Great Escape

I am one of those people who consistently feels the need to be someplace else. I travel often and relocate every 5 years or so. The change of scenery is refreshing and learning about a new place offers a temporary sense of exhilaration. It gives me the feeling that I am progressing and discovering something new.

Travel is my addiction. It is the high I tirelessly chase and repeatedly justify. I tell myself that the next place will offer something the previous one did not. It will have more space, a better climates, nicer people, more opportunity and will expose me to something previously unknown. It will show me a life different—better than the one I’m currently in. Travel opens windows of possibility and offers me an escape.

Escapism is something almost all of us involve ourselves in. It is defined as the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.

Escapism comes in a multitude of forms, binge watch TV shows, playing video games, alcohol and drug use, food and eating, excessive exercise, creative projects, shopping, etc.

A vacation from everyday life is helpful and refreshing, but if you feel you need those “ vacations” or “getaways” a little to frequently there may be other issues at had.

This week I encourage you all to do a bit of self assessment. Do you constantly feel the need to get away from your day to day. Are most of your days filled with thoughts of things you would rather be doing or places you would rather be? If the answer is yes, it is time to make some decisions. It’s your life, take control of it! You have the power and ability to do great things, use that power to build a life you don’t feel the need to escape from.

Enjoy your holiday and make it a great week everyone.

Here is today’s Motivation

 “You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.”

~ Michelle Obama

Out On A Limb

Welcome to Monday. Let us bask in the glow of this first full week of Summer. I love the freedom and carefree feeling that summer provides. The sunshine warms the skin and lifts the spirit.

When was the last time you allowed yourself to let go? When was the last time you stepped out and tried something new? When was the last time you did or experienced somethings that woke up the senses? When was the last time you immersed yourself in something other that work or responsibility? When was the last time you relinquished control? When was the last time you looked at the direction you are heading and asked yourself, “why am I going this way?”

Many of us are existing in our day to days, following the automation that is cultivated by routine. Sometimes we need to experience something completely new and completely different.

This week I encourage you all to use these warm summer months to find a new adventure. I encourage you all to walk all the way out to the tip of  those limbs and see what beautiful things await you when you have the courage to push your boundaries. I challenge you to face your fears, and try something new. Learn how to do something that you are afraid of. It’s summer, learn to swim, surf, drive, hike, camp, perform, paint, play a sport, garden, etc, or if needed, relax and do nothing. Let your mind be open and your spirt be free.

Make it a great week everyone.

Here is today’s Motivation

 “We must go beyond the constant clamor of ego, beyond the tools of logic and reason, to the still, calm place within us: the realm of the soul.”

~ Deepak Chopra

Stressed and Overworked

I know there are many of you out there who are feeling dumped on and overworked. You are feeling worn thin and stretched beyond capacity. You are juggling seemingly impossible demands at work and your loved ones have expectations and needs.  You are feeling pressure to produce and be excellent all the time. Eventually all these depends and pressures boil up and over. I have written on this many times because I have been in that place, where it takes every ounce of your strength to not go crazy or have a nervous breakdown.

People are often encourage to keep their personal and professional lives separate. However, segmenting yourself can be challenging. Business frustrations spill into your personal relationships and personal issues bleed into business performance.  For many, quitting or walking away is not a viable option, but staying seems even more damaging. So what do you do? How do you stay afloat and keep your sanity when you are feeling stranded or strained? This is where the challenge lies. How do you keep sight of land when you are being tossing on treacherous seas? Honesty, that is my recommendation. Let people know where you are and how you are feeling. You don’t have to give all the details but, being honest about your capacity and ability both mentally and physically is key.

This week I encourage you all to take some time to be honest with those you interact with. Talk to your bosses, friends, kids, parents, siblings, and colleagues. If you feel the demands and expectations are becoming excessive, discuss what can be done to mitigate some of the stress and frustration. Keep those lines of communication open and accessible.

Make it a great week everyone.

Here is today’s Motivation

 “Every obstacle we have to climb over in our lives can be considered a battle in itself. One of the keys to overcoming weakness lies in understanding what kind of war we’re fighting, and what we don’t often realize is that the scariest player in the war is you or me.”

~ Sun Tzu

Memorial Day

This morning I found myself thinking about how I was going to approach today. It’s Memorial Day, a day set aside for remembering and honoring those lives lost while serving in our military. I thought, while BBQ’s and cookouts are great, I wanted to do something to actually remember and honor those who sacrificed themselves so that we can continue living this American lifestyle. So, to honor the fallen, I am and encourage you too, to say a Thank You and salute those who are not here and to remember and remind yourself of how precious, fragile, and beautiful life is.

A popular study conducted by Bronnie Ware highlighted common regrets people had when reflecting back on their lives. The top 5 were: 1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. 3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. 4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. 5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.  It’s interesting that when we look back it’s the experiences and the human connections that we miss the most. I encourage you all to try to see beyond your current circumstances and to make a conscience choice to live a fulfilling life. I now that’s easier said than done but, I encourage you to give yourself permission to be happy, to reach out and keep in touch, to be your true self, to express those thoughts and feelings, and work less towards other peoples dreams and goals and more towards your own.

As you go through today and the rest of your week remember to, live, forgive, experience, express and love totally.

Make it a great week everyone.

Here is today’s Motivation

“ Every decision we make and every action we take has  meaning, and effects everything else  — now and always.”

~ Steve DeMasco

Completing the Incomplete

Incomplete, that could be the title of my autobiography.  I am notorious for starting things and not finishing them. Ask anyone who has been around me awhile and they will co-sign this fact. Like many creatives, I get an idea, jump head first in, and then, when my energy runs out, I quit. The task or project gets neatly placed on top of the pile of things incomplete. The interesting thing about all of my incomplete projects is that many of them are related or similar. Begun 10 years apart but addressing the same topic. I guess I am consistent in that way. My unconscious repackages the old and presents it as new, kind of like marketers do. 

It’s these new/old projects that have captured my attention. Why do they continue to resurface and why do I keep abandoning them? Why can I not complete something I seem to have a deep connection to? What is causing me to abandon when I need to be nurturing and building? These have been the questions I have been asking myself. 

These “projects” are not limited to creative projects.  This abandonment and rediscovery crosses all areas life. They are present in people, events, opportunities, and experiences.  Things that have been directly and indirectly pushed away, have found a way or a reason to stay. They are here for a reason, it’s time to figure out what that reason is.

I encourage you all this week to pay attention to those things that are omnipresent.  Allow yourself to think about those people and ideas that seem to find ways to stay in your life directly or indirectly. Figure out their purpose and allow those purposes to be benefit in your life and development. 

Make it a great week everyone.

Here is today’s Motivation

“ Greater than a thousand meaningless words is a single reasonable word that brings calm to those who are listening.”

~ Buddha

Working In Reverse

Here is a fun fact about today’s message, I wrote it in reverse. When I was in college I struggled with Math, Physics, and Chemistry. Prior to taking those course, I’d convinced myself that I was not a computational person hence my mental block was already set. To add insult to injury, these subjects repeatedly required me do something I hated. They required me to work in reverse. I would be given equations that would have to be restructured and reorganized to find the correct solution. I would cringe when the professors would administer an exam full of answers followed by words such as, solve for x, y, z or state the inverse of this reaction. I would panic and my stress level would go through the roof. I would be cursing and crying to myself, all while trying to figure out how to work these equations. Most of the time I would either not finish the exams or write what made the most logical sense to me. Unsurprisingly, I would often get less than optimal grades on these exams. The professors would write out what the answers were supposed to look like and advise me to see a tutor and practice more, which I would do. I digested the theory though the application in those subjects was a struggle. I managed to pass multiple levels of Math, Physics, and Chemistry, however, it was only when I applied these inverse theories to English, Biology, and Psychology did they resonate. I can write a story starting with the end in mind, and mentally deconstruct plants, animals, and other organisms to gain a better understanding of how they work. I can read emotions and body language and reconstruct the scenarios that might have triggered the reaction or emotion. I have become skilled at taking what is in front of me and applying these reverse/inverse theories to find solutions.

Life often presents us with problems that need to be solved, and many of those problem contain unknowns.  Real world problems may not look like those in the text books, however those same theories apply—here is the answer, solve for z, x and y.  As you all travel through your week I encourage you to think about solutions before you highlight the problems.  Think about what you would like your outcomes to be and work backwards from there. Often the answer lie at the end, so that may be where you need to begin. Make it a great week everyone.

Today’s Motivation: 

“ To confront a person with his own shadow is to show him his own light”

~ Carl G. Jung

Bare Feet

Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed walking bare foot. Much to my mothers dismay, I would often step on things that would cut my feet. I would come to her crying, bleeding, and hobbling on my heels. She would remove the offending item, patch me up, tell me to go put some shoes on, and send me on my way.  While the pain was unpleasant, it never deterred me from walking and playing barefoot. My feet were rough, calloused, and often black with dirt by the end of the day, but I didn’t care. I loved the connection I felt with the ground beneath me. How, with each step the texture and terrain could change. Soft sand, cool grass, hard concrete, cold tile, plush carpet. I would let me feet sink in, gripping the ground with my toes, I felt a sense of delight.  There I was, just me and the world beneath my feet.

As I got older, I conformed and became a shoe enthusiast.  I appreciated their functionality and ability to protect, yet no matter how beautiful they were, the shoes always hurt my feet. They would rub and wear on my heals or squeeze and blisters my toes. The hard edges would cut at the sides of my feet, and I wanted nothing more than to free them from their fashionable bondage. To release them from their culturally curated confines.  I longed to reconnect with the ground beneath me and feel the released.

This week I encourage you all to walk barefoot in both the literal and figurative sense. Allow yourself to feel the world through the soles of your feet. Pay attention to the rough patches and smooth edges. Notice the subtle changes, wiggle your toes and flex your muscles. If walking barefoot is not you thing, do whatever it is that makes you feel connected to the world. Be it going for a walk or sitting in quiet meditation.  Take a few moments to breathe, be at ease, and feel unconfined. 

Today’s Motivation is,

“ To know others is to have wisdom. To know oneself is to gain enlightenment. To master others is to have strength. To master oneself is to have power. To know what is sufficient is to be rich. To act with determination is to have will. Not to lose one’s place is to endure. To die without being forgotten is to be eternal.”

~ Lao-tzu

Stopping For Rainbows

It’s been storming here. There is a ferocity and a calm that comes with storms. The roll of the thunder is jarring while the repetition of the rain is lulling. Right now there is a break. Gray clouds still linger however flecks of sunlight are peaking through my blind. I sit up in my bed and stare out of the window. On the horizon I see a hint of red, then orange, then yellow — the beginnings of a rainbow.  I open the window, let the cool, wet air hit my face and I watch with joy, as those specs of colorful light multiply to form an arch across the sky. Bright colors slice the gray horizon—I feel a smile spread across my face.  I always stop for rainbows.  I am captivated by the bold and beautiful blending of water and light, these two elements that are the foundation of life. 

I lean on the window sill, rest my chin on my hands and allow myself to be absorbed.  Dark clouds disseminated into blue skies. I watched the rainbow as it until it fades in to the morning sun. Today will be beautiful.

I encourage you all this week to experience something beautiful.  Allow yourself to be absorbed. Feel and appreciate the beauty with all of your sense. Create a snapshot in your mind. When you begin to feelthe pressures of life, recall your something beautiful, and restore your sense of calm.  Make it a great week everyone.

Today’s Motivation

“Never be in too much of a hurry: nature is patience.”

~ Elder West African female initiate

Rejection

Just going to toss this out there because I know some of you are dealing with the devil that is rejection.  Rejection sucks! It comes packaged in many forms and is delivered in a variety of ways. It can be kind and gentle or blatant and soul twisting. 

Being a creative person, rejection is part of my everyday existence. People are full of opinions and often their opinions do not align with my vision or objective. They don’t understand or appreciate what I am trying to do so hence, it is rejected. 

Rejection does not mean that you are a failure! No, no thank you, not at this time, not quite what we were looking for, maybe next time, are all just a word.  No's do not have to have the permanency that is often associated with them.  Just because someone tells you no, it does not mean you have absorb it.  Learn how to let all the no's strengthen your ability to tell yourself yes!  If others don’t want to support you, you progress forward anyway.  Many of the greatest minds in science, art, music, design, architecture, and business were all rejected. They were laughed at and ridiculed for daring to do, prove, or be something different. What made them memorable and great was their ability to continue believing. They continued pushing forward and worked towards what they believed was something great and worthwhile. 

So, if you have been rejected or are feeling discourage I implore you to be strong and carry on. If there is a way, find it! If there is no way, make one!

Today’s Motivation:

The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I am going to press on. 

~ Barack Obama

Potted Plants

I, for a very long time, have compared my life to a potted plant, life giving, beautiful, vibrant, and easily moved. There was a comfort in being able to set roots and grow, but not be tied to one place. My roots confined to pots that over the years have continued to grow larger and heavier.  My branches reaching high and wide with but only able to move in limited space. My pots were safe and secure. 

I, like many other potted plants, have matted roots. Repotting works for a while, but over time the same problems resurface. The roots become tangle and growth stops. The pot’s growing sizes and weights, make them more and more difficult to move. The freedoms the pots once represented are now a hindrance. The soils have become hard and drained of nutrients. The roots are fighting to reach deeper than they have previously been allowed. Nature, however, is persistent and powerful. The roots constant expansion have caused the pots to crack and become misshapen. They are making space where there is none. If they can’t go deep, they will go wide. If they can’t not reach the bottom, they turn and head for the sky, but by whatever means necessary they will survive. 

Our pots take many shapes and forms and are labeled things such as, belief, opportunity, relationships, location, obligation, career, and family.  To reach our full potential we have to allow ourselves to be removed from the pot and firmly planted in deep, rich, and fertile soil. We have allow ourselves to be watered and nurtured, so that we mature, flower, bear fruit, and spread our seeds. Seeds of knowledge, experience, wisdom, and influence. 

As you travel through this week I encourage you all to find your fertile soils. Plant yourself in places where you feel you can grow, thrive and reach your full potential and remember, from that which you extract, make sure you give back.  Make it a great week everyone. 

Today’s Motivation 

“ The earth is the mother of all that moves, and is the common bond between the generations that have been, are, and are to come” 

~ Kikuyu oral tradition