change – Dawn Lupul

June 15, 2020June 14, 2020

Getting it Right – The Daily, June 15, 2020

Experience all of the beauty that exists all around. Appreciate what is good and wonderful

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”
― Isaac Asimov

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

Whenever there are moments of great change, there come moments where we can go forward by quantum leaps or regress to what was familiar and comfortable. Wanting things to get back to normal when normal obviously wasn’t working doesn’t make sense. It’s time to take a leap of faith and think that whatever waits once we land, it can’t be worse than how things were.

This applies both on a societal level and a personal one. By all indications, the rest of 2020 is likely to be as challenging as the first half was. There is no better time than now to throw out all of the old in your life and get ready for a rebirth into something brand new. Deep down it is what the soul is yearning for, so honour the urge to reinvent yourself. The sky is the limit to what you can accomplish when you make a decision to do something and then put your heart into it.

Venus – Another ten days of Venus retrograde, which occurs once every eighteen months for about 40-43 days. Still not a good time for large purchases or major financial undertakings, and relationships can be challenging so just go with the flow. So much is happening astrologically this year that by taking a few precautions and being aware of what’s going on, it might be easier to traverse through the chaos more peacefully. Don’t set things up to be more difficult than they need to be.

Thought of the Day – Enjoy the outdoors as the days continue to shine with increasing hours of daylight. It will be a powerful summer solstice this year as there is a solar eclipse a few hours later as well. Each day brings something special to learn or experience, so open yourself up to new possibilities. Death comes soon enough. Be alive while you are still living.

Have a wonderful day.

“All we demanded was our right to twinkle.”
― Marilyn Monroe

June 10, 2020June 9, 2020

Change and Coping – The Daily, June 10, 2020

Float on a boat on a beautiful day, nothing to worry about in a perfect moment in time

“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”
― Eckhart Tolle

If you were to believe that all experiences in your life are absolutely essential to your inner evolution, would it be easier to accept and learn from them? It seems that fighting against something that is happening doesn’t make much sense. Denial, withdrawal, and non-acceptance are all energy drains that don’t contribute to any resolution of the issue. Looking at what is, and then moving forward from there, is more direct and focused than looking at it and wishing it was something else.

Wishes are desires with no power. Saying that you wish something will occur, as opposed to stating that you want something and then detailing steps to get there, portray two entirely different levels of expectation. Wishes are wishy-washy. Goals are concrete.

Do What it Takes – On June 10, 1752, Benjamin Franklin went out in a thunderstorm with a kite. He had a theory and he was willing to do whatever it took to prove it. When there is a burning desire within to know something, and a decision is made to figure it out, there is no stopping that force. Just don’t fly a kite in a thunderstorm – Ben did it for us and we should appreciate everything that followed because of it.

Personal History – Modern times are wonderful, but they can also be very punitive. Now that there are cameras and recording devices everywhere, anything that was ever recorded can be put on the internet where it will live forever. We can do something dumb at the age of 20, and then 20 years later it can come back to haunt us. Is this fair? Should you be held accountable for everything you did, just because there is some type of evidence of it? We are supposed to learn from our mistakes, but to be haunted by them for a lifetime is beyond being a lesson. Takeaway – be careful that what you say and do truly represents who you are. People are listening and watching.

Thought of the Day – Try to eat less cooked food, especially now that the weather is warmer. Big salads, fresh fruit, and raw nuts and seeds are nutritious, light, and living. It’s amazing how making a few simple changes to your diet can completely change how you feel within a short time. Take care of the body that works so hard to support you. Be good to yourself and those around you.

“I heard a definition once: Happiness is health and a short memory! I wish I’d invented it, because it is very true.”
― Audrey Hepburn

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020

Making Changes Last – The Daily, June 8, 2020

The trees grow as tall as they can. We should aspire to be so grand

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
― Leo Tolstoy

It’s easy to criticize, judge, and talk about what other people should or shouldn’t be doing. It’s less simple when it comes to changing ourselves. Before looking around and finding fault with others, peer into your own life and see what’s going on there. You might be surprised that you are less than perfect, and therefore have no right to demand that others be so.

Momentum – Make a decision and stick with it. The only way to get something accomplished is to do it. It’s amazing how so many people will say that they want to lose weight, and yet they continue to overeat and not exercise. They want the reward without the work. Life kind of works in the opposite way – you get out of it what you put into it. At some point, realizing that anything worth having takes work and then doing the work brings a satisfaction upon completion that is more fulfilling than anything else.

Stop looking for easy answers and do the work if you really want something. Or else just let it go. No one is interested in hearing about the things you want to do if you aren’t actually doing them.

1984 – On June 8th, 1949, George Orwell published his last book, 1984. All of his books make for incredible reading and inspire a thought-provoking journey. Born into privilege in India, Eric Blair, the real name of the author, became disillusioned and left to follow a life of poverty in England and Paris.

Orwell’s last novel, 1984, brought him lasting fame with its vision of a future where all citizens are watched constantly and language is twisted to aid in oppression. It’s a grim outlook that speaks to the times of today.

Thought of the Day – Don’t assume that what you hear and read are true. Make sense of it yourself and listen to many different viewpoints. Following anything blindly impairs your ability to make fair assessments. Stay informed and enjoy a beautiful day.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
― Martin Luther King Jr

November 4, 2019November 3, 2019

The Building of You

Be who I think you are, not who you want to be. Sound selfish?

Every day we decide who we want to be. Through repetition we develop habits and ways of portraying ourselves in the world.

The different personas that we assume become useful, a way for other personas to recognize us and for us to recognize them.

Those who are inconsistent in the portrayal of themselves are labelled moody, unpredictable, or even mentally ill. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are two common labels given to those who don’t appear as the same persona on a regular basis.

Our personalities are an act. In fact, those who have the ability to become someone who they are not are paid great amounts of money to entertain us. Actors such as Meryl Streep are able to become many different characters during a career, and they win awards and are admired by many.

For the rest of us though, it is inconvenient to others if you are constantly switching up who you appear to be.

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019

Everything Is Temporary

There will never be another moment like this one

Time is the big equalizer in this life.

It doesn’t matter how rich you are, or how beautiful or intelligent or strong, time will have its way with all of us.

It doesn’t matter what you do or who you are. This existence is temporary and that is what makes it special.

It isn’t often that we contemplate our own mortality. Death is feared, the young are celebrated, and the elderly are hidden away or pitied as we see that they are nearing the end of their journey here.

When you are young, you think it would be great to live forever. But when you think this way, you are also setting special conditions on what this eternal life would look like.

First, your body has to stay the same. You want to live forever but it has to be in a 25-year-old body.

September 26, 2019

Be Who You Want to Be – Take Action

You don’t have to move fast, but you do need to move

This is it. You may have decided that you are going to make some big changes in your life. It could be a change in careers, moving, leaving or starting a relationship, or going back to school.

Now what?

I have done these things – all of them – so many times over the last few decades that I have learned a thing or two about myself during the process.

I have lived in other countries, switched careers four times, gone back to school full-time while still working, started and ended long-term relationships, and moved more times than I can count.

In other words, I have lived a life full of changes all of the time.

September 22, 2019

Be Who You Want to Be – Focus

I am dwarfed by the magnificence of creation. My problems are meaningless. I choose to live in joy

It can be overwhelming sometimes to know what you want. There are so many choices, so many different options that making a decision and narrowing it down to one can be intimidating.

And that can be just what to have for breakfast!

The world is like a big buffet. No two people are the same, nor do we need to be. We all have basic needs of survival, like having food, shelter and safety. After that, it becomes a choice as to what interests you and how you want to live your life.

Sometimes other people make our choices for us, and if these choices don’t resonate with us then we can feel resentment. As we get older we have the power to reclaim our lives and do what we choose to do.

So why do so many people stay in jobs or careers that they absolutely despise?

September 14, 2019

Start From Where You Are

Barbados – Someone looked at this rock and saw stairs. What wonderful ingenuity

Everything happens right now. Start from where you are. Where else can you start from? It’s a good time to check in with yourself and really get in touch with how you feel.

Sometimes we get so busy just getting through life that we lose sight of what we truly want to create.

Check in and ask yourself how you feel. Are you a little bored, like you know that there should be something more to life, but things seem a little pointless sometimes?

Is inertia holding you back? It’s time to break free from the gravitational pull of mediocrity and take control of your life – because it’s your life to control.

Life is way too short to waste time being ordinary.

September 4, 2019September 4, 2019

Detachment

I am supported in all that I do. I support you too.

The dictionary meaning of detachment is the state of being objective or aloof. That doesn’t sound like my definition.

I like to think that detachment is just not being attached to anything.

Detaching from needing to label everything and find meaning in life is freeing. Sometimes there is no meaning. Probably most of the time there isn’t.

The purpose of life is to live. Birth, living, then dissolution of form – that is how it happens. The judgments that come in between seem to be mostly meaningless and unnecessary. They tend only to bring stress.

Some people need to think that they are here for a special reason, a mission that God sent them on. They are here to save the world and to save humanity, or to leave their mark so they are remembered forever.

September 1, 2019

Quiet

It’s quiet now. When I sit down to write these thoughts, it is usually very early in the morning, often before 5:00. The world is asleep as the first blush of sunrise is still some time away, and nature’s slumber continues.

I like it. There is always a hush, but one that feels full of expectation, a newness that hasn’t yet taken form. It just feels as though today could be any kind of day.

Routine robs us of the pleasure of anticipation. We fall in like soldiers, performing our tasks the same way we did the day before, the same way we will tomorrow. Unless something totally unexpected happens, the day will pass in anonymity, devoid of a uniqueness that will make it memorable.

Unless.

The uncertainty of existence is what encourages us to wake up, to not allow the sameness of routine to steal the opportunity to feel alive in every moment. Because today isn’t like any other day, and this moment is independent of any other moment.