, you can then contribute to the lives of the ones around you. Build yourself up so you can build up others. Choose carefully who you put before your own happiness. Just because you do it for them does not mean that the gesture will be returned. There are no guarantees in this life but one thing I know for certain is that if you follow your intuition when it comes to making connections to souls aligned with yours, you will not be left disappointed. You will find that encouragement, inspiration and happiness come easy with these people because they understand the cycle. These are the ones that will contribute to the quality of your life.

Be whole alone. Make an investment in yourself. Then share your greatness with the world. 

Dare to Show Up

It can be so easy to get caught up in the negative aspects of our lives. Because lets face it, everyone is going through something. Likely, we are all dealing with more than one negative situation that just flat out sucks. Big or small, we all have troubles. Some people share their problems in the hope that maybe the world will help to solve them. Others keep their problems quiet; silently tucked away in their hearts and minds. I do not want to talk much about the negative today, nor is that what this post is about. I just wanted to recognize the simple fact that we are all facing our own set of difficulties. I also want to remind both myself and all of you to not get so immersed in your problems that they begin to consume you. When they consume you, you become unable to keep the situation in perspective. You are also inhibited from keeping the problem at bay; resulting in an inability to solve it.

ʟɪғᴇ ɪs ᴀ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴛ ɪᴛ ʙᴇ

Let the good consume you. Be filled with what excites your soul. Surround yourself with good company. Learn something new everyday. Teach something new everyday. We’re all here for the journey.

Stop talking about the past all the time, more-so, stop trying to alter it. Personally, I do not want to continue talking about what happened in the past or what the future may or may not hold. I want to live fully and wholeheartedly in the present. I made it a personal goal to look forward to everyday. This may sound cliché to some of you. But what is better than starting each day with a purpose? I do not want to just make a living, I want to [each day] build my life. Through trial and error, I am working each day to further my career. I make my heath and fitness a priority through persistence and consistency. As I travel, I am endlessly discovering who I am and experiencing things I never even knew existed. I spend time taking care of myself, so I can also take care of the ones I love. I spend time to strengthen the friendships I have and make new ones if I can. I think it is vital to remind the people in our lives that they are important to us and appreciated. I also feel that letting people know you’re thinking of them or giving out a compliment are small gestures that can make a big difference in someones day.

In closing, I am most definitely someone who likes to look at the “bigger picture” and really try to figure things out. However, as of lately, I’ve learned that taking each day and making it matter, overall, is slowly but surely changing my life in the most positive ways. If times are tough, focus on the small things that you can handle. When you make it a point to do small encouraging and constructive things in your everyday life, you begin to look forward to everyday and not just the weekend or the bigger moments. You will be amazed at how the smallest measures can lead to the biggest changes. All you have to do is show up. Trust me, it is worth showing up.

sᴛᴏᴘ ᴡɪsʜɪɴɢ. sᴛᴏᴘ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ. sᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ.