Tag: patience

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. 

 

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. 

Head Up, Heart Strong

Tonight I come to you unguarded. From the goodness in my heart and soul, I want to share a story with you.

Some years ago I was asked to identify five negative traits that I thought I possessed. “Easy”, I thought, “people are telling me all the time things that are wrong with me, they say…”

“You don’t have the right body”

“You’re too emotional & sensitive”

“You’re too smart – it’s intimidating”

“You’re too nice”

“You think too much”

I think I spewed those off in about 30-60 seconds flat. “The list could go on, but you said to only list five.” Following my response, they asked me to name five of my best traits. “Shit…well, uhm…” 

“I like my eyes, I definitely have pretty eyes”

“I have a big heart too”

“That’s it, that’s all I got.”

I look back in hindsight and I think to myself, “REALLY ANNA, THAT’S ALL YOU GOT?”

But at the time that really was all I had. I had been so drastically affected by the judgements of others that I couldn’t identify my worth. They had also become my own judgements of myself. Turns out as we get older, those judgements only become more frequent, harsh and wait for it …. familiar. I’ve heard it all before. There is such a thing as constructive criticism and then there is destructive criticism. Be mindful.

As I have grown, I have also become more self-aware. The things that people identified as my weaknesses turn out to be my greatest strengths and attributes. I wear them proudly like a girl scout does her badges. More significantly, I learned that being unapologetically myself is brave and beautiful. I am flawed and I embrace that. I myself, and myself only, determine my strength and weaknesses.

That moment comes back to me every time someone passes judgement on my physical, mental or emotional state. It is a gentle reminder that I am doing something right. Life is about growth and there is no growth in comfort. You grow in moments when your patience and endurance are being tested. Experiences disguised as setbacks are usually not setbacks at all, but stepping stones that put you ahead.

I feel that a lot of us have felt or do feel lost at times; free and lonely. I understand this. I have an old soul. I believe that the way I perceive the world is different. I could never make sense of it until I began to focus on my truest self. I began making connections between my relationships and my energy. I established my goals and ambitions. You can work on yourself – there is always room for improvement, in the best way.

I have said before that I think self-love and self-awareness are important. We should be comfortable alone. But it is not that cut and dry. I encourage you to expand your heart, mind and soul through friendships, exposure and vast knowledge of the unknown. Personally, that’s my kind of thrill.

Every interaction allows us to react – to think, feel and be. We do not have to have it all figured out. Life is deeper than what we see on the surface. I strongly believe that there are some things we need to work out alone. I also strongly feel that people have forgotten or don’t understand at all how beautiful it is to build and witness progression together – conquering life’s obstacles as a team. People have far too much pride and ego. They think that being vulnerable is a sign of weakness when it truly is a great testament to strength. Do not be so busy feeding your ego that you forget to feed your soul. 

Allowing myself to be open and honest has given me the chance to cultivate relationships and embrace bonds with people that I would have otherwise missed out on if I let fear of risk or rejection get in the way. We do not know what the future holds. We are never certain of our outcomes. If we did and if we were, life would be predictable and we would all be bored and stagnant.

Please be mindful of your thoughts and self-talk. Define your intentions and stop ignoring your intuitions. I encourage you to have the confidence to step out of your comfort zone. Fight for what you love and please be unapologetically yourself.

Head up, heart strong.

Resilience

The past is never far. We carry it with us. Sometimes it becomes a part of who we are. Other times it is a distant memory. Every experience in our lives contributes to shaping the truest form of ourselves as we exist in the present and who we become in the future. Through pain and happiness, trial and triumph, we learn something new about ourselves and what it is that makes us the most of who we are and all we want to be.

Throughout my life one of the greatest strengths I have developed is the ability to be resilient. I have learned and built skills to endure both the past and impending adversity in my life. I made the decision years ago that I would take the toughest experiences in my life and transform them into learning the greatest lessons about myself. My decision to do so has liberated me in a way that most do not understand is possible when bad things happen. Being sad, resentful or angry for more than a short period of time never did work for me. I always allow myself to take the time I need to deal with the situation at hand whether it be an argument, heartbreak, death or so on. All the meanwhile continuing to move forward both physically and psychologically. I was in a dark place once – it was lonely and cold. Being angry at the world or another individual only hurts oneself. Be patient when you find yourself suffering. You can learn some wonderful traits about yourself all while building character as you see fit. Take what life throws at you and be afflicted with great fortitude.