Sunday 29 September 2013

The Most Important Honesty: What We Tell Ourselves

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/62/0b/97/620b97ed1c2ebea0101d3962058811b7.jpgThe 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

Sunday 22 September 2013

True Beauty Comes from Within

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/aa/b4/a1/aab4a155bd41e1f88e097fb170acc730.jpgWhatever 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


Monday 9 September 2013

Letting Go of Someone We Love

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/30/fc/a1/30fca136c013d97c3598990fdf721a75.jpgTo 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

Monday 2 September 2013

Learning through Experience

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/85/c9/30/85c930efb9a28d6a4f5daff3e52c6d77.jpg
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