We are Mapmakers of our Destiny

"We become what we think about most of the time."

I have realized that it is our everyday choices that make up who we are. What we choose to do every day, how we choose to think and the people we choose to surround ourselves with.

The amazing thing is that we have this power of choice. When we live our lives in mindfulness and with an open mind to experience and grow, we know ourselves better. And by learning about ourselves through our experiences, we know how to better live. We know which choices serve our well-being.

We discover that which ignites our spirit. And then we learn to do more of this.

It is what we focus on most that we become. And what we focus on is our choice.

I've learned that the best practice for positive focus is gratitude. Gratitude is something we actively practice every day. By speaking it and we writing it down. We express our appreciation to the people around us. (There are many apps to download on your phone that allow to record thoughts of gratitude as they come up.)

Gratitude works magic. Why? Because the more we focus on the good in our lives, what we do have and what is working, the more we attract.

We often build stories in our minds of the future that focus on fear and what could happen- but really, the truth is that we don't know the future until we physically experience it. By moving with fear and using it as fuel, we free ourselves. We realize that fear is only a feeling, not a representation of the truth. The truth is in the now.

And the most beautiful thing about gratitude is that it brings us to the present moment- the most real, raw and free places that we will ever experience.

Blessings,

Julie

Trusting Our Instinct.

How many times we feel an instinct to do something and completely ignore it? We sometimes forget how precious our instinct is. Dead on. It tells us what we need to do, who to trust- a guidance system to decision-making if you ask me.

So let's learn to trust it. Why? Because our gut decisions lead to adventure, passion, excitement, freedom, the feeling of being insanely alive and simple awesomeness.

Often we know what we need, but we hesitate because we care too much about the opinions of others. We wait for reassurance, for other people to validate to us that our decision is right.

Let's refrain.

Through experience, I can wholeheartedly say that the best decisions are the ones that have come from my gut. The key is to resist the need to over-think, wait to take the action that we feel we need or let others convince us against the voice of our instinct.

Why we hesitate to trust our gut? Because our society these days teaches us to gain power and stability from the outside in, through external resources like other people's opinions and the things we own.

But really, true certainty, stability and consistency starts from the inside out. Gut decisions set a much firmer ground for powerful action, focus and receiving abundance that is in line with our needs and desires.

So we confidently make the decision that feels right- even if its not what others are doing. True friends will support us in following our unique path.

We simply decide and act in line with this decision.

It is better to make a decision, than stand in the middle wondering what the right decision is. Because there is no right or wrong.

"We make a decision and then we make it right."
- Elliot Hulse

Blessings,

Julie

Hey! Do you have boundaries?

Setting boundaries and respecting them is an essential part of cultivating balance in our lives.

It preserves our energy. (not to mention sanity ) We feel better and we are better for the people around us. We are not resentful and we have much more to give because we come from a place of peace, clarity, groundedness and self respect.

We create space to create and for gratitude and joy to bloom. We cultivate our truest selves. Boundaries are actually building blocks to inspired action, focus and most of all, freedom. Ironic, but true. Hear me out.

When we create boundaries, we are actually acting out of self-compassion. We focus on doing what it takes to take care of ourselves first- and then are much more available to support and be there for others.

"Know thyself and you will know how to live."

Practicing boundary setting is in fact very similar to goal setting. Both practices require us to be in touch our needs and desires. And just as goal setting helps us focus on our priorities and sets the stage for action, boundary setting creates the space we need to focus on these goals and priorities.

Many of us are uncomfortable with boundaries because it means learning to say "no". We don't want to disappoint or hurt the people around us. But the truth is if we cannot cultivate the self-respect to communicate our needs, we are more prone to burnout and are less resourceful to ourselves and the people we love. When we people please or let people walk over us, we lose our sense of self and personal values. For what? It's not worth it.

At the end of the day we are stronger and more authentic role models and leaders when we stay true to ourselves. This means staying true to who we are, not who we should be or who others expect us to be.

The people who truly love and support us love us for who we are and part of growing into our strongest self is about discerning between what we want and what we don't want. When we are able to say no, we are really saying yes to what it is that we do want.

We practice setting boundaries with our time and energy. When we choose to take care of ourselves first, we can become our strongest selves and better help others. We also practice setting boundaries when we say no to negative people and environments, creating space for positive opportunities and abundance.

While setting boundaries may be challenging, its also completely worth it. A boundary is actually a path to freedom. Saying no to what doesn't work means creating space for that which does. Saying no to others expectations means the freedom to be who we are. Grounded, balanced, mindful and compassionate leaders and individuals.

Blessings,

Julie

Letting Go in the Face of Adversity

I bumped into a familiar face today- she also happened to be the manager who hired me at a job that didn't end up being what I was looking for. Nonetheless, she kindly asked me how things were going and I recounted the past few months in a short conversation- all the ups and downs. She exchanged a similar story.

And it really made me realize two things. That whatever we are going through, there are others going through the same thing. And also, that when we go through times of change, uncertainty and loss, we become stronger.

A breakup.

Losing a job.

These are all things that we all deal with throughout our lives. They test our courage, faith and persistence. But at the end of the day, we learn and become stronger. We ask for help, practice self care and connect with all the resources that support us in staying grounded- not to mention sane.

Times of change, adversity and loss can we quite emotional, making it sometimes hard for us to see past the emotion. Believe me, I know. At the beginning of a breakup we find ourselves thinking about the good things. The things that we miss.

But then we remind ourselves of why the relationship didn't work. And although our love may be more alive than ever, we learn to embrace change.

We remind ourselves that the only thing that is certain in life is that things will change and that by acknowledging and moving with this truth, we are living. Because to resist change is to resist life. 
 
When one door closes , another one opens. "often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” (Helen Keller)

So we learn to let go of the way we think things "should" be and our need to control - to allow change to naturally unfold. We stop resisting and start listening. We start seeing past our story- our assumptions, plans and exceptions.

We allow life to unfold and surprise us as we become more spontaneous and adventurous. As we let go of the limits that the stories we have told ourselves have created.

And although this may be a hard process, learning to let go, it is unbelievably worth it.

Because when we let go who we think we should be, this is when we allow ourselves to become who we truly are.

Blessings,

Julie
 

The Art of Non-Attachment

This year I really had the space to grow spiritually. And what Ive realized is that by taking the time to look within through reflection, and practicing yoga and meditation, we are challenged to face our true selves.

In times of practicing mindfulness (focusing our awareness on the present moment), we are challenged to explore ourselves. To check in with how we really feel and acknowledge what we find by doing this.

And this is good.

Through practicing mindfulness in class (yoga, meditation) as well as throughout my daily experience, by connecting with my breath, I realized what non-attachement means. It was through my experience that the preconceived notions I had dissipated and I found true meaning.

I opened my mind.

When we hear non-attachment, we may think uncaring or disconnected, but in fact, it is quite the opposite. 

Non-attachment is about allowing our truth to be expressed, without creating a story about what we are experiencing. It means being aware of the present moment without judgement. There is no right way to be, simply who we are.

We let go of labels and what other people think to give ourselves permission to express ourselves fully and authentically. We simply create space for what is.

We free ourselves.

Blessings,

Julie

What is your Mindset?

Today, I found myself engaged in two different conversations- one was very inspiring, and the other limiting. What contrast! It also showed me that at the end of the day, we as individuals each have a choice.

We can choose what kind of mindset we hold. And our whole reality will be a reflection of this.

We can either choose the possibility mindset, one where we live life fully, letting go of the limiting stories we have created in our heads to allow ourselves to live through our heart instead- or we can choose to stay stuck in the stories.

I say let's free ourselves.

The true freedom is found when we realize that the limiting stories are not true, they are simply rooted in fear. When we face our fears, we realize that fear had nothing to do with whats possible- it is simply a feeling. That is all. And we can choose to either let it limit us and believe the stories it tells, or we can choose to feel and fear and do what we want anyways because we know that the only truth is found in what we are actually experiencing in the moment.

We have the power to not only choose our own mindset, but who we spend our time with. When we choose to spend our time with others who live daringly and through a possibility mindset, we are further propelled to live more fully, authentically and freely.

Blessings,

Julie

Why Breakups are Hard.

I think we can all agree that breakups are never easy. There is nothing easy about learning to let go of someone we love and care about. Even if there were a million things that didn't work in the relationship, breaking up means letting go of the good things and letting go of the person being an active part of our lives.

And this is hard.

Part of being human means that we have a heart and we feel. If we stop this, we stop the flow- we shut down our freedom and sense of aliveness. We are not present.

We can do everything to escape the emotion. Fill our schedules up to the top, giving ourselves no time to breathe and reflect. Being engaged, active and connected is important, but for the sake of balance, we all need time to rest and reflect.

We can hook up with other people in hopes that it will help us move on more quickly. We can temporarily rationalize away the feelings. But at the end of the day, we find ourselves more exhausted because we simply haven't given ourselves the permission to feel.

There is no easy or quick fix to healing from a loss of a relationship. We must allow ourselves to be human. To feel. To cry. To open our hearts to emotion, without judgement.

Even when it literally feels like our heart is aching against our chest as the tears come up.

So we say, let them come. 

We must allow ourselves to feel the pain, because believe it or not, it is through this journey that we open our hearts to experience joy, gratitude, compassion and love.

To simply cannot say "I'm only going to let myself feel the good stuff and ignore the uncomfortable and painful things". Emotion doesn't work that way. Because if we shut out one part of our emotion, we shut out the rest. Embracing all of who we are with compassion is how we open our world to possibility. It's how we grow.

Perhaps at the end of the day, its about being authentic. Having the courage to free ourselves to be who we are with compassion, love and with the vision to see that beyond our fears, all that lies in and around us is a limitless field of light and possibility.

Blessings,

Julie

Making Self Care a Priority

"When was the last time you were gentle with yourself?"

This is a question I was asked last week and it really made me think. We are sometimes so hard on ourselves and forget to be gentle and treat ourselves with kindness and compassion.

It's okay to make mistakes. Its okay to breakdown. Its okay to ask for help. Its okay to not be on top of things all the time. 

Being ambitious doesn't mean we have to be serious or overly critical of ourselves. In fact, being self-compassionate is the way to stay balanced when we have a lot going on in our lives.

Taking the time to ask ourselves, "What do I need right now?" "Not what others want of me, not what I think I "should" do, but what I need."  

When we have the compassion to take care of ourselves first, we are in the best position to help others.

Self care includes a huge range of practices from engaging in physically activity and eating wholesome meals to creating a support network and knowing when to reach out and ask for help.

Self care means knowing what we need at a given time.

At different times, we need different things. 

That is why it is so important that we know ourselves and really listen to our body and intuition. Our body will tell us what we need.

Nobody knows our body the way we each know our own. After all, we are the one living in it!

"Know thyself." (Socrates)

There is time to rest and time to engage, time for ourselves and times to connect with ourselves. At the end of the day, we realize that life is a balancing act.

I have found through my own experience that yoga and meditation are great ways to create balance in our lives- they are practices that force us to go inwards, using our breath to bring us to the present moment. They are ways to become aware and connect with our needs, as we learn to become our own best friend in the process.

There are so many ways we can take care of ourselves and each one of us is different. Different things work for different people. So again, knowing ourselves is really the key. I find that the better I know myself through time and experience, the better I am able to define what I want and need.

Through experience and awareness we learn. And while we do, let us also learn to treat ourselves with gentle compassion.

Blessings,

Julie

Resilience: Bouncing Back from Struggle

Have you ever heard the proverb "fall seven times, get up eight?"

If we only knew how strong we really are, our ability to move mountains. It is sometimes when being strong is our only choice that we realize how strong we really are.

As simple as that. I have been through my own ups and downs, and I've really realized that it is "not about never falling, but rising every time we fall"- quoted by the one and only Confucius.

I've talked to many successful people and hear the stories of these people as well- each and every one us has challenges on our journey to success, this is part of the path.

The path is not straight. And if it were, it wouldn't be an adventure, that's for sure!

If it were easy, it wouldn't be as meaningful- we wouldn't have the opportunity to build on our strength and wisdom. And most importantly, to realize how strong and capable we really are.

From my personal experience with struggle, I know how easy it is to hide how we really feel. But let me tell you one thing I've learned. Hiding how we really feel stops us from rising up. Until we acknowledge our truth (and often this means being courageous and asking for help), we cannot free ourselves to move forward. To experience joy, to grow.

I have asked for help many times and still do. Many times I have hesitated, but then I realize that by suffocating my truth, I am also suffocating my freedom. And this I say with utmost truth and sincerity.

We all need help at some point. Even though asking for it may seem like a marathon, its worth it- believe me. We are not put on this earth alone for a reason.

We are meant to support each other, love each other and experience deep connection.

Many blessings,

Julie

What We Do with Our Emotion + My Story on Being Real

We are human beings with emotions. We have a heart.

It beats.

It feels.

In a world where we often spend a lot of time in our heads- we feel and move less to find ourselves thinking more.

Somewhere along the road, many of us grow up believing that emotion is too messy and raw to be expressed. Many of us feel the need to stuff down, hide our feelings as if they are something to be ashamed of.

Our need to talk about how we feel and express ourselves hasn't always been honored and seen as a sign of our strength and beauty which it is.

 Somehow we thought that putting on a masque, hiding our feelings and vulnerability from the world is how we move through life.

But how are we to move through life feeling human if we are not acknowledging the very part of ourselves that makes us human? 

In this time more than ever, we are experiencing the need to connect and share. To feel that that we belong, that what we are doing with our lives is meaningful in this world. And while I acknowledge how resourceful technology is, how many opportunities we open up by using it, I can also say that technology doesn't provide us with that meaningful, soul-satisfying human connection that we all need.

We are so good at building walls. At numbing how we feel. We learn to use food, alcohol, drugs, sex, violence and even technology to help us build our walls instead of simply allowing ourselves to be vulnerable.

Let's learn to take down our walls. To embrace uncertainty and discomfort so that we can release ourselves from the limits of our expectations of how things should be.

I talk about vulnerability in many of my blogs. Why? Because I know the power we can find in it. It is our vulnerability that makes us really feel alive. It is our vulnerability that allows for true understanding and connection.

In my life, I didn't know what I do now about vulnerability, self expression and connection and how they all tie together growing up. It was through experience that I realized what being real is all about. And it was only when I allowed myself to be vulnerable that I found myself and true connection.

I grew up with the belief that life was supposed to be neat. That because letting out our emotion and being honest- with ourselves and the people around us- felt uncomfortable, it was somehow wrong. What I didn't realize then was that when we embrace all of our emotion including our pain and anger, we naturally ourselves to experience real connection and joy. We open the door to gratitude, creativity and joy. 

Blessings,

Julie

Taking Time to Reflect

Often in the fast-paced world we live in, we feel unnecessarily rushed. In our relationships, with our decisions- the list goes on. Very rarely does a decision have to be made within the minute, hour or even day.

Making decisions without waiting too long is important, but I have realized that letting go of the need to fix things right away can create some much-needed space to make the right decision.

Taking some time for ourselves and time to reflect brings us back to the decision with a clearer perspective.

And all within balance. Sometimes a very delicate one requiring us to really be in touch with ourselves and our needs. The fine balance in taking the time we need to take care of ourselves and reflect, but not allowing this time to make us passive and avoid what it is that we are needing to take action on.
 This is the essential balance.

Perhaps at the end of the day, we are challenged to really be with ourselves. To talk to ourselves honestly and with compassion. To see what it is that we need at each given point in our life journey.

Blessings,

Julie

Embracing the Unexplainable

We all have great minds, and sometimes we feel the need to explain ourselves, rationalize why we feel a certain way and why we are doing what we do.

But what if understanding is beyond the stories of the mind?

What if true understanding comes from our hearts?

Our heart has a language of its own. It understands the world and communicates in its own way. One that may not be subject to wordy rationale. It speaks intuitively and guides our actions instinctively.

"I don't know why I did that but it just felt right"- this is the heart speaking. Its language is spontaneous and unplanned. It flows naturally.

To free our hearts is to embrace its language, whether it makes sense to our mind or not.

We don't always need a reason or explanation for why we choose to do certain things.

Instead of carefully arranging our lives into bento boxes and getting caught up in the details, let us embrace uncertainty.

Let us embrace the truth that life is messy and allow for our authentic expression without feeling the need to back it up with thought all the time.

Because the minute we try to create an explanation, we create a limit. A mental explanation suggests that something is a certain way- that it is fixed- this way of categorizing or labeling our experiences can sometimes take away from the magic of uncertainty and possibility.

Some things just are. And in their simple beingness, we see their truest beauty.

Blessings,

Julie

"We Carry On" - The Courage to Feel

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW7WH2j4Y3o

This song is so beautiful and so greatly captures what I've learned about how we handle our pain and suffering in life.

Without our capacity to feel pain, we would lack the contrast to appreciate our happiness. Pain is real and needs to be acknowledged.

As the famous saying goes, "It's not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain."

We don't just pretend that our pain doesn't exist, yet we don't become paralyzed by it.We feel it and move forward with it. We embrace it. We free ourselves.  Living in denial takes a lot of energy, it is exhausting. Because sooner or later, we will be faced with a buildup of our pain from all the time we spent avoiding it.

So let's courageously embrace our pain for it is beautiful. Yes, sometimes hard to feel. But when free ourselves to be who we are, we are allowing for the expansion of our joy as well.

"We've got holes, but we carry on." - Passenger

We can choose to move with our pain. We can get up in the morning and say to ourselves "I may not feel by best right now, but I continue to live my life the way I want because I am worthy of love and belonging."

Feeling pain is not a condition that makes us less worthy. Nor is it something to be ashamed of.

We stand tall, follow our dreams and express our truth with our pain as well as our joy.

We allow ourselves to be fully seen. For in this vulnerability, lies power. We have the capacity to create deeper and more genuine connections with others.

And we have the capacity to feel.

I say that its better that we feel all of who we are, rather than be numb to the world and not feel at all.

Blessings,

Julie

Bored? We Create Our Adventure

We can easily confuse adventure with being busy.

I've realized that simply being busy, having things to do, doesn't necessarily make our life an adventure. In fact, instead of being bored, we escape our boredom by being busy. This is one way to describe what we all know as "going through life with the actions, yet not really feeling engaged and present."

No wonder we are not engaged and present, if we are not interested in what we are doing. Our curiously and alertness dwindles and we can become more passive. No wonder!

When we are not being challenged and filling our life with a healthy level of risk-taking, we have less motivation to focus and be engaged in the present moment of what we are doing.

And how do we change this?

We slow down and become present with our truth.

In my own experience of a few weeks of overworking, I realized that we can easily put too much emphasis on something we are not interested in until it becomes a distraction. Maybe we think that it is what we "have to do."

Well, I have certainly realized that at any point in our lives, we have a choice. There is always a way to adjust, or change our situation.

It is with awareness that we are able to truly change.
Consciously change.

There is always a way to re-ignite our spark and turn our sails in the direction of our desire.

And sometimes when we are simply present with ourselves, our heart has a way of instinctively guiding us to that which we really need.

We won't have to "think" about what we "should" do to change things.

Our heart will simply know.

Blessings,

Julie

Sometimes It's Ok to Quit

Our bodies often know what we need better than our minds.

We can be "thinking" that we are doing everything right, that all the pieces are together, when in fact they aren't.

Overworked and exhausted, I recently found myself completely burnt out. It was time to put the brakes on. What this also meant was a wake up call to re-examine my life and have an honest conversation with myself.

Sometimes things work for a certain period of time. They serve a purpose for a time. Relationships work for a time- they rise and fall, like an ocean swell. And then it is time to let go. The cycle of life continues.

When the things we do become routine, become too comfortable, we realize that life needs constant adjustment. Each day we must ask ourselves how we feel and check in with our path and if we are in alignment with what it is that we truly want and need. Are we doing that which excites us and nourishes our soul?

The cycle of life demands that we wake up each day and look around us as if our environment, the people around us and our own selves have changed, grown, evolved. And yet, we sometimes forget to see that each day we face really is a new day.

Today is like no other. A blank canvas waiting to be painted. And we are the active creators of it.

When our bodies tell us to stop and reflect on our lives, to check in with where we are within our individual selves, we realize that although these times may be the hardest, they are also times to face truth.

When we have the space to question our current reality, to face the truth of how we are feeling, what we are doing and who we are spending our time with now, then we may realize that as the cycle of life continues, so must we.

Awareness of truth is what creates powerful change. Change from the heart.

We move with the tide. We take the time to reflect, focus, reshape our perspective, shift our actions, create new challenges, re-ignite our spark or simply get rid of that which is not serving us to create space for that which will.

Why do we often avoid slowing down to reflect on our truth? Because we fear change and uncertainty. We create stories, we rationalize- to avoid making tough decisions. Maybe we are afraid to hurt others in the process of these important decisions. And while, yes, this is a safe route, it is not serving the growth of anyone.

In the end, the decisions we make that serve our becoming the strongest version of ourselves are precisely the same decisions that allow us to naturally inspire growth and strength in others.

Blessings,

Julie

The Most Important Honesty: What We Tell Ourselves

The most important person to be honest with is ourselves.

At the end of the day, we have a choice- to live through the truth of what is happening in the here and now, or to not do so.

Living is something we do in the moment, with every breath that we take. And if we can possibly begin to imagine our future expansion as becoming more of who we truly are, we must be true with ourselves now. In this moment.

I have realized that to be honest with ourselves about how we feel is one of the hardest things.

To be able to allow ourselves to acknowledge the truth, be it painful or full of joy is essential- in doing this we must trust, we allow ourselves to surrender, to let go and embrace uncertainty.

So we let go and embrace what is, without judgement. 

For there is no more powerful and real way to be than that which we are. There is no right or wrong, no way things "should" be. Only what is. 

The truth is what is and what we feel, and doesn't always match up to our expectations or the way we think things should be.

Be it a relationship where instead of convincing ourselves that everything is fine, we allow ourselves to see that it really isn't working. I've realized that while optimism is a valuable , we shouldn't use it to cover up the truth. We can force, rationalize and tell ourselves stories- but at the end of the day the truth is what is.

While the truth can be piercingly painful, I have learned that it is only with the truth that we truly feel alive. 

And the only way that we can truly feel. 

And it is with the truth, that we can truly grow and change. 

Blessings,

Julie

True Beauty Comes from Within

Whatever is within us radiates outward. When we embrace our most authentic selves, speak our truth and shine our light- this is true beauty radiating.

Wearing nice clothes and focusing on how we look on the outside will only get us so far- from there, it is up to us to let go of who we think we should be to become who we truly are. To go further and allow our true inner light to radiate to others.

Have you ever walked into a room and gravitated to that person who is not afraid to be themselves? The one who is warm-hearted and everyone seems to like? Well, when we come from a place of self-compassion and kindness, we radiate this warmth.

The power in true beauty is really the most attractive. Instead of looking outside of ourselves for cues on how we should be, we venture within to our authentic selves and embrace our inner being that is waiting to be expressed. Not only is this energy extraordinarily grounded (as it is not dependent on anyone's opinion), but we unconsciously give others the permission to shine their light.

And interestedly, this inward-outward authentic expression naturally attracts people towards us, completely effortlessly. We don't have to try to be beautiful, we simply are because of our courage to embrace our authenticity.

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

― Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Shine your light,

Julie

Letting Go of Someone We Love

To let go of someone we love is just about one of the hardest things to do. Believe me, I know.

It's so easy to fall back into the comfort of a relationship without paying attention to all the reasons of why the relationship is toxic and not working. Because even though things didn't work out, there is still emotion.

And love.

Love is messy.

We just sometimes forget that we can learn to love again.

We know that it won't be easy, but we also remind ourselves that any decision made in favor of our happiness is worth it. We remind ourselves of why the relationship didn't work out, and we give ourselves some peace of mind.

I've realized that every experience has meaning, whether it be pleasant or painful. Living with regret because we didn't get what we hoped for out of a relationship would be foolish. Why? Because we always learn. We can learn no matter what. And learning is one of the most powerful things we can experience in life. 

Not every relationship we experience will be what we are looking for, but let's not discredit these ones. For if anything, they strengthen our conviction and make us see what it is that we do want.

I've had to learn to let go. I realized that trying to force a situation to work out when it clearly isn't is a waste of energy and time. Either the relationship works, or it doesn't. And sometimes we just need to be honest with ourselves to let go. We can try to fix, bang on the same door that isn't opening, convince ourselves that it really isn't that bad- but at the end of the day, if we are not happy in a relationship now, we cannot wait for things to change.

Otherwise we may find ourselves waiting forever.

Letting go is scary, it takes courage. Because there are no guarantees in life. But let us remember that uncertainty means possibility. We can trust ourselves, remind ourselves that we are strong, we will heal and that "this too shall pass."

Blessings,

Julie

Learning through Experience

Experience is the greatest teacher.

It shows us what we want in this world.

As well as what we don't want.

And sometimes we have to experience what we don't want to realize what it is that we do want.

Life is a journey. With each experience, each step we take in our lives, we have the opportunity to learn and grow.


 There is a beautiful article I love that talks about life's lessons. It says that we are presented with the same lesson, again and again, until we learn from it. And how true this is I must say.

An excerpt from the article:

There Are No Mistakes, Only Lessons
Growth is a process of trail and error, experimentation. The"failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works."

Here is the link to this article: http://heart-2-heart-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/here-is-your-assignment.jpg

Experience is what allows us to grow, its what shapes our character. It gives us the stuff to sort through, it is the clay we use to mold our lives with.

And some of this stuff is messy. It's messy as life sometimes is. Sometimes we think we are on the right track to find that we have veered off our path. So with awareness, we change direction, we come back to our path. To what feels right. To who we are.

The more we experience, the more we learn. About others as well as ourselves. With experience comes clarity and understanding.

And oh, how we become stronger and wiser on this journey.

Blessings,

Julie

Asking for Help is Strength, Not Weakness.

Why has asking for help ever been associated with weakness? I have no idea really. We have associated showing our vulnerability, allowing others to see our truth, with weakness. It has taken me a few years to now realize that it is in our vulnerability, in our rawest truth,  that our greatest strength and light lies.

Somehow we have become obsessed with labeling and categorizing things: this is good, this is bad, this is right and this is wrong. This is how I "should" be. Why have we have allowed our judgement to limit instead of serve us? And who is to say what the "right" way to be is?

There is no right way.

There is only our truth, which is meant to be expressed.

So let us simply be who we are. And if we need support, let us ask for it, without hesitation. Without feeling the need to explain ourselves, justify our pain. We don't always need a reason. What is important is only that we are authentic.

Rather than asking ourselves why we feel the way we do, let us simply feel. 

Asking for help takes courage. Believe me, I know. But we can let go of judgement and learn to be kind to ourselves, to love ourselves for who we are and not who others expect us to be.

Blessings,

Julie

Let Out Your Crazy!

We are all wild at heart. 

We are all free spirits with a special light to shine. We are each born with a unique set of gifts that are meant to be nurtured and shared with others.

And sometimes its simply about giving ourselves the permission to let go of who we think we should be to become who we truly are. Its about letting go of judgement and letting ourselves be ourselves.

So let us ride with our instinct and intuition. Even if it appears foolish.

We like to understand everything in our rational mind. We like to make sense of everything.

And while our rational mind is our friend, helping us to intelligently sort out and navigate our lives, could we also be okay with doing things simply because we feel like doing them, without always having a reason?

Of course we can be.

What if we lived each day as if it were our last? What would you do?

Blessings,

Julie

Learning to Love Ourselves First.

Before we can love anyone else wholeheartedly, we must learn to give ourselves the love we deserve. Because in giving ourselves true love, self respect and compassion, we are able to give to others that much more powerfully.

In replenishing our cup first, in giving ourselves energy and strength, we have the strength to give our energy to others without burning out. We cannot possibly give to others when we are running on empty.

It does not make us an honorable or respected person to give if we cannot give to ourselves.

 In fact, it is interesting how others actually respect us more when we have the respect and kindness to take care of ourselves first.

The amazing thing is that giving become enjoyable, easy and actually quite energizing when we are strong within ourselves first. And when others ask us to do things for them, we feel grounded and know our limits. Because we start from a place of strength.

I realized the difference when I started building a compassionate relationship with myself. How much I am able to give to others when I start from a place of self-respect!

Learning to love ourselves first is not something to feel guilty about. When we start from a place of self-love, we are able to more powerfully inspire, contribute, engage and connect with the world and all of the abundance that it holds.

Blessings,

Julie

Turning Ideas into Action

Transforming our ideas into action, our mental visualizations to physical reality, is powerful. It shows our ability to actualize our dreams, create, and affect our own lives.

Turning our ideas into action is the difference of feeling victim to our circumstances and feeling empowered to create the circumstances for ourselves that serve our well-being.
It is the difference of affecting, rather than being affected.

Often we judge our ideas and their potential before they are actualized. We assume we know how things will turn out when in fact, nobody knows what will happen until it happens. Why limit ourselves through the untruth of judgement and assumption?  

We simply cannot know how an experience will affect us until we are physically experiencing it. 

Let us shine our light and let others see our unique gifts, what we have to offer to this world.

Let us live daringly. 

Whether it be starting a business, participating in a volunteer project or starting a blog, there really is nothing to lose- only so much to learn.

And remember this powerful truth,

"In retrospect, we regret the things we didn’t do more than the things we did."

— Empire Records 

Blessings,

Julie

Life is Too Short to Not be Lived Fully

I am an amendment believer in not settling.There is a saying that goes something like this, "we regret the things we don't do more than the things we do." This is to say that there is more to gain in life than to lose.

But we are so afraid- of looking foolish, of failing, of judgement from others- that we procrastinate our success. We wait for other people to notice us instead of going ahead and shining our light.

As if being bold and unique is something to be ashamed of.

It is not and never was.

We are given a life, like a blank canvas, and it is our choice what we want to do with it. Just like when we paint, we choose what colors to paint with, how many and where we would like to place them on the canvas. In life, we choose what we do, how much we do it and who we want to do it with.

Much depends on our perspective. On how we choose to see our lives. And way the passing of time feels is completely related to our perspective.

When we live our lives fully, in awareness, in each moment and to our potential, we feel fulfilled and time doesn't just "fly by." It doesn't just pass us by because we are using it. We are the masters of our time.

There is no reason why we cannot live daringly, openly and wholeheartedly.

Blessings,

Julie

Listening to The Heart

Within each of us lies the voice of our heart. Sometimes it gets silenced when our head gets in the way, telling us to live our lives a certain way, a way that may just look good on paper.

But regardless of what happens, the voice of the heart is always present. When we are not influenced by the desires of others and allow our heart to speak, it always shows us exactly where we need to go, what we need to do, who we need to be to feel our most profound freedom and happiness. Rumi once said

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray."

Here he is speaking about the voice of heart. And we may ask ourselves why do we not all follow this voice if it is so powerful and guiding? Well unfortunately I cannot offer one true answer to this question, but I can offer my perspective.

It is our fear of vulnerability, of expressing our truest selves that scares us. "It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, beautiful and talented?"
(Marianne Williamson)

Why hold back when our playing small does not serve the world? The answer is to not hold back. To shine our light.

When we accept ourselves fully and see past the self doubt, when we realize that we are deserving of what it is that we desire, then the heart can speak louder.

So let's listen to the voice that really matters.

Blessings,

Julie

Learning to Say No: The Value of Self Respect

I used to believe that putting myself first was something to feel guilty about. That it is wrong to make time and space for ourselves.

 This is not true.

Through experience, I realized that the person who calls someone selfish for needing to take care of themselves first is actually speaking for themselves and out of a lack of understanding and compassion. 

Of course there is a distinct difference with protecting one's own self respect and boundaries and being disrespectful and uncaring. Self respect and assertion comes from a conscious place of understanding and love, while rudeness  comes from a place of frustration and lack of self confidence, respect and love. Usually the way we treat others is a reflection of the way we feel about ourselves.

 Much of how we affect each other comes from the way in which we choose to communicate. If we assert our needs to others respectfully and they take it personally, then it is not our problem. These people are clearly not friends. True friends are understanding and understand that relationships are between two people who equally respect each others' needs.

One of the most important things I have learned about self respect is this:
The best thing we can do for others is to put ourselves first.

To become the strongest and most inspired versions of ourselves first, before we try to help others.  Why? Because then we have far more strength, inspiration and groundedness to share.  

We truly know how to give to others when we learn how to give to ourselves first. 

Knowing when to say no out of self respect requires awareness. Life is all about balance- making time for others, but without sacrificing our own needs. With awareness, we know ourselves better and we better know when it is the right time to say what.

Setting a limit on what is not working or bringing us down can  really mean yes.

Yes to what we do want and all the opportunities awaiting our decision to simply make the space and time for them.

Blessings,

Julie

Seeking Light in Darkness: The Gain in Pain

A year ago, I would have never guessed that I would be where I am now. This year has blessed me with life experience and a heap of chaos as well. While I am in a much better place now than I have ever been, I must acknowledge a certain fact. And this is that I would not be who I am now if it weren't for the pain and darkness of my past.

Going through a time of utter hopelessness made me question my life and what makes life worth living. And through this very experience, I started the journey of a truly meaningful life- one where I live as authentically, wholeheartedly and daringly as I possibly can. Not only did a learn about who I am and what makes me happy- I also saw the value of persistence. To pursue the path that we feel is right, even if we must take the first step alone. I realized that I would rather follow my heart and own inner compass, however unpredictable, than live a conventional life.

It comes down to a choice.

What we choose to do with our life experiences. We can embrace the pain and learn from it.

Often when we reach a point in life where we don't know what to do anymore, we change. We change because we ask ourselves questions and see that which is no longer serving us in our lives. And perhaps this very pain is what gave us the opportunity to change for the better and realize our passion. 

 It may be that through seeing what doesn't work, what we are not, that we find who we truly are.

  “In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

                                                               - Albert Camus 

 Blessings,

Julie 

Finding Inner Peace

I was talking to a friend yesterday and in our conversation expressed my belief that life is simple, but not always easy. Whatever is complicated is because we have made it complicated.

Life's cycles are unpredictable and filled with many ups and downs, but if we care to take a step back and look at our lives, all the pieces fit together perfectly. Life is whole. We are whole. Without the ups we wouldn't find a reason to live and without the downs we wouldn't appreciate the ups.

So how, then, can we find inner peace in this thing called life? It's messy and we can lose touch with ourselves and our hearts.

With awareness, we always come back within to realize that there is a stillness we can find. When we take a moment to honestly acknowledge our present and embrace all that lies within it, without judgement, we find peace.

And when we find that stillness and inner peace, we realize how powerful it is- to simply exist amidst the chaos of our everyday lives. 

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."   (Unknown)

Blessings,

Julie

Discomfort and Inner Growth.

Remember when we were children and would complain of the growing pains in our knees? We were told that it was a good pain and would pass. Our body just needs to do it's work to become bigger and stronger.

Well, in keeping this same idea, inner growth works the same way. Emotionally, mentally and spiritually we grow in our lives. With every shift or change, we have the opportunity to learn more about ourselves. 

Certain things we learn with age, regardless of what we choose to do with our lives. But other times we have a choice. Are we going to be comfortable and do only that which we absolutely must do? Or do we look beyond with awareness? We can choose to embrace vulnerability and learn to be okay with the discomfort of the unfamiliar.

Our level of personal growth is a direct reflection of the amount of uncertainty we can handle. 

When we don't take risks, face our fears and embrace our adventurous self that thirsts to experience more, we simply do not fulfill our potential. Are we willing to be okay with not knowing everything? Whether we are taking off to travel the world, loving without expecting anything in return or simply allowing our true selves to show, these are risks that can be very uncomfortable. And are they worth it? Of course they are.

Of course it is worth it to be the truest expression of ourselves. To allow the world to see who we really are, without a mask. Yes, it is uncertain- who knows how people will react. But does it matter? Regardless of what we do, there will always be those who will judge and point a finger.

In being who we are, we are allowing ourselves to grow into our strongest selves . Not to mention the freedom of not having to think about pretending to be someone else.

Being who we are sounds so simple, but it can we tricky in this world where there are so many expectations around how we "should" be. The truth is that the unhappiness associated with not being who we are is far worse than the discomfort we sometimes experience in following our unique path and heart's desire.

So let's embrace individuality.

Blessings,

Julie

The Power in Simplicity.

Sometimes the most powerful and life-changing moments in our lives are the simple ones. They touch our hearts and we realize that we don't always need big and fancy things to live a rich and meaningful life.

We don't always need to achieve big things or have big plans to have a sense of fulfillment, aliveness and happiness with our lives.

Of course balance is the key. It is important to dream big and to create goals for ourselves so that we can realize our potential. But I have also found incredible value in living in the moment, and in savoring the simplicity it has to offer.

A warm hug,
A heartfelt conversation,
A genuine smile,
A good meal,
A beautiful day.

What are the simple moments that have impacted your life and touched your heart these days?

Too often we forget to see the beauty of what is right before us. Because we have grown accustomed to our surroundings. They become ordinary.

But really, it is in the seemingly ordinary moments that we can find extraordinary happiness. 

For the sake of this article, I will keep it short and sweet.

Here is a quote I love by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Famous children's author)

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all."

Blessings,

Julie

Why Travel?

It is my firm belief that without the opportunity to be challenged and grow as our unique selves, life is meaningless. We cannot become all that we are if we don't face our fears, push our limits and becoming incredibly uncomfortable.

Growth happens as a result of two things coming together: our experiences in this world and our internal processing of these experiences. Traveling is one of the best ways to expand our perspective and our capacity to experience life.

And I don't mean over budgeting just to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. This is a vacation, not traveling. I went on many vacations growing up, but this year I really started traveling. I stayed in hostels and ate at the local markets, found myself striking up inspiring conversations with strangers. In doing this, my entire perspective on what travel is changed. I see incredible value in it.

When we travel, we become more open in every day because we want to learn more about what the world has to offer. We want to see more, do more and feel more. And in opening up, we allow the process of exploration, adventure and learning to take place.

The nature of travel is of non-attachment. We leave our stuff, jobs, the people we usually spend our time with and our homes to see something else. To become immersed in a different way of living and being.

Why is this so amazing?

Because it shows us that anything is possible. That we can live life is any way that we choose. It is just a matter of our decision. 

Traveling forces us to question our current way of life, choices and ways of thinking and doing things. Without travel, we may live our whole lives asking ourselves, "Is this really all there is?" And with it we feel more fulfilled. We realize that the whole idea of "normal" is bullshit. Complete and utter foolishness. Why?

Because normal is whatever we make it. Each country has it's own normal. And the only way to realize this is by packing our bags and traveling in the most adventurous and open-hearted way possible.

Blessings,

Julie

Embracing Authenticity.

Upon arriving back from traveling to Israel a few days ago, I realized the power of perspective. That when we grow and become more grounded in our authentic selves, we can be in the same places again after three years, and feel completely different. Three years ago I went to Israel and felt lost, disconnected and lonely. Upon going back to some of the same places again, I truly realized that it is who we become, within ourselves, that determines how we experience life. This is how powerful perspective is.

These recent travels gave me a certain reassurance. They reminded me that things do change. We are never stuck, even when we feel like there is no way out. There is always a path moving forward and we always have a choice. On who we want to become. With a great deal of self-trust, patience and persistence, we really can create the kind of life we want for ourselves, in every way.

My life really changed when I asked myself the question, "Do I want to live a life that looks good on the outside or one that feels good on the inside?" This is a question that challenges our authenticity. How much are we willing to risk to be true to ourselves? Are we willing to embrace vulnerability and uncertainty to follow the path that feels right, despite what it looks like? Through the choices I made, what I was doing was answering yes to these questions. It was time to give up who I thought I should be for something more real. Something far more real.

And upon being in the same places in my recent travels while feeling completely different, feeling finally myself, I was filled with overwhelming gratitude. I felt utterly blessed to have fought for authenticity, to be myself.

Life is too short to be anyone else other than ourselves. There is so much to experience and when we make our choices from our hearts, doing what really feels right, then our life experience is that much more real.

Things change all the time, no matter what we do. Life is constantly shifting and we are adjusting. And where we choose is in how we react to our circumstances or what happens to us.  We can choose to let life affect us, to become victim to circumstances and the expectations of others, or we can become active participants in our lives. We can choose to affect our lives, to pave our own path by the choices we make and walk on it as our most authentic selves.

Blessings,

Julie

Finding Your Balance: Looking at Life as a Balancing Act.

There is a beautiful saying that goes like this: "In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer."  Why do I love this quote so much? Because it holds true for so much that we experience in life. The concepts of Yin and Yang (originating in the Chinese culture) say that in life, we have everything and nothing lies exclusively. Happiness is not without sadness. Day is not without night. And so forth.

Oftentimes, we find out greatest happiness through our greatest struggle. Why? Because our struggles make us stronger and wiser. Perhaps this calls for us to re-frame our idea of struggle. When we are going through a tough period of time we want to isolate ourselves, we feel embarrassed and weak, that we aren't deserving.

Let's rethink our dark times. They may be the experiences that shape us into our greatest selves. For in darkness we find light. And in vulnerability we find our greatest power. Why I say this? Because I have experienced it.

If we look at our lives, we see everything. Life is whole when we let go of judgement and simply see what is. When we acknowledge and embrace all of our emotions, each life experience. For every experience gives us the opportunity to become more, to grow and to expand our consciousness.

The key then, is balance. I was listening to a radio show a few days ago that explained ways that we can become more balanced, ways that I have practiced in my own life.

It is important to find time for ourselves. Time to recharge, reflect and refocus. Eliminating toxicity in our lives is also vital. Choosing not to spend time with people who suck out our energy. Learning to say "no" may give us more space to say "yes" to what we really need. Our energy is precious and we cannot live our lives according to the opinions and expectations of other people.

I have learned that finding balance also means asking for help. We are put on this earth together, to connect and help each other. Asking for help is a sign of courage and self-respect, not weakness.

With these practical strategies in mind, I have also realized that balance is more than just what we do. It is a mindset created from the thoughts we think. It is a state of being, a state of inner peace that we find through looking within. Through facing who we truly are. 

Blessings,

Julie

Simplicity and Freedom: Having Less to Become More

The past few days have been a time of preparation: for travel and for a change in living space. I have never done packing for both at the same time! All very exciting, but also tiring. I have definitely learned the value of finding balance, especially during this time. Taking the time to just be and breathe. For "life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain." It's about learning to dance and play through our lives,  in whatever the time we are experiencing is giving us.

As I've been packing, it really dawned on me how we often allow our stuff to limit us, and without even realizing. I have felt such freedom while traveling- a big part of this feeling comes from the fact that I am not attached to many things. I have the space to live in authenticity. To base my decisions only on inner desire, with no attachment to an external condition. And what I have realized, is that we can live this way all the time.

It is simply about mindset: to know that regardless of what we have around us, our value is in who we are and not what we have.

We get attached to the things we have, as if they are a part of us. But really, the things we own has absolutely no relation to our value as human beings.

Our things take up our physical space, but also our mental space. We tell ourselves that "perhaps one day I will use this for something." The problem with thinking this way is that we can say this about anything we own. We can justify just about anything with this statement.

Instead, let us ask ourselves if the things we have are serving us right now for who we are right now. We are constantly evolving. The things we used to have may no longer serving us, for we have grown. We are stronger and wiser than we were a year ago, a month ago, a week ago. 

When we allow our environment to reflect our inner world, we experience more alignment, more peace. Letting go of old baggage fills us with more energy. 

What do you prefer, carrying old baggage or having more energy?

The longer I live, the more I realize that simplicity is more than just being a minimalist with the things we have. We can simplify our lives by becoming aware of the people we spend our time with and energy on. We really do "become like the five people we spend the most time with." 

It is important to become aware of the people in our lives and how we feel with them. Who is inspiring, supportive and positive and who is bringing us down? Saying no to the "energy vampires", the people who take away from our happiness, can be one of the best decisions we make. For as long as we waste our time with the wrong people, we are limiting our own growth and freedom, as well as our ability to become stronger so that we can contribute to others. 

Simplicity is a process, and it starts with awareness. Let us be aware of the truth and "change what we can, accept what we cannot and have the wisdom to know the difference." (The serenity prayer).

Blessings,

Julie

The Power of Gratitude + My Story

 Gratitude has the power to change lives, to transform our perspective and make us feel happier. When we notice that which we already have and that which we already hold within us, when we notice our unique gifts and inner resources, we realize that the key to success and happiness is already within us.

Yes, life can get stressful and chaotic. It is easy to become consumed by all the problems we have yet to solve, all the goals we have yet to achieve. We put pressure on ourselves and expect ourselves to find solutions quickly, and when we don't we become disappointed. All of this thinking focuses on the lack of and the future- what is still yet to come.

When we take a moment to come to the present. To observe our own being in meditation or stillness, we realize that we are filled with and surrounded by abundance right now.

We live in a world where happiness is objectified. We think that we need to get something in order to be happy. But happiness is not defined by a set of conditions, nor is it attached to any. What is it though, is a state of being that yes, can be achieved in the presence of certain conditions, but more importantly, can be found within us at any point in our lives.

For me, it took a breakdown to realize what life is really about, what is really important and that what is important has always been and is within and around me. Breaking down made me feel like a failure, like someone who was giving up. But really, 2010 was the beginning of a new life for me. It just took a little while for things to get better. Beginnings are often hard, and we can lose sight of how good they are in the long run, but they really are good. I can assure you.

Life is full of new beginnings, changes and shifts, but 2010 presented me with a beginning that I was not exactly prepared for. It was the first time in my life that I felt out of control. The more of life we experience, we know ourselves better and we learn more. We learn how to deal with situations and we gain confidence. So yes, while we will continually experience shifts, changes and new beginnings, we also gain perspective and learn how to better approach the situations that we are faced with.

Gratitude makes us realize that we are enough. That we have enough. Gratitude starts with awareness. Whether we write a list of what we feel blessed to have or if we are simply noticing what is making us feel good, this is practicing gratitude.

I really love the phrase, "the world is your oyster." Gratitude causes us to see this truth.

Blessings,

Julie

Happiness is Right Now: Make Love to The Moment.

There is nothing more real than this moment. This very moment holds the most power of aliveness and authenticity. The past is memory and the future is yet to come. The greatest opportunity for impact we have is in our hands in this moment.

Sometimes we get caught up in the idea that happiness is attached to big things- to money, status and material possessions. That we need to achieve big things to find happiness. We look outside ourselves for it, as if it were some object to chase after. "One day, when I have ____ , I will be happy."

The truth is that we don't have to go anywhere to find true happiness. Only within our hearts. It is not attached to a condition, it does not rely on something that we need to get.

Happiness does not judge. It does not look at what we have or don't have. It doesn't care about perfection. It just is. And sometimes we must look within to find that happiness is something we can feel now.

With the courage to venture within, we know ourselves. And when we know ourselves, we know how to live.

Happiness starts from the journey within. It starts with the patience and courage to look within, to ask ourselves the burning questions about how we feel and what makes us happy. Are we living for other people or are we staying true to our authentic selves?

We can plan for the future, but living is in the moment.

This year I really realized that the realest human connection happens in the moment. How soul satisfying it is to experience life in each others' presence (the word presence derives from the state of being present). To be able to share our happiness with others and appreciate theirs.

One of my favorite movies, "Into The Wild" describes exactly this. That happiness as something that becomes real when it is shared. I could not agree more.

Blessings,

Julie

Why We Hold Back Our Feelings.

I watched my favorite TED talk today by Brené Brown called "The Power of Vulnerability"- lets just say that her words touch me quite profoundly. In this post, I want to bring out the topics of emotion and vulnerability.

 We so often hold back our feelings because we think that if we express them, we are weak. That if people were to know just what is really going on inside, in our hearts, they will think less of us. So we silence, we pretend, we hold back on the truth.We build up walls that suck out our energy, and at the same time stuff down our potential for creativity and growth.

Through experiencing and reflecting upon my own life, I have realized that there is a whole picture to embrace. We cannot possibly embrace true happiness without embracing pain.

We have learned to put labels on our emotions, as if they were items in a grocery store. "This thing is good, this thing is bad." The thing is that emotions don't work like that. They aren't selective. We can't go about feeling authentic if we only expect happiness and that other people see our life looking like a perfectly wrapped present.

Perhaps one of the greatest risks is exposing ourselves for who we truly are. This way of being is paved with uncertainty and risk. But if I have learned anything this year, it is that this is most worthwhile risk of all. To be who we truly are.

Exposing our vulnerability is one of the most courageous and powerful things we can do. It is the basis of human connection. How can we expect to understand each other and experience real connection if we are avoiding how we really feel? Embracing vulnerability means asking for help. It means saying, "I'm sorry." It's stepping into the arena of life and getting messy, even though there are no guarantees. It means saying no to something that has drained our energy and taking the step to doing what will make us happy, even if we feel scared and lonely. It means having faith in the face of uncertainty.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, its about learning to dance in the rain."

Dare openheartedly,

Julie

When Times Get Tough, Stay Connected.

The past few months have been a time of great change in my life. I have learned to find balance in times of chaos. Change is uncomfortable and we often do not see that most of the changes we make in our lives have positive intention. Because change can be so overwhelming and draining, we do not see the benefit until things have settled.

Some changes involve letting go of comforts we held on to for too long- a relationship we thought would work out, a job that no longer gives us what we need. We let go of what we know because it doesn't make us happy and if we don't try something else, we may never know what will. We step into uncertainty with courage.

When we feel overwhelmed, we often feel a need to escape, to get away. "How will I possibly be able to handle all of this?" we ask ourselves.

And instead of expressing how we feel and asking for help, we keep our emotion bottled up.

What I have learned is that it is during this specific time of feeling overwhelmed that we must have the courage to face, open up and be open to receive support and connect.

Maybe we were conditioned in the past that being a "fighter" is the right way. That we must push ourselves to fight through our struggles on our own. I can say that this way of being is wrong. Why is it wrong? Because it simply doesn't feel good.  

Feeling alone therefore can be directly caused by our beliefs around how we should react to life's
events. We may isolate because we feel it wrong to express our emotion and allow the world to see our most authentic selves. That crying, showing vulnerability, is a sign of weakness.

But really, our power lies in our vulnerability. There is nothing more powerful that allowing our truth to be expressed and shared.

So let us open up to each other as our most authentic selves. We were put here on this earth together for a reason. To connect with each other and create on this basis.
 
Blessings,

Julie

Are You Being YOU? - Live Your Truth.

We have all worn masks. Some masks are heavier and some not so. Whether we are in a job that we hate and we pretend to like it, or we are simply smiling our way through a rough day, we are still wearing a mask. Some masks are temporary and some are not. Its the ones we wear without awareness, the ones that we mistake for truth, the ones that we allow to become our reality that make us feel unhappy and stuck. These masks stop us from becoming more of who we truly are and embracing the changes that will allow this to happen.

The heavier the mask, the more energy we waste. And the more energy we are putting into being someone we are not, the less energy we have to be who we truly are.

When we wear a mask, what we are really experiencing is misalignment between our external and internal world. The things we say and the way we express our emotion is not in alignment with what we are really thinking and feeling.

Taking off our mask takes courage. It's not easy to become who we truly are. There will be challenges.

I have dedicated my life to uncovering my own authenticity and I can say with all my heart that is has been the best decision I have ever made. It has distinguished my understanding of how it feels to exist and how it feels to be alive- the difference is life-changing. It has taught me patience and to trust in the journey of growth and self realization.

Being authentic starts with the decision to be authentic. From there, we peel the onion. Imagine an onion- each layer we peel off, the more authentic we become as we come closer to our core.

The only way we can move forward is by acknowledging that which is in the present. And sometimes we don't want to face what is present because it is painful or scary. But in resisting, we are also resisting our growth and happiness. Happiness carries a different meaning when it doesn't hold the baggage of unexpressed emotion.

Life's cycle is whole. We are human and we are meant to experience the whole range of emotions. Acknowledging each experience for what it is creates freedom- the sensation of freedom itself as well as the freedom to be who we truly are and experience all that we are capable of experiencing.

Blessings,

Julie