Cleanse

There is a wisdom in the body that is older and 

more reliable than clocks and calendars. 

~John Harold Johnson

Cleanse
Its' time to rid your mind, body, soul and life of toxins. It's time to get rid of everything that no longer serves you.  It's time to cleanse your life so that you can start anew. Take an honest look at what areas of your life are not bringing you peace and joy … and cleanse them! If you aren't feeling healthy, stop sabotaging your body.  If your friendships are no longer supportive, release them. If your home feels like it's closing in on you, make donation bags and get rid of them. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take 5 minutes to quiet your mind. If you are feeling stuck, dance it out. Listen to your soul, it will tell you what you need to cleanse in order to feel at peace and whole again. 

Healing

The best students get the hardest lessons.

~Iyanla Vanzant

Healing
When there is an area of your life that is creating discomfort, pain, or stagnation, the only way to heal it is to walk through it. By stuffing it down, ignoring it, being in denial about it or just plain wallowing in it and staying there will not heal it. The only way to do that is to allow yourself to see and feel the truth about it. To embrace the pain, the heartache, the "it was not supposed to be this way" feeling and move through it. By acknowledging what you are feelings at the root of the problem, well then is when true healing will start to take place. The only way to lift the burden off of your shoulders is to put it in your arms, with all it's weight and pain, and look at it for what it is, where it's coming from and how it has kept you small. Then let it go - put it down and walk away.  True healing will occur when you can do this. The only thing you need to keep is the lesson, nothing else.

Enough

I am fearfully and wonderfully made

Psalm 139:14

Enough
When you look into the mirror, what do you see?  Do you go straight to all of your flaws and imperfections? Do you start berating yourself with harsh words about your weight, your hair, your skin, your eyes, your nose, your lips, etc., etc., etc.! Take a closer look through your eyes though - really lean in and look.  What do you see? How about a person that had endured heartache, pain, illness and is still standing strong. How about someone who selflessly gives to others. How about someone who makes it a point to make other people smile. How about someone who is caring beyond measure and has impacted other people profoundly just by being them. How about someone who is loved, who is whole, who is brilliant, who is creative and who is unstoppable. That's what you should see when you look in the mirror. Never sell yourself short and if need be, change that reflection to truly show you the wondrous being you are!

Self-care

 Always put on your own oxygen mask first and then assist the child with theirs.

~airplane safety instructions

Self-care
Most of us put a lot of care into other people or other things.  The time, effort and energy we exude making sure other people are taken care of or their needs are being met can feel never ending. At the end of the day we have run out of steam and put our own needs off for the next day. The problem is that they same thing happens every day and your needs are always skipped over. That might work for a short amount of time but prolonged "ignoring" will only cause you more harm than good. You must care for yourself. You must listen to your body. Do not put off for one more day making that Dr.'s appointment, signing up for that art class, booking that trip, making those dinner reservations or just allowing yourself to stay in your pajamas all day long! You can't constantly give to the world and not recharge your batteries. You can't be on the go all of the time and not be making sure your own body is running at its optimum level. The best advice in life comes from the airplane safety instructions; take care of yourself first so you can help others!

Perception

Sometimes we must unfocus our way to clarity. 

~Terri Guillemets

Perception
How you view the world is all based upon your lens of perception.  How you take in information, how you interpret what people say and how you look at a situation is all through a viewpoint of experiences. This information gets packaged by your brain in order to make sense to you and your world. To another person though, the exact same situation can have a much different feel since it's being package through the lens of their own experiences. One situation can have several different perceptions.  Which one is right?  Well maybe all of them! Perception is just that - how you perceive something.  It might have some facts sprinkled in but it also has your own take on a situation. Remember the next time your perception clashes with another what is really going and try to see things from another angle.  It just might make your lens that much bigger!


Note: Photo from the National Geographic TV website under Brian Games

Begin Again

The only courage you ever need is the courage to live the life of your dreams.

-Oprah Winfrey

Begin Again
Life is so amazing. Think about it - with every sunrise is a chance to begin again. What happened yesterday does not need to bleed into this brand new day. This is a day to change directions. This is a day to try something new. This is a day to walk with your head held high because there is only one you and the world is a better place because you are in it. This is a day to take one step in a different direction, one that will bring you closer to living in a place of authenticity. This is a day to look at everything and everybody as if you were seeing them for the first time. Life is truly amazing. Allow yourself to bask in the glow of a new beginning. The possibilities are endless. What will you make of today?

Shut Up & Dance

Today's DP is dedicated to my favorite dance partners!

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good. 

~Edwin Denby

Shut Up and Dance
Sometimes, rather most times, we take life way too seriously.  We go throughout our days worrying, stressed and running from one obligation to another. It is during these times to remember what's most important ~ to dance! There are times when there are no more words to say, no more actions to take, but all you should do is zip the lip and dance. You do not have to be the worlds best dancer nor do you have to dance with others being around you. But you do have to dance. You have to shake out all of the pent up worry and stress. You need to let go of the burden. Moving around, dancing, laughing, being silly and just plain having a good time, if even or only 30 seconds, will bring you back to center.  Like the song says, sometimes we need to shut up and dance!

Power

You've always had the power my dear, you had it all along.  

You just needed to learn it for yourself.

~Glinda the Good Witch in Wizard of Oz

Power
You are powerful.  It's as simple and as profound as that. You've always had the power within you to make the necessary changes in your life. Instead of looking to external sources all of the time, turn inward. You are not a victim of life, you are a participant.  You choose every single day whether you are going to be fully present, engaged and powerful or whether you are going to leave the choices up to others. Nothing is stopping you ~ well but you. It's your choice whether you make a u-turn, to yield, to stop or to move forward. Being the powerful being that you were meant to be is not being selfish. It's being true to the gifts and talents that were given to you at birth. It's time to own your power. 

Fall

Of all the seasons, autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him. 

~Hal Borland

Fall
New seasons usher in new possibilities. Fall brings with it crisp new beginnings and winds of change. It also shows us lessons to adapt in our own lives. In the fall, trees change their color and shed their leaves to adapt to the changing environment. So must we. What do we need to change in our lives and what do we need to shed in order to transform who we are? What do we need to let go of and what do we need to hang on to. Fall is the time to take risks, dream big, listen to our souls and follow the ever changing direction of the wind in order to flourish. The mighty oak starts very small but it doesn't put restrictions on itself. It grows as tall and as wide as the environment allows. So do we.  We are only as big as our dreams. Let fall usher in the greatness you have been waiting for.

Rise

You can only come to the morning through the shadows. 

~J.R.R. Tolkien

Rise
With every new day comes a new chance to rise.  
Rise from challenges.  
Rise from monotony.  
Rise from sorrow.
Rise from defeat.
Rise from heartbreak.
Rise from disappointments.
Rise from excuses.
Rise from blame.
Rise from mistakes.
Rise from shame.

Like the Phoenix, you were meant to keep rising. Never doubt that for a moment. Today is a new day to start again. Rise!

Reflection

The 9/11 Memorial Wall at Suffolk County Community College, Selden Campus

Reflection

Today is a day to reflect.

To remember.

To honor those lost.

To remember the acts of bravery.  

To remember the acts of kindness. 

To thank those who gave everything.

To forgive.

To look up and feel the wind.

To hug your loved ones a little bit tighter.

To say thank you ~ and really mean it.

To remember to do better.

To be gentler.

To give more than you take.

We will never forget...

Hello My Name Is

You don't have a soul.  You are a Soul.  You have a body.  

~C.S. Lewis

Hello My Name Is
Most of us run around every day trying to complete tasks, check off our to-do-list or strive for goals that we set for ourselves.  We are on autopilot because we know that and it's comfortable.  But why are we striving for all of these "things".  Is it because we want them or because society or family/friends tell us we should want them?  Why are we pursuing these dreams and goals - what are we really looking for?  Have we ever stopped to ask ourselves the bigger question - who are we?  

See, if you know who you are, the rest will follow.  When you flip it the other way around, you will always be searching for "something" because anything you obtain will not feel like it's filling the hole you feel in your gut.  You have to fill the hole by feeling whole.  The only way to do that is to do the work!  Get to know who you are; all of your likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, beliefs and values. What makes you, well you?  You are more than just a name.  You are more than just a career.  You are more than the person taking up space in a classroom.  You are more than your job.  Take that all away and you are still you!  Get grounded in who you truly are and watch your dreams become focused and doorways open up.

As Mufasa said in the Lion King to Simba, … remember who you are.  

Your Body

Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live. 

~Jim Rohn

Your Body
Your Body is a wondrous carrier in which you travel through the world but most of us do not treat it with the care that it deserves.  If you truly listen to it and know it well, it can be your greatest teacher. It will let you know what's working and what's not in your life.  But you have to listen to it and not ignore it for if you do, it can only take so much before you will find yourself in pain, at the doctors or living off medication in order to keep it thriving. It deserves more - you deserve more.  No more excuses, nor more putting it off, no more well after this one meal…it's time to start treating your body with the utmost respect and care.  Drink more water.  Eat more real food.  Stop going through the drive through. Stop caffeinating yourself just to make it through the day.  Start going to bed earlier.  Stop hitting the snooze button more than twice. Eat to live, don't live to eat.  Make the changes that you know you should and you have been putting off.  Don't wait until your body erupts with problems, give it a chance to carry you through strong, vibrant and healthy.

Beyond Understanding

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.  

~Kenji Miyazawa

Beyond Understanding
Some things in life are beyond our understanding. Although we try to comprehend the meaning of it all, it's hard to wrap our heads around the totality of life and even more so in the loss of those whom we love or have touched our lives in a profound way. If we allow ourselves to get stuck in the grief though, we miss the gifts these souls provided.  We miss the lessons they were sent to teach. We miss the whole meaning of why they were put in our lives. We must feel the sadness and walk through the grief but we must also allow room to hear their voice, room to smile when memories come flooding in, room to laugh and room to continue to love.  

Easy Does It

Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow. 

~Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You

Easy Does It
It's time to slow down a bit. You have been going a mile a minute lately and now this is your sign to say easy does it to yourself!  Everyone needs to recharge, to rest, to reinvigorate. This is your time to do just that. This does not mean that you are not productive, it just means you need to more selective, more intentionally and not so rushed. Spend some time in reflection or in silence. Reconnect back to your soul, ground yourself and allow your body and your mind the much needed time to process everything that's been happening in your world. When you allow yourself this time of introspection and rest, you will see things more clearer.

Look Up

God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us — in the dreariest and most dreaded moments — can see a possibility of hope. 

~Maya Angelou

Look Up
Life can get overwhelming. Sometimes there is too much that happens all at once that makes us feel like we will burst open from worry, stress and sadness. And in those moments it's so hard to be grateful. It's so hard to see the positive when our hearts are aching and our minds are racing. But it's in those moments that we need to look up, literally, for there are signs all around us letting us know that we will be ok. It's so easy to miss these signs if we only look down, if we decide not to pay attention to those around us and if we shut ourselves off from the world. Life can be hard but it's also balancing. It will give us just enough to keep pushing ahead until the storm settles, until the clouds start to disappear, until the lightening and thunder are in the distance and all that is left is a beautiful rainbow ushering in a new beginning.

Truth

There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure truth. ~Maya Angelou

Truth

As the old saying goes, the truth shall set you free so it's time to live in your truth, not someone else's.  What is it you want to be doing and why aren't you doing it? What advice do you give to other people that you should be listening to yourself? If you get real honest with yourself and go deep, you can no longer hide from the truth ~ and nor should you! You can't grow unless you get honest. You can''t find true peace unless you get honest. You will continue to chase happiness instead of letting it fill you up. Being honest with yourself is the key to unlocking your potential. It is also the key to all of your interactions and relationships. The more honest you are, the more freedom you gain.