So much to be thankful for...

Our purpose

Sometimes, in life, you're only going to get as much as you give.  So why not go BIG. Big love, big gratitude, big OPTIMISM, big SMILE, big hope, big dreams. Why not go over board, give too much kindness, too much happiness, too much LOVE. How can that ever turn into a bad thing? Now...how can that ever NOT turn into a good thing.

Give it all to your life - you only have one. This moment, right here...right now, is yours. This life, is yours. You are beautiful and powerful and perfect - just like your life. So use all of your energy in giving your life EVERYTHING it needs to flourish. Everything it needs to grow, to dream, to achieve...

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. 

And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.”

The truth is, we need other people. We are creatures of LOVE, of appreciation, of nurturing, of CUDDLING, of spending time with family, friends, loved ones. We DO NEED time to be alone, to learn about ourselves. We need to learn about what drives us, what powers us, what we want out of  our lives, what makes us happy, what makes us tick. But SO many (if not all) of life's moments, are better spent shared, than alone. So realize HOW MUCH you need certain people in your life. You need the people who push you, who support you, who love you, who listen to you. Realize how much gratitude you have for them, how much BIG LOVE...it's endless. In turn, realize how much they need you too. 

The truth: We all need each other. We need each other to grow, to learn, to love, to support,  to share in the happy moments, the sad moments, we need people to help us. So as the Dalai Lama says, "If you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."

Realize your actions speak louder than words. A hug, even a smile goes a long way. And choose to look at your life with endless possibilities than with negativities and fears. For in this life (that is WAY too short) we should be GOING BIG in everything we do, with everyone we meet, with everything in our lives. Choose to help, rather than hurt. Love rather than hate, anger and fear. And when you choose, choose big.

BIG LOVE, big gratitude, big dreams, big hope, big optimism.

Why would you choose anything different?

HEY YOU!

"HEY YOU! Yes you! Stop being unhappy with yourself, you are PERFECT. Stop wishing you looked like someone else, or wishing people liked you as much as they like someone else. STOP trying to get attention from those who hurt you.

STOP hating your body, your face, your thighs, your personality, your quirks - just LOVE THEM. Without those things you wouldn't be you and WHY would you want to be anyon

e else?

Be CONFIDENT with who you are. SMILE always, it draws people in. If ANYONE hates on you because you are happy with yourself and your life - Just stick your middle finger in the air and say SCREW IT.

MY HAPPINESS will not depend on others anymore. I'm HAPPY because I LOVE who I am. I LOVE my flaws, I LOVE my imperfections, because they make me me.

And ME, is pretty amazing." ♥

Our Deepest Fear.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other 

people won't feel insecure around you. 

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Friendship

"Maybe, he thought, there aren’t any such things as good friends or bad friends- maybe there are just friends, people who stand by you when you’re hurt and help you feel not so lonely. Maybe they’re always worth being scared for, and hoping for, and living for. Maybe worth dying for, too, if that’s what has to be. No good friends, no bad friends. Only people you want, need to be with; people who build their houses in your heart." 

- Stephen King"

In your life, you are going to meet countless amounts of different types of people. You are going to meet good people, bad people, rude people, funny people, kind people, strong people, people who care about you and people who don't really give a damn about you. 

In my young, 23 years, I have encountered people who have inspired me, people who have drained me, people who have tried to change me, and people who have helped make me a better person. I've had to make decisions to remove people from my life, who didn't believe in me, support me and who all in all, brought me down. 

What I've learned is that there are many different types of people who are going to walk into your life. Some are going to stay, some will leave as you grow older, some will go and come back here and there, and some you have to leave yourself. But there are friends who will stay in your heart forever, no matter the distance, how long it's been since you've last been together, none of that matters. The good ones, the ones who inspire you and you can rely on, those are the special ones. This friendship is so important - these people are the ones who have been with your through the bad, through the good, the ones who support you, cry with you, laugh with you (drink with you!). Be thankful for them, and keep them always close to your heart.

We do however, need people in our lives who inspire us, but more so, who challenge us. There was a quote from Eat, Love, Pray that has always stood out to me. As we do need friends who inspire us, who are kind, there for us, we also need someone who will challenge us. We tend to get stuck, not moving forward, accepting mediocrity and ordinary, this is where that person comes in. Eat, Love, Pray speaks of this 'challenging' person as your soulmate, and I do believe in your life you will meet several people who play this role, of breaking you open, pushing you past your comfort zone and into the wild, helping you create a new beginning, a new adventure, taking risks. Someone who changes you, inspires you, challenges you, loves you and who in the end, might leave you. This person doesn't need to be the love of your life, just someone who understands you and wants to see you become a better person, achieve all of the things they know you are capable of. A good friend, a kind soul, someone who won't accept your 'what if's' and your 'can'ts' and your settling for mediocrity.

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. 

A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. 

A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life."

And in the honour of thanksgiving, be thankful for your friends. The ones who have always been there for you, the ones who have helped you, changed you, inspired you and challenged you. Thank your friends for always being there, for giving you strength when you had little. Be thankful. 

One more...

The Invitation by Oriah:

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living, I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon, I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes, without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes."

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/

Another invitation...

For today, I invite you to take on positivity. I invite you to take on a positive attitude, a positive outlook, a positive reaction to everything you encounter today. 

Stop worrying about all the things you need to do, all the things you've done wrong and all of the things you need to work on. 

For today, focus only on all of the things you have accomplished and how far you have come. Realize, you have done some amazing things and accomplished so many goals. Tough times have come and once again, you have survived. That is something to celebrate about.

Today is beautiful and there are so many possibilities, endless possibilities, for change, for new beginnings, for love, for excitement, for an adventure. 

Start your day off positively, with a positive thought and a positive perspective. Just for today, be excited about all the new things and all of the old things and spread that positive attitude to someone else who might need it.

For today, I invite you to take on positivity. To realize how lucky you are to be alive, and how beautiful this life is.

People inspire you, or they drain you.

Pick them wisely.

An invitation.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Just for today, when you wake up at the crack of dawn and the air is cold, the sun isn't even up yet and all you wish for is to crawl back into bed...perhaps it's a long day at work, filled with meetings and appointments, or you're dreading having to run to the gym at the end of a long day...whatever it is, throw those thoughts away. The negative, the bad, the excuses as to why this day is going to be a rough one, a long way, a bad one...all those thoughts of why today isn't going to be perfect...let it go.

For today, I invite you to take on love. I invite you to take on happiness and thankfulness. For today, there is so much to be happy about, to smile about, to love. I invite you to take on love - love for yourself, your body, your decisions and your hard work. Lots and lots of love, love for who you are and for what you do. 

Send love out into the world, and maybe even try to let love in. LOVE. It's so simple...and for today (tomorrow, or the next day) I invite you to take a step out of your regular routine...let go of every other thought and take on love. Let that word be the definition of your day, of your feelings, of your words, of your actions. 

Once you realize the amount of love and beauty and wonder there is in this world and in your life...I invite you to take on happiness and thankfulness. To be appreciative of your body, of your life, of your health, of absolutely everything that has been given to you and realizing it is enough. Thankfulness for your family, your friends, your sport, the love in your life. To feel happy, about every little damn thing in your life...that makes it up to be your life, just the way you want it. As perfect as can be.

Be thankful for what you have, 

and you'll end up having more. 

If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever, have enough.

See, life doesn't need to be so complicated. If we change our perspective, take on love, take on happiness and be thankful for what we have - we realize that we take too much for granted.

So just for today, I invite you to take on love. As simple and as easy as that. Take this and roll with it, create it into whatever will help it make sense for your life...and simply, love. Love the day as it comes, the people as they come, the events that are about to unfold and greet them with your arms and heart wide open and one simple word...love. Endless, amounts of love.