30 reflections at 30 … (a
work in progress, gentle reminders to self as I continue on my journey)
1.
Be
YOU-
There is only one you and you are the best representation of yourself. You are
the best one to tell your own story. You can’t have a real relationship with a
fake person. No one will accept you fully unless you fully accept yourself for
who you are right now, here and now.
2.
Do
not take things personally, we are ALL dealing with
life…someone’s reaction or non reaction to you is their own reaction for their
own reasons. Don’t take on everyone else’s “stuff” as your own.
3.
Be
in peace wherever you are; take a moment to connect with
the space you occupy.
4.
Laugh!
Don’t be so serious all the time.
5.
Vegge
out
when needed, don’t feel bad for lying around doing nothing if your body/mind/spirit
is telling you to pump the brakes, LISTEN to your body. REST.
6.
Sundays
are special, they are soulful… keep your Sunday’s for
spiritual nourishment, no matter if it’s cleaning, hiking, spending time with
your loved ones, or fellowshipping with others in a place of worship. Refuel on
Sundays so that you may embrace the week fully.
7.
If you
love someone, tell them. Period. Tell them as often and as much as
you desire.
8.
Be open
to trying new things; don’t allow your habits, patterns or perceived
abilities/inabilities to limit your experience.
9.
Drink
Herbal Tea! It is good for the soul.
10.
Take care
of your body, fuel it with goodness and you will exist on a
higher vibration. Fuel it with crap, you will feel exactly like what you are
putting in- processed, artificial and of little substance.
11.
Live
light, release as you live, carry only what you must, what makes
you come alive, what makes your heart
sing…let go of clutter, of attachments to material objects that offer a false
sense of security and identity.
12.
Be in
Balance- Mind, Body, Soul, and Spirit. When you feel “off” do a
balance check, which one of these areas is being deprived? Which one is being
overwhelmed? Are you nourishing and developing each area so that you grow in
equal parts?
13.
Flexibility
is essential to being happy. Life is never certain, people
change, and plans are altered. Life is not a series of guaranteed outcomes. It
is a stream of circumstances in which we make choices resulting in new
circumstances in which we are set up to make more choices. “What doesn’t bend
breaks”, be flexible. Adjust as you go.
14.
Travel- take
time to see the world as well as your city, your state, your country. Explore
what exist outside of your current realm of experience. Connect with others
that are different from your norm, your comfort. Open yourself to new ways, new
ideas…share your heart, mingle your love with others.
15.
Love- strive
to have a soft heart, soft power. You can be assertive yet loving. Seek to
avoid intentionally hurting others with your words or actions. You can stick up
for yourself without purposefully hurting another person. Stay soft around the
edges.
16.
Surround yourself
with people that you enjoy. People will come and go in your life; even the ones
you thought would stay forever. Live in your truth and God will align your path
with all that you need. Don’t be afraid to let go of a relationship if it has
outgrown its time. You can still love, without being confined to limits.
Continue to grow into whom you are and you will be connected with those that
enhance your life, not your ability to experience it.
17.
When you feel
lonely, try not to instinctively turn outward- you will not find true comfort in
another drink, another smoke, or another person…go inward, deep deep within,
call on the Divine, call on God, your Angels, your Wild Woman, they will hear
your call and comfort you. Don’t be
afraid to let them commune with you. Be open, call to them…they will be with
you, always.
18.
Be gentle with
yourself, you are a HUMAN Being, it is easy to get caught up in personal and
spiritual development. Striving to be better, to grow and to change and evolve.
Don’t forget to love the person you are today, and all the changing faces you
have been along the way that have lead you exactly where you are right now.
Forgive yourself, be kind. You deserve your love first and foremost above all.
19.
Each moment we have
the opportunity to “be the change” we seek…each encounter, each interaction
creates an opportunity to be the change we wish to experience. When you find
yourself feeling misunderstood or if someone is feeling misunderstood by you,
you must first provide understanding to yourself and your own needs before you
can genuinely understand someone else.
20.
Life is a journey. Like for real for
real. I thought I was “grown and sexy” at 25. No, really I did. I thought I had
it down and was on my way…to wherever I was supposed to be going. Now, looking
back 5 years later, I know a lot more than I did then but there is still so
much to learn. It is ongoing, the lessons never end, and that is the fun part. I
am a student of life. This is our “earth school”. Sometimes it will be fun lessons, sometimes
hard, sometimes exhilarating, other times mundane. Stay open.
21.
Dance! Dance and
sing whenever you can. Even if you aren’t the best at dancing or can’t carry a
tune. Do it anyway! Free up yourself (as my buddy says) and let the spirit flow
through you whenever you are moved to do so.
22.
Lay your
pride and your Ego aside when
someone offers you assistance. My 2nd year into my Masters program,
a professor referred me to the writing lab. The writing lab was pretty much a
remedial course to fine tune your writing skills. I was insulted and thought,
how did I make it all this way with no other professor commenting on my writing
ability? She just doesn’t like me, she doesn’t “get” my writing style…I guess I
would of liked her to come and talk to me personally before making a referral ,
offended and shamed, I declined the referral and told her I was fine. In
hindsight, as I pondered the idea of pursuing my doctorate, I came face to face
with my weaknesses…one being technical writing skills. That professor was
trying to help me, that course would have been exactly what I needed to help
strengthen the foundation that was indeed infested with termites. I guess she
was the first one who cared about my success (or maybe didn’t care-about
hurting my feelings) enough to be honest with me about my abilities. Instead of
assuming she didn’t like me, I could of easily looked at is as her wanting to
help me succeed in the world of academia. Never be too good for help or to prideful to
admit your weaknesses, in the end it will only make you stronger.
23.
Someone once said, if you see a woman crying…don’t ask
what’s wrong or why she is crying, just hug her. I tried this, and it felt so
nice. Sometimes words just won’t do. Sometimes actions are all that is
needed. A heart to heart, soul to soul
moment of shared existence. I think this can be extended to “a person” not just
a woman. Give hugs freely.
24.
When in
doubt, be silent. It is so easy to react to others. We want to be
heard, we want to prove a point. We want things to go our way. Silence is
beautiful and can be as powerful as words. Take time to think, pray, affirm;
listen before reacting or even responding. Don’t be afraid to lose a battle
because your point wasn’t made.
25.
Speak your truth. This is
said a lot these days. But what does it mean? To me, it means stay connected to
your core. Be comfortable exercising your sacred no or yes as you see fit. You
can be a yes person , yes to life and opportunities however you still have the
choice to say no when you feel you are going against your intuition, your
heart, your inner guide. If it doesn’t speak to you on that level- your higher
self, then what are you really saying “no” to?
26.
Allow
your music to be played. Whatever that may be… Don’t reduce
yourself in order to fit in or make others comfortable. Find your song and let it play, loud and
clear. Share it with the rest of the
world; you are the only composer of your song.
27.
Start
each day a new. “It’s a new day a new dawn” as Nina so
soulfully sang it. Whenever possible leave yesterday in the past, if it can’t
be simply let go, focus on resolution and solving or accepting where you are
the following day vs stewing and adding stress to the situation.
28.
CRY : It
CLEANSES
29.
PRAY - it
is POWERFUL (not only for those you know, but for the stranger you passed on
the street that looked like they needed a hug or the country that just suffered
a natural disaster or for the abused puppies in the shelters that you cannot
take home). Pray
30.
Develop
a personal relationship with the Divine. Whether you identify with the Source,
the Divine, Allah, Buddha, God, The Father, The Mother, Goddess…connect with
the life force that allows you to exist.
This personal relationship that I have devoted time and energy into
strengthening over the past 6 years has been the main source of guidance the
last 2 years of my life while away from other support networks. Good, bad, high’s lows…this relationship will
carry you through it all. I am grateful to have lived a full and lively 3
decades on this earth, during this lifetime. *cheers* to however many more I am
blessed to experience.
