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