Change Your Focus

I am the queen of worrying. There are actually times when I realize I've forgotten to breathe because I'm so anxious! One small doubt snowballs into a bigger and bigger dilemma until all I can see are my problems. I've wasted away inordinate amounts of time in which I could have been happy, productive, and positive.

Every moment we spend fixated on obstacles is one less we could have been focusing on solutions. 

You will always find what you're looking for. If you expect only problems, that's what you will find! Instead, search for even the tiniest hint of the good in your day to build upon. Once you look at the situation from another perspective, other possibilities will begin to appear. Remember, you are authoring this story- it's up to you to give it a happy ending.

Monday Message

This is a season of rebirth, life, fresh chances, and growth. You can almost feel the palpable energy of promise of something wonderful in nature's humming. Now is the time to believe in your dreams. Even if no one else does. Remain true to your vision and your passion. If what you seek is not there, create it. Have courage! What you're looking for is just on the other side of fear. I know you're scared and I am too. I'm terrified! But if I don't do this now, I'll never know. If I don't try, I'll have already failed.

Easter Blessing

Have you ever felt like your life is just out of your control? That whatever you try fails? That you've run out of answers and run out of time? That the more you try to handle it all, the more of a mess it becomes? 

Guess what? You're probably right!

Leading a faithful life does not mean we have an easy road to travel. It does not promise that we have riches, nor even health. But what we do have is somewhere to turn to, to lean on, to take away our pain and bless our lives beyond measure. He knows all, sees all, and loves us all despite our flaws and wrongdoings. He is and will always be the answer. All we have to do is pray.

Always Time to Dream

When did you stop daydreaming? Somewhere on that monotonous path to adulthood, in between coffee for breakfast and grumpy bosses' complaints. Between sorority dances and picking up the kids from dance class. When you traded sunglasses for reading glasses and school supplies for office staples.

Why do we allow ourselves to give up on magic as a necessity of growing up? Just because we're a few years older, we somehow believe that we must follow an entirely new set of directions in which our lives are dull, ordinary, and predictable. But who says? Is there some authority out there, ready to chastise us at any infraction? Of course not!

You have the power to create yourself at any age. Don't be afraid to deeply care, to take risks, to act silly! Start daydreaming again and choose to believe in the impossible. Throw out the rule book and write your own story.

Patience is a Virtue...

It seems that no matter what I've achieved, I wish I had done better, gone further, pushed harder. It's hard for me to recognize and appreciate the place I'm in today, when deep down, there exists a fear that I am still not good enough. Honestly, I don't even know who I'm proving myself to most of the time. However, I continue to belittle my accomplishments and shame myself for not having reached all of my intended goals by now.

Setting goals for ourselves is not the problem. But by holding yourself to impossible standards and continually comparing your journey to other's, you are robbing yourself of the gift of the present moment. 

Perhaps the reason we are in this place now is more meaningful than our intended destination ever was. Our lives are not random, nor are they ever a waste. Instead, we are all interwoven into each other's journey through a plan that is greater than our own. What you do and who you are right in this very moment matter. It's time to find the purpose in your present, look forward to the future, and let go of the past.

Building the New

I find myself navigating the boundary between getting back to the "old me" and working on the person I want to become. It is so tempting to think that if I were to just be the person I was growing up, my life would be just as simple and wonderful as it was during my childhood. But the truth is, I will never be that person again (thank goodness though!) and even if that was possible, life has changed and there's nothing I can do to control that. 

We are constantly evolving from one day to the next. Like stones being swept along and chipped away by the current, so too are we shaped by the experiences we face through life. It is therefore not only necessary, but beneficial for us to change as we grow.

It is true that spending time and energy on the past robs us of the pleasure of the present. But it's scary to feel responsible for figuring out and working toward becoming someone new. This is a challenge we will continue to face as we leave the safety of the known and head into the future. 

The good news is that who you are today doesn't have to be the same as tomorrow. Instead of allowing yourself to get anxious over the task, look at it as an opportunity to try new things, to make mistakes, to challenge yourself, to create yourself! You don't have have all the answers now. Take one day at time, and try to enjoy the magic in the process.

Promise Yourself This

What does it mean to live sincerely? It means living with intention. Veracity in your vision. Meaning in your words and truth in your heart. Unselfishly, recklessly spreading kindness.

It means you make decisions based on your values. That you love until it hurts. That you laugh until you cry. 

You speak only your truth and listen only to understand. You kiss deeply and embrace passionately. Those near you know they are loved. Those far from you long to be in your presence. 

Figure out what you value. Then live your life accordingly.