Monday, December 17, 2012

Turn.


It is far too easy to stay on the same page. Be it if you are in a place that you enjoy and you want to savor the moment and keep things right where they are or if you are paralyzed by your roadblocks and challenges, emotionally or physically unable to move forward. Staying in place good or bad creates an environment where life can not be lead. 

Each day was not designed to be a carbon copy of the other. We are here on earth, living to create movement and story every single day. If you are happy or unhappy. Bored or stagnant. Comfortable or uncomfortable..turn the page, seek the next adventure. Seek the next obstacle. Seek the next smile. Seek the next tear. Seek the next. 

Turn. 

Monday, December 3, 2012

Every Side Is The Right Side.


How we begin our day sets the tone of the entire day. How we live our day sets the tone for our week. As our week turns into months and months turn into years, years turn into the sum of our lives. So how are you choosing to begin your days? Are you allowing your morning and day to dictate the next step for you or are you deciding where you want your start to lead?

No matter what circumstance, what interaction or interruption..you choose your day, you lead your day and you drive your life. Wake up on the right side of the bed and make the most of each moment from there on out.

Every Side Is The Right Side.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Ready For The Show.


Preparation. It is the very thing that gets us ready for where we are meant to be. There is always something we are working on, always something we are are preparing for. So it is more than rewarding when you are on the brink and you get that place that is the next step. All of your preparation, rehearsal and work is ready to be executed and performed. 

It is a moment of anticipation and excitement. A moment to remember and relish. It is a moment to step on stage and do your thing.

Ready For The Show. 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

See What I See.


When we were children, we looked at ourselves as invincible, talented and full of possibilities. As we grow, we tend to adopt outside feedback good or bad as our own. The way we view ourselves and the way we interact with others and others view us is what forms our confidence or lack there of. The mirrored image is also what creates our reality.

It is a beautiful thing when we take perceptions of others and use them to build us up or change our behaviors for the better. By doing that, and truly getting a clearer image of who you are as a person and what makes you talented and amazing you shine with confidence from the inside and out. In turn, when  we also listen to the things about us that others perceive as getting in our way or holding us back from a positive interaction or outcome, it is then that we can truly grow and look in the mirror with an unbiased and always growing image of ourselves.

Listen and look..but not just look. See. Truly match your perspective for the world around you.

See What I See.

Monday, October 22, 2012

If We Never Took That Road.


Experiences. Good, bad, in-between..the way we look back at them all depends on the experiences we had with them. With the good experiences, we think to ourselves, "I wish it was still like that..I wish that I could still do that." We all do it, it is the way that I will always talk about when I was a size 2 like it was an hour ago when it was over a decade ago.

With bad experiences we can look back with relief that our experience is no longer that way or even as a martyr that we can not get over that the experience happened to us. These are the experiences that can either grow us or stifle us based on how we choose to use them.

With the in-between..the experiences that are far too easy to forget or to see the importance in those moments. Within monotony and boredom lies some of the best moments that fly under on the radar if we were to just open our eyes.

Good jobs, bad jobs. Good relationships, bad relationships. Nice people, bad people. Being broke, being loaded. Being amazing, embarrassing yourself. Screwing people over, getting screwed over. All in all, we look back on experiences and no matter what emotion it brings, respect the road that brought you to today. If today is amazing, sucks or is monotonous..respect where you have been and where you are today and where you will go. Look back on your path with reverence and look to today, taking the celebrations and lessons from your past road with you all the way.

If We Never Took That Road.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Hold The Key.


Keys. They have so much power and yet we only seem to notice the doors. At a glance, depending on where you stand and what your perspective is..the door can represent a roadblock, an entry to the unknown. It can also represent security from outside elements and privacy. It is so easy to get involved in the outer elements of the door and lose focus of the most powerful element in the situation, the key.

A key is so small and so insignificant at a glance but it is truly the component that can change the entire situation of what the doors significance means to you. A key can unlock a boundary, a key can create a boundary. It is yours for the choosing. 

Are you looking at a door as an obstacle? Are you hesitating on the next step you want to take in life simply because there is a door? Look beyond, find the keys that you have..try them on for size. Empower yourself to find solution and the key to overcome your roadblocks and hesitations. 

Hold the key. 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Leave Nothing Behind.


Fall. The time of year where a new chapter begins and the world opens up to you with new ideas and experiences to behold. It is my favorite time of the year. Filled with possibilities and new directions and this Fall for many of us will give us permission to do the things that we have only dared to dream and align ourselves with who we know we are and our greatest potential.

This is a time where we can take all of our life as we know it with us as we move in a better direction. What have you been only dreaming about? What have you been stuck on the brink of? Break through, bring all you are and all you have. The time is now to begin your new chapter..I can just feel it.

Leave Nothing Behind.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Basque In Light.


Light. There is always light. Be it shining bright, under the cover of cloud or hidden from view but it is always there. As the sun sets where you stand, it rises on the other side of the world for someone else. 

It is easy to feel as though there are times when light has deserted you and bleakness is in it's place but know with certainty that it is underlying somewhere in your life whether you can detect it or not. Search for it, each and every day. Look for the good, the inspiring, the things that bring about a positive momentum in your daily life. Seek out the light, seek out happiness. It is always there. Be it bright and shining, hidden or feeling just beyond reach. 

Basque In Light. 

Monday, August 27, 2012

Star.


Where do you shine? Where do you shine so bright that you feel a rush, a glow, a satisfaction and it comes with such ease? Each one of us have a talent by nature that we excel at. Each one of us in our own unique way enhance and dazzle those around us. 

So now ask yourself, are there times that you do not let yourself shine? Is it that you feel unworthy or guilty doing something that is fun and you enjoy doing? Is it that you fear that others will not see the value of your talents? Is it that you don't believe in yourself? 

Today, allow yourself just a brief moment to let yourself shine. Do something today that you find fun and that you excel at. Do something that you can be proud of and others can be proud of you in turn. Shine. 

Star. 

Monday, August 13, 2012

Don't Get Hung Up On It.


Reverence. You have to have reverence and gratitude for the things in your life make up your past and where you came from. An appreciation and learning from the last few minutes ago that just got you from one simple step to the other to the large stories and experiences of yesterday and your past that brought you to this very moment.

Experiences and stories assist in shaping who we are as people, how we feel about ourselves and others and helps to determine how successful and happy we are. That being said, they only assist in shaping us but when we give them power, they then can define us with or against our wants and will.

So the good, the bad, the mediocre of yesterday and before..take it with you. Learn from it, celebrate it, grow and appreciate..and then move forward with those tools and experiences in your back pocket but on a quest to live today better than yesterday. Make your story move. Live.

Don't get hung up on it.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Pay Gratitude.


The spirit relies upon feeling gratitude and appreciated. Every being's happiness is at the root fueled by feeling as though they contributed and that it was noticed by someone. As a fast paced society, we have all learned to supply the deficit of gratitude given from others and self-supplemented within ourselves a confidence and gratitude for ourselves. 

What I have learned and am constantly learning is that feeling satisfied in yourself..by yourself is simply not enough. As Thank You's become more empty and robotic, standards get raised for what a good work looks like and progression numbs us from simple human interaction there is more need than ever to express gratitude for the people around you and the good things they do. 

Are there people walking around your life that contribute to your day be it emotional, spiritual, relationship, friendship, career..simple day to day things to large things that make a difference for you but are going unappreciated? Are there simple yet heart felt "Thank You's" and "Great Job's" or even "I don't know how I would have done it without you. You make a difference." that you are in debt to people?

Be the change. Pay the gratitude debt you may owe today. You would be amazed at how much that could mean to someone to verbally hear how they are appreciated by you. 

Pay Gratitude. 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Point Of View.


We all see through a different set of eyes. Right or wrong, positive or negative, good or bad..it is all relative. We all have different personality types and a natural instinct to find the downside of everything and blame others around us for our misfortunes or situations that we have gotten ourselves into. 

What if we decided each day to make a conscious decision to fight to see the right in other's opinions even if they differ from our own? What if we decided to find the positive to a negative? What if we decided to take ownership for the role we play in our misfortunes and situations we get ourselves in to?

My mantra when I need focus is "The grass if greener on the other side but if you took the time to water your own grass it would be just as green." I live by this. It is far too easy to want the things that others have tended to and not want to tend our own things to make them pleasing. It is also too easy to get in to the mindset when someone or something ruins our grass to get stuck on blaming and victimizing ourselves rather than wasting precious time fixing our grass with the things we can control. 

So take control of your life. Take control of your happiness. See with a broader pint of view. 

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

We Need Each Other.


Amongst the daily lives that we all live, from our own personal focuses to the bubble that is far too easy to get involved in that is our life, it is easy to forget that we all need each other. The intricate network of close friends, family and acquaintances that make up our environment are the very reason that we all live. All of those people play a part in molding our daily existences and in turn we all play a part in molding theirs. 

Human interaction is so simple that it is easy to take for granted the power that it holds in all of our lives. 

So what are you doing with that power and how are you going to use that to make your life and the life of other's better? Who can get support from, share with, show appreciation for all they do for you? Who  can you make happy, show love to and make their lives better? 

Today, and every day..reach out and experience the people that are all around you from the ones that make big differences in your life and the casual passerbys.

We Need Each Other.  

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Find.

Today. What are you seeking? What are you looking for? Have you stopped dreaming and actioning on your dreams? If you did not have fear, if you completely trusted yourself..what would you find if you gave yourself the freedom to really look?

When we were young, we had no fear of dreaming. We had no fear of creating ourselves. We trusted ourselves and our imagination. We believed in our talents and abilities and even better, we trusted in what we could be if only we believed.

Now, as adults..we dream smaller, action rarely and trust our abilities so little that our dreams never stand a chance to be recognized.

So change this. Let fear go, allow yourself to really explore. What do you dream? What are your talent and abilities? Now trust yourself and believe. What will you find. Who will you be? It is never too late.

Find.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Forever On The Outside, Never Getting Inside.


Each day is a spiritual journey and the progressive world around us is almost designed to create and environment so that we forget that so easily. Be it technology, media, industry, business..we are distracted at every turn of our day and lives to place importance on the outside. Enhancing financial success, driving our energy towards dollars and cents, prestige and status. We are forever on the outside and each day that we spend our efforts on the outside, we lose touch with the inside. 

So what can you do? How can you get back in touch with your spiritual self and the natural spiritual world around you? It is as simple as 15 minutes a day. 15 minutes to unplug, 15 minutes of quiet and the opportunity to just be in touch with yourself. It may be 15 minutes of stretching, 15 minutes of taking a walk or even just 15 minutes of writing or contemplating. Whatever speaks to you and gives you the chance to think uninterupted thoughts and communicate with who you are at the core. 

Each day is a spiritual journey. Don't let one more day pass you by without getting to experience a bit of the spiritual with the journey. 

Forever On The Outside, Never Getting Inside.  

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Wear Nothing But You.


Garments. Accessories. Jewelry. Adornments. Enhancements. Wardrobe. I know them all very well and intimately. I make a living from these words and personally have passion for the fun and expression that they bring while still having reverence in who we all are in our raw and natural form. 

What if you had to spend an entire day wearing nothing but yourself? No clothes to conceal. No masks to hide behind. No dyes, colors, symbols of status..just you and only you. What would you be comfortable with? What would you be proud of? What would you be embarrassed of and ashamed of? 

What do your adornments say about you and your personality. How do they represent you and can you express that same story without the aid of your props? 

So this is where you can find your voice one step at a time. Take one day, every so often and wear nothing but you..now, that doesn't mean that everyone should run around in all their naked ass glory..but more so minimize your look. Mute your colors, leave your adornments aside and just be you at your most basic. See where it takes you, see how you interact with the world and how it interacts with you. Learn, grow and gain confidence that who you are as a person is beautiful and has reason beyond what you wear. Express yourself.

Wear Nothing But You. 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Never Disappear.


How easy it is to get away from your true self. You. Organic and pure, filled with good intentions, true to yourself and talents, true to the life you were born to live and born to be. You. Easily distracted and vulnerable to your environment and your experiences. Easily changed and molded by the plans of others and the greater majority.

How are you letting factors distract you from being the you that you were meant to be? Is it your job, your friends, your family, your choices in what you find to be entertaining and leisurely? Are you giving in to negativity and letting the light in you fade away?

Take it back. Find your voice, and not just any voice..find your voice that is deep within you that wants to  represent the light and pure, compassionate, talented and loving person you are. Take it back amongst challenges, oppression, addiction, environment, circumstances and instant gratification.

Never disappear.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Step Inside.




Parameters, fences, walls, locks, barriers..they all exist for a reason. We naturally have an understanding of the lines that we are to stay in, we naturally have a respect for it. It creates order and security. Within all of us lies a sense of gratitude for the rules and boundaries that are placed in our lives while at the same time, there is a crusader dying to get out and challenge those lines, wanting to break free and start a revolution. I know that balance well for I enjoy the order of life while always wanting to push the status quo. 

However, what if we were to just for a moment step into the center of the box we are all placed in and take it in. What could be we learn, what could we all see if we were to truly sit back and experience the status quo that comes naturally with each of our situations before tearing down the walls of revolution? 

Progress is not a luxury but rather a dire necessity for the evolution of our lives and the lives of others however, before elevating and stretching the boundaries, we all must first have mastered the status quo. Learned all there is to learn at an elementary level. There are skills for us to learn emotionally, mentally, spiritually and practical in the training grounds of the status quo. 

Celebrate your status quo. Step inside those walls. Master them.. Have reverence for them. Then push them, elevate your world and the world around you. 

Step Inside. 

Friday, April 13, 2012

Hang Ups.


We all have them. We all disguise them. We all skirt around them. Hang ups. Our hang ups are so deeply rooted within ourselves that it can define our every action all in an effort to bypass the way it makes us feel to face our hang up or display it for the world to see.

So what if rather than hiding your hang ups from yourself and others, you embraced them? You nurtured that they are a part of who you are in this moment and you set it free, in turn beginning to set your self free.

Today, take that one thing that you are battling and end the battle. Raise the white flag and surrender to your hang ups.

Hang Ups.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Make My Move.


Stagnancy is a choice. Sit with that statement for a moment and digest it. That is right, stagnancy is something that comes from within you. It is something that you have complete control and direction over. It is so easy to place the blame on your environment and circumstances and yet all the time, within you lies the keys to release you from your stagnancy while all the time falling back in love and honoring where you are today.

Look within yourself, find the spark that once was there. Is it your job, your location, your relationships, the way you take care of yourself? Rather than looking at the faults that are so easy to magnify within those things, challenge yourself to find the good and wonderful in them. Find an inner peace and adoration within your place in this world and where you are today.

Now that you have appreciation, make your move. Take where you are at and what life has given to you in this moment and build upon it. Give your life all you have and give your surroundings and situations respect and positivity. Contribute. Not only to your own life but the life that surrounds you.

With appreciating who you are and where you are today and striving to be your full potential within that foundation, stagnancy will be a thing of the past and you will be ever present and an active participant in creating your future.

Make Your Move.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Small Moves.


Each day, we can move ourselves a little step forward, stay in place or move ourselves a step backward. Much like a board game, each challenge card you pick up will either enhance your experience with free moves, more tools to add in our bag of tricks or hold you down and set you back a few notches.

Over the past year, I have truly tried my best to make a conscious decision that I would remain a good person through my ups..which is incredibly easy and then in turn remain a good person in my challenges. We all have them..challenges is the professional word for it but let's get gritty..the real turn of phrase is "Things or actions that just piss you off". Staying above the negativity that surfaces within you while your patience is being tested. Not one of us is exempt from this experience.

I have been successful in this focus this year and I have had set backs. So, right here, right now. All challenges, all items that test patience, all things that seduce us to fall into the quicksand of negativity I will stop in the moment and decide to rise above.

No matter what challenge card we pick up..one that moves us forward or one that moves us back. Make the most of each step and stay a good person to the core.

Small Moves.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Advance The Plot.


Life is a story and as just as writers have complete control over the plot they write and the way the characters move and interact, we as well have complete control on the way that our story develops and grows in the story lines we are handed.

Many people believe that we are the masters of our own destiny while many others believe that our destiny masters us. Why not believe that we are equal partners with our destiny if we so choose to be.

Today, find yourself at what point in the plot you are. Look at the scenery and the things that you can not control in your story line and then partner with your destiny and control your character's place within the plot to benefit you and the others around you best.

Advance The Plot.


Monday, February 13, 2012

Signs.

We are always looking for signs. Promptings, affirmations, confirmations in the decisions we are to make and in the ones we have already made. Some people go so far as to find a sign in almost anything they can just to feel a boost of confidence in what they are doing when all along the sign is in you.

You know, deep down if the path you are on and the decisions you are making are for your greater good. You already know how you effect the people around you. You just have to listen and be open to what you hear.

We all have been on a path that was not right for us and did not effect ourselves or the others around us in the way that was best and we have listened, didn't like the answer so continued doing what was not right for us. So this year I am struggling and trying to gain back not only the inner voice that keeps me on track but the same one that makes me a better person and for me listening is not as much of the problem as me doing what the voice is telling me.

Staying positive in negative situations, not being consumed by my environment but being the change in the environment around me. This is my challenge this year and there are days where I truly am the change that I want to see in the world and then there are days that I am not the change but rather a product and driving force in all that is wrong with my environment. 

So here is my mantra this year..in the inspiration of Gandhi.
1. Change yourself.
2. You are in control.
3. Forgive & let go.
4. Without action, you aren't going anywhere.
5. Take care of this moment.
6. Everyone is human.
7. PERSIST.
8. See the good in people & help them.
9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.
10. Continue to grow & evolve.

Signs.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Boomerang Effect.


Unintended causes and effects. For every thing that we decide or do, there is in turn an effect whether it be positive or negative. We are living in a constant ricochet. Whatever you put out there comes back to you, we have all heard that but never were words so true.

Think of all of the good things you put out there and all of the things that really make a difference in your life and the lives of others. Think of how you make a difference. Now, think of times when you made less than positive decisions and how it truly not only effects you but the environment around you. You can't help but notice that the negativity travels with force far greater than positivity.

I have been challenged as of late to do things that will benefit myself and others in situations that are frustrating. It has truly make me want to take the easy way out and give into negativity. Today I must try my best to take a moment to stop what I am doing and think. Let go. Solve. Think about the effect that my attitude and my decisions make in my life and in others. I may not have all the answers and all the solutions but in this moment, I know I do not want to throw any more boomerangs out that I don't want to come back and hit me. Make the choice. Stop the negativity.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Leave You Blind.


It is so easy to be distracted and blinded from ourselves. From all of the stimulation of media, technology and entertainment it is easy to get away from ourselves and live on almost an auto pilot. True moments of quiet and clarity give you the opportunity to see and feel yourself for all of the amazing that you are and also all of the faulty you are. We need to give ourselves the opportunity to appreciate the good in us as well  as the things that make us less than what we could be. Each and every one of us are daily making wonderful choices to better our lives and the lives around us and on the same note, each and every one of us are making choices that will hold us back and the people around us.

It is in these still, quiet moments that are unclouded by the noise of entertainment, media, technology and socialization that we can really look at ourselves with honest and eager eyes. Give yourself those moments. Allow yourself to be completely in the moment, to be honest with who you are, for all you are. Celebrate the greatness in you and change the parts of you that are less desirable. The true point is..do not allow yourself to be in a constant state of distraction or blindness for the reality of life is far better than any entertainment or numbness.

Leave You Blind.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Sun And The Moon.


Through the hustle and bustle of life how often do you have moments where you can truly appreciate the simplicity and power of the world around you? How many sunrises and sunsets do you get to take in and use for inspiration and charge?

The last few months have been challenging within my professional life to say the least. Long hours, responsibilities beyond what hours in the day allocate. The sun has rose and set many days without so much as a glance from me. My family, friends, hobbies, interests and care have taken a backseat to running a business that needed my attention.

Today is the first day that I truly have a week that I can call my own in what seems like forever. No obligations, no work, no long hours...just freedom, freedom to do the things that feel right to recharge, balance and gain my world back.

We all must demand the opportunity for balance in our life. Appreciate the world around you and the magic that you have the opportunity to be a part of it. As I reconnect with friends I have not seen since work picked up, reconnect with my environment and reconnect with myself I will be filled with gratitude and peace. This week will be beautiful.


The Sun And The Moon.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Encore.

Encore: An extra or repeated performance. An additional or repeated performance of something in response to a demand from an audience.

Every time around this year, we all think of things we want to change in our self. Things we want to elevate and resolve to do better. We look at ourselves with critical eyes and give our self the task to change. It is a rite of passage. A new opportunity and I embrace it with open arms.

This year however, I want to take a moment to celebrate. Celebrate who we all are for each of our successes and failures. Take a moment and really celebrate yourself. What makes you amazing?  What makes you who you are? What are you proud of?

Before moving into your resolutions of what you want to change in your life, give yourself credit for the things that you do really well. What do you want to continue on and do a repeat performance of in the year to come? Each and every one of us have something we contribute and something that makes a difference to ourselves and the world around us. Be proud.

Encore.