What do YOU desire?: The Act of Following Your Light

To feel truly free, we must be on the path that aligns with our true desires. By asking ourselves the simple, yet super important question, "What do I want?" while maintaining an awareness of how we feel with each daily experience, we have the ability and opportunity to be in that flowing synchronicity that is ultimately freeing.

We are the mapmakers of our destiny. This means that we each have the power to focus on that which excites us, and we have the capability to ignite our brightest inner spark. In our essence, we are meant to shine and live our inherent greatness. But in order to do this, we must believe that we are worthy of living this way. We must see that our light is meant to shine, and be expressed and shared with others.

Another important thing we need to keep in mind is that in order to remain focused and grounded, there will be times when we must learn to say "no" to the things that bring us down. A person's negative energy, a job that makes us feel stuck doing something we don't enjoy, being in a relationship where there is no spark- these are all examples of things that test our assertiveness. Are we able to let go of that which is not supporting our happiness to allow room for the positive to flourish? Do we have the courage to stand up for ourselves and say no when necessary?

Instead of convincing ourselves that we are fine when we are not, or telling ourselves that we should be able to handle it, let us always listen to our hearts. Our gut feeling holds tremendous value and this voice needs to be heard. Let us not allow fear to stop us from listening to the truth. The only way to truly change a situation is by noticing what we are feeling currently. Through awareness, we can identify our present, feel the misalignment if there is any, and see that which needs to be changed.

The obstacles of change, the fear of uncertainty and the pain we experience when we follow our heart is far better than the pain of regret in knowing that we never followed our heart.

So let us listen to our heart and trust its power to guide us,
and let us ride our waves of intuition daily.

Are you ready to take the leap of faith?

Many blessings,

Julie


 

How Do You See Things? (The Power of Perspective)

The way we feel is a direct reflection of the perspective we have- about ourselves, others, the world and everything in it.

If we are focusing on the negative things, we see the world with a negative eye, have expectations of things going badly in the future, see less of ourselves. This translates into feelings of inadequacy and lack of fulfillment.

Conversely, if we are seeing the beauty and positive things in life, that is what we are absorbing- literally. Our bodies thrive when our mind is in a good place. This way of viewing things is incredibly fulfilling and soul-satisfying. It feeds into a cycle that propels us to see further beauty. Of course, this perspective makes us happy.

Many of us can vouch for the fact that circumstances in life can make it more difficult to see beauty and light. I am not in any way downplaying the impact of  unexpected tough times. However, often and especially during these tough times, we get consumed by the struggle and forget about all the good stuff- even though its still there.

I realized this especially recently. When we are going through something, we can become so involved in it that seeing outside this experience is difficult. And only when we became at peace with ourselves after the storm passes, does it hit us that the positive things and people were always there, even during the tough time.

One way to remind ourselves of the goodness that is always in our lives it to practice gratitude. Each day I make an effort to remind myself of the positive people in my life who support me, my health, the opportunities I have- the list goes on. Whatever it is, from something as simple as the ability to be able to eat good food, drink fresh water and sleep in a warm bed to the job we have that allows us to travel, eat and do what we want- these are all things that when we can expand our awareness of them and see their positive impact on us each day, we feel more fulfilled. We gain perspective, which reminds us of all that we have no matter what we are going through.

Blessings,

Julie

Let Your Light Shine!

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” -Marianne Williamson

The longer I live, the more I realize that to embrace who we truly are inside is the essence of freedom. Each of us has our own unique set of gifts and a light that is meant to shine. We are meant to nurture our passion and creativity and then share it with others. The ability to express fully and openly is incredibly freeing. 

With more time, we have more opportunity to experience and learn about who we are. And we have a choice: we can discover our true being and ignore it, or we can celebrate it. We can cage ourselves in the way we believe we "should" act rather than how we "feel" like acting or we can see our light and allow it to shine and reach other people. And in allowing our light to shine we free others and give them the space to do the same. 

Especially in today's world, it is so easy to feel that we need to be a certain way, do certain things. But this becomes a very heady situation, because we are left constantly looking outside ourselves for reassurance, we rationalize and convince ourselves that its okay to be less than who we truly are. Because it provides a sense of belonging and that is what we all want. We all want to feel accepted and loved. But what does this mean if we are not being accepted and loved for our truest selves? 

 And what I've learned, is that the way of the heart is the most liberating. I used to live mostly in my head. Before doing anything, I would analyze and rationalize. Soon enough, I learned that living like this is draining and limiting. 

Living from the heart means doing things because we feel like doing them, not because we think we should. It means being spontaneous and allowing our light to shine, realizing that in doing this, we become our most powerful selves. When we do this, we actually attract the people and situations that are most in alignment with our needs and desires.

Yes, it takes courage and facing fear. But we can learn to trust ourselves and see our inner spark.

Let your light shine,

Julie

Trusting Your Inner Compass

Sometimes we forget to trust ourselves. It's as simple as that. We somehow get caught in the thought that others know whats best for us. We think that because so-and-so has known us for a long time and been by our side, they must know what is right for us. And when we are at a crossroads when making a decision, it seems easier and logical to put our trust into these people. But in this very moment, we forget that while seeking for help and advice provides useful perspective, it is inside that all the answers lie. The final decision that best benefits us is one that we know in our hearts. 

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

– Christopher Columbus.

Trusting our inner compass means having the courage to experiment with it. Giving ourselves the permission to explore is freedom. For if we allow others to make our decisions, we end up feeling like a victim. Of course there are people who will say things that resonate with our inner intentions, but there will also be those who aren't aware of our needs. At the end of the day, we take all that we learn and apply that which feels right.

So it is best to walk the journey that is ours, with all of its bumps and turns. To try things, and learn about what makes us feel good and what doesn't. And as we experience more, we know more and have a greater inner understanding. Our inner world becomes rich with insight and our outer world becomes a reflection of this.   

I like to think of making good choices as a skill. And by "good choices", I mean ones that benefit our well-being. The more we can trust ourselves to make our own decisions, we build a wealth of inner knowledge and a sense of direction. And what many of us think of as a "wrong choice" is really an opportunity to learn and gain contrast by seeing what isn't in alignment with our desires. 

And as we experience more of what is in alignment with our desires, we build upon this and each choice is an opportunity to reflect on what we have learned so far to make decisions that will guide us further along our inner path of fulfillment.

Let your light shine,

Julie

Pave Your Own Road: Letting Go of the Opinions of Others

The older we get, the better we know ourselves. Ideally, the better we know ourselves we should rely less on the opinions of others when we make decisions. We should gain confidence with age.

However, when we are not following our true path of what feels right, being confident becomes a challenge. If we give in to what other people expect of us and live a life of pleasing others, how the hell can we expect to gain confidence? True confidence comes when we know ourselves and act with our true needs and desires. The better we can make decisions in alignment with what we really want, confidence flourishes. Because it just feels right. The need to seek reassurance lessens.

And even when we are following our hearts, it takes time for confidence t o build. We must really get to know ourselves, practice making many decisions and learn to trust ourselves along the way. It takes a whole lot of courage and perseverance to do what you want to do and not care what other people think. But I can tell you, that it is worth it.

If the direction in which we steer our boat is based upon the opinions of others, we become a victim of circumstance. But if we are the ones deciding, if we can steer our own boats, then we become creators. For at the end of the day, there is no perfect decision. What matters most is that we are making it.

So screw what other people think. Who cares what so-and-so thinks about what you are doing? What does it matter? I have realized that at the end of the day, the people who actually care about me will support me no matter what. And everyone else? Screw them! Screw the people who don't get it, who don't have anything positive to say.

"You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period."

- The Pursuit of Happyness

Blessings,

Julie