Humanity

Humanity

We were not put here to walk alone. We were not put here to belittle and degrade one another. We were not put here to tell others how to live. We were not put here to hate. We were not put here to believe we are some how better than another person or persons. We were not put here to be the judge and jury in other people's daily lives. We were not put here to make someone else feel less than. We were not put here to dictate who someone can love. We were not put here to be destructive of ourselves, each other, or the planet. 

We were put here to learn our own lessons. We were put here to walk our own paths to the best of our abilities while figuring out who we are. We were put here to connect. We were put here to ease each other's burdens. We were put here to love on each other. We were put here to lift up others. We were put here to grow. We were put here to follow our curiosity and talents. We were put here to see every person as a mirror to ourselves.

When we see life as one giant lesson, when we open up ourselves to the possibility that we weren't just put here to just survive, and when we understand that fear was never the guiding principle, we can finally see our deep connection to everything and to everyone.  

We were put here to learn how to truly live and that will always be only through one thing - love.

The Moment

The Moment

Have you ever watched a dog or any animal for that matter? They are forever living in the moment. They are not worried about the past nor their future. They are only focused on the here and now. What's right in front of them and what they need in that moment is the only thing that exists at that current time. They do not sit and contemplate if they should look for food or sleep or play. They do what they feel they need to in the moment because they understand something we have seem to have forgotten - that the only time that truly matters is right now. 

We allow ourselves to get so weighted down with what we should have done or what we need to do. We create lists in our head and put timelines to them and if we don't meet them, well then we end up feeling anxious, upset, made or maybe all of these emotions at once.  We then are constantly living in the past of what we should have done and thinking about the future of what we need to do all of the time. When we do this we miss all of the in between - the now.

What would happen to us if we just tried to live in the moment for a few minutes ... a few hours ... or just maybe even most of our day? Maybe, just maybe, you would find peace.

True Strength

 

True Strength

We like to think of ourselves as pillars of strength. We can do it all, be it all, and accomplish it all without anyone else's assistance. Somewhere we started to believe this - that we do not need anyone else, that we shouldn't rely on anyone else, that somehow leaning on others is a sign of weakness. Well what if the opposite were true? What if in the allowing others to help us, we build connections, we foster shared strength, and our burdens seem to get lighter when another person comes alongside to help us carry them? We were never meant to go through life slaying and grinding all of the time. We are meant to assist each other, connect to one another, and above all, be in a community together. Nobody can do it all and no one should. Allowing others that you trust into your world to care, help, and love on you is a true gift for them as well as for you. The connections get stronger, the weight becomes less of a burden to carry, and being able to lean on those around you makes it easier to breathe.

Let others help you. Let the love you put out there for all this time come back to you tenfold. That is how you show true strength.

Numbing

Everyone uses someting to numb themselves to all of the emotions that are inside. We are so afraid that if we start to feel everything, it will be too overwhelming so we numb those feelings by any means necessary.  We stuff them down with food or push them deeper with substances that make us forget we even have feelings. The more numb we get, the better we believe we are. We numb ourselves to protect ourselves but from whom and at what cost?

We feel emotions for a reason. They are our guide. They allow us to learn lessons, make different choices, and take different paths. When we numb our emotions we are also numbing our souls. In essence, we are telling ourselves we can't be trusted with our own feelings and emotions and if we can't trust ourselves, who can we trust?

Life can be really hard and really good (and everything in between) at times. If we don't allow ourselves our full range of emotions then we have numbed ourselves to being the human being we are meant to be. Feelings can be difficult to navigate and there are a ton of support mechanisms out there to help us through. Walking through the pain (with support and help) will be the greatest gift we can give ourselves for on the other side of that is peace.

The more you allow yourself to feel, the more you allow yourself to heal. Let this be the day that we all start numbing less and feeling more.

The Power of No

 The Power of No 

Helping others is a part of being human.  We are here, in part, to support and to connect but sometimes we can be too helpful. Sometimes we sacrifice our own needs in order to be there for someone else.  Sometimes we can lose ourselves completely and end up stretching ourselves too thin as we "help" everyone around us constantly. We feel depleted, tired, and our own "stuff" that needs to get done seems to be pushed off for a later time, even at the expense of our physical and mental health.

There is a time to say yes and be helpful but it should never be at the expense of your well-being. People can take advantage of your kindness and helpful nature too much.  Would they be there for you if you needed something? Really think about that.  Would those that pull on you constantly be there for you if you turned around and asked of them the same level of support and assistance all of the time?  If the answer is no then understand it may not be a friendship, that may be someone using you for your kindness and there is a difference. You know that though. You just need this reminder. This is your permission to see those situations for what they are and instead of choosing someone else, you get to finally choose you. Saying no to anything that does not serve your highest good is called a boundary.  If someone else doesn't like you putting up a boundary then that just shows you how one sided that relationship really is. Learning the art of saying no will free you from all that weighs you down.  It finally gives you permission to say yes - to you.

Superpower

Superpower

Each one of us was born with a unique set of characteristics and abilities. Nobody talks like you, laughs like you, thinks like you, or has the same set of skills as you.  Yet more often than not, you find yourself berating yourself for not being 'good' enough, 'smart' enough, 'thin' enough, 'tall' enough, 'athletic' enough, etc.  The story most of us are constantly telling ourselves is that we aren't truly worthy of a happy life because we are essentially 'not enough'. 

Well it's time someone bursted your bubble. Here's a secret ... you are perfect because of everything that makes you ... well you! You matter. 

Who you are matters. What you do matters. What you say matters. What you believe about yourself and others matters. What you strive for matters. How you treat people matters and how you treat yourself matters the most. Being who you are IS your superpower. Being your authentic self in this world is what people will connect to and what will make you feel connected to the world. Own your superpower like the hero that you truly are in your story.

Judgement

JUDGEMENT

We live in a world full of judgement and criticism. People react before they know someone's truth. That reaction causes hurt, pain, missed opportunities, and hatred. All because of a judgement. We judge people on everything and yet we get ourselves all tangled up if someone does it to us. We automatically go on the defense usually exclaiming "they don't know me, how can they say that?"

Not sure what judgement looks like? Well, just read the comment section on any social media post. Without knowing the person, the real story, the truth behind a caption, assumptions are made and all of the sudden everyone is an expert and a critic all at the same time. 

But for what?

How does judging someone enhance your life? How does it grow you as a person? How does is make your life more peaceful? The answer is, it does not.

You can't expect others to provide you grace, love, and support if we are not showing up like that in the world. It's that simple. Before you react in judgement, take a moment and ask yourself if what you are about to put out there is for your and anyone's highest good. If not, put down the judgement and maybe even ask some questions instead in order to cultivate understanding. That's one of the most powerful tool you we have - being able to listen, to learn, and to grow.

Fog

FOG

Fog comes out of nowhere and renders us almost blind. As we try and navigate through it, we can only see up to a certain point and what's beyond that is either a guess or something from our memory of what we know is there. Fog heightens our awareness.  It causes us to proceed but with caution and when it lifts, well then we can see the path in front of us clearly again.

Our lives are like the fog. There will be moments of uncertainty. Moments where you question the direction you are headed in because you can't see past a certain point. It is in these times that our awareness and that deep knowing (or your gut) becomes your guide through. Everything else around us becomes silent except our inner voice encouraging us along our path. Once we are through it, well that's when life reveals the entire picture we were not able to see.  

Trust in your knowing and trust in your path even when you can't see the outcome. You will soon enough.