Yes.

Fall seven, stand up eight.

I'm done with it.

Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try.

No hell below us, above us only sky.

Imagine all the people living for today.

Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do.

Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too.

Imagine all the people living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

I hope some day you'll join us and the world will be as one.

****

I'm just so over it.

It's been over used, over worked and drained. It's been the sad story for too long. It's been everyone's back up, everyone's fall back. It's a motif, an excuse - one used too often. It's talked about too much and given far too much credit (it doesn't deserve). We use it against each other and it just makes people, situations, relationships and the works, worse.

I'm over hate. I'm over anger. I'm over jealousy and revenge. I'm over being weak, over being scared, over feeling small. I'm over fear. I'm over it all.

All I have room for in this life and in my big, beating, shinning heart - is LOVE. Too much love it makes my chest swell and my cheeks sore from smiling. I have room for hope, room for strength, room for happiness and a spot for dreams. I have room for LOVE, love, love and even more love. I want so much love, that it spills over the sides...and finds it's way into the lives and the hearts and the situations of those around me. That's all I have time for, all I will make room for...all that my life will be about.

I want to give back to this world that is struggling to find the good in each and every day. There is so much anger, darkness and fear everywhere we look. So I want to focus on the good and fill my days with excitement and hope and light.

Forget the darkness - Gone are the days of anger, hate and jealousy - Now is the time for love.

There is no better day then today. And today - I choose LOVE. This life is too previous and too short. So count your blessings and hold your love ones close. Be kind to those around you and give too much love - to everyone you meet.

I will only leave room in my life, in my heart and my soul for the GOOD in this world. I only have time for BIG love, happiness and hope and that is all I will send out - I don't have time for games. I won't accept anything less than the best for this life and I hope you choose to do the same.

Let love in.

Love is enough.

Fear not.

...I live for

There’s a saying, “If you don’t live and fight for something, you’ll end up dyeing for nothing.” For me…it’s different. I don’t just live and fight and breathe for something, for one thing, I do it for everything in my life. I live with excitement for each new day and experience. I live with love and passion for my family: for my mother, father, sisters and I live for my dog, who steals all of my damn socks. I live with hope to take care of them one day. I live for my education, my fitness, my health, for the health of others. I live for my friends, that ones in my life, the ones from the past and the people I will meet in the present. I live and push and hope to help others, to give back to this world, to provide opportunity for those who don’t have it. I live for my favorite meal, my favorite getaway and the dream to travel the world. I live for myself, for freedom, for hope, for optimism. I live for hope of a better day and to leave this world in better shape then when I came.  You see…I don’t have to fight and decide and stress. I don’t have to play tug of war with all of the wonderful and difficult things in my life – they all fit, perfectly somehow. I don’t just live for one thing, I live for everyone and everything. There is too much beauty and love in this world to focus just on one thing.

Dream BIG.

Love BIG.

Live BIG.

Enough with the expectations

Wake up to realize you have nothing left to prove to this world. You don't have to impress, or improve, or be better. You don't need to flaunt your skills, your kindness, whatever it may be that you think you need to work on or show off - you don't need to prove this to anyone, not even yourself. You have proven enough to this world - you are giving, caring, careful, gentle, strong, independent...you are everything that makes you complete. You've done enough thinking and believing that you aren't good enough, that things aren't right, you need to keep pushing to be better, for everyone else around you. Stop. Let go. You can let down your walls, there is nothing left to prove. 

Now take a deep breathe.

You are 100% enough all of the time and right now, right now isn't about proving anything to anyone. Why waste your time proving yourself, that your tough enough, strong enough, nice enough...enough, enough, enough! You have done it once and you can do it again, there is no more proving, just being constantly you is enough.

Right now isn't about proving you're ready, that you are stable, that you have complete control over your life - sometimes it's about accepting you DON'T have control and you are OK with not being perfect because life is playing out exactly as it should be. There will be up's and down's. Days when you feel like you've got everything together and days when you want to stay in bed. Weak days and strong days, emotional moments and moments of weakness. The thing is...everyone goes through it. The tough, the rough, the hard, the emotional, the weak....everything. Life is up and down and constant, just like you. So stop proving anything to any one - you are enough. Always.

"You can't live a positive life with a negative mind."

You need to enjoy this moment, not feel pressure from friends or family or anyone around you, especially not yourself. Lay off the pressure - lay off the pushing and shoving and take a step back and breathe. Release the pressure and anxiety to be perfect, and to work harder. The need to keep impressing and pushing to keep up with others, to be enough in their eyes and live up to their standards. You are enough, in this moment and you always will be. Let go of the belief that the world is out to get you. You have to start off with believing in yourself, in your abilities, in the fact that you are enough, because you are. The world is here to help you and people will come in and out of your life to teach you things. You grasp something new with each experience - life is a blessing. 

Let go of the pressure and anxiety and the desire to prove anything. You have nothing to prove. To live every day positively, sending love into the world, knowing that you're always giving your best, accepting each day as they come and the moments as they come...you are living your life exactly as it should be. And it is YOUR LIFE. No one else's. So let go of the need to impress and improve always. For every day of your life you have a decision to move forward and work hard and I know you'll do it. Let go of all of the expectations. Be free to live, freely. Life will have it's up's and down's...sometimes you'll be ahead and sometimes you'll be behind. It's what keeps you working and striving for me. So set goals and dream big...but let go of the expectations of others. Let go of the negative thoughts and the desire to be perfect in others eyes.

Your life. Your rules. Live without expectations. 

Life is about being present in the moment, about taking it all in and being content with this silly, beautiful, wonderful life. 

You have reached and you have achieved so much - so let go of the desire to constantly impress and constantly prove yourself. You are your fullest potential, you are you. Fabulous, perfect and constant. 

Keep your head up.

I've learned there are troubles of more than one kind.

"One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."

Sometimes bad things happens. Sometimes the right people hurt us, let us down or do the wrong thing. We go through struggles and challenges of all shapes and kinds. I've come down to realize you can't obsess over the bad things that have happened, only take a step back from the situation, take a deep breathe and move on. Maybe allow yourself to worry about it for a quick moment, have a little cry, a little scream, a little yell at the universe and then let it go. Turn around and thank god and this world for every blessing there is in your life.

For every challenge, every struggle, there is growth from that. There is learning and love and experience. So don't make it bad, don't obsess and don't let it control you. Make the experience what you will, then take a deep breathe and move on. Move on to a thought that is bigger and better than your worries and this moment. Be big and be bold and choose a positive thought.

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside of you greater than any obstacle you will ever face."

You are bigger than your worries. You are bigger than your troubles. Let your mind be at ease and your heart be gentle. There is a lesson and a blessing behind every fear, every obstacle, every challenge. For the beauty is in the breakdown and the learnings that come from falling. So don't be afraid to fall, don't be afraid to fail and cry and start all over. Let the experience affect you as it will. Cry or shake or scream and curse the world...and then move on. Just take a deep breathe and move on to a better thought. Let your mind come to a positive state and let your heart be gentle and understanding. Know that you will overcome any challenge, any fear, any troubles placed before you.

You are destined for happiness and so much more. Trust in this. And always, always, always, count your blessings.

"I've learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead, others come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me."

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.

Being happy...

To be happy with your life and where you are at. All that you have accomplished, all the places you've seen and the people you've met, realizing how far you have come. 

And being at peace. 

Realizing, life is exactly as it should be. 

Get after it.

"We make a living by what we get, 

but we make a life by what we give."

Don't ask for approval, don't ask to fit in.

Too often in our lives we wait to make sure we are doing the right thing and going the right places based on what others might think. We worry too much about judgements and the words that might be said about us, that we hold back, and go with the flow.

We let go of our dreams because it doesn't align with our parents belief. We succumb to peer pressure because we are often too worried about what our friends might think if we say no or choose a separate path.

If we wait too long for people to give us the go ahead - we might be waiting too long. If we wait, the moments and possibilities will pass us by. To wait for others approval, on the life you should be living - is an absolute waste. Letting the moments pass us by, the opportunities, the dreams we have - are all within our reach. Don't let it slip by, don't succumb to what others around you might want you to think or feel. Feel it for yourself. Go after what you want and don't look back. People are always going to talk and judge and tell you you're doing the wrong thing...it's so easy to judge others, to point out the bad. You need to just let it go, realize there are no limits, nothing holding you back.

What would you attempt to do, if you knew you could not fail? If you shut out all of the outside chatter, opinions of others. What would you go after? Where would you go? 

Don't wait for someone to tell you it's the right choice or the right decision or even the right time. The right time is always, it's right now! Go out and be you and live your life to the absolute fullest it can be. You are made up of every experience you have ever encountered. Your life is yours, and no other is the same. For that, you are individual and unique. Take joy in this and realize what might be right for someone else, doesn't make it right for you. And that that is 100% ok.

Achieve your dreams, your goals because they are exactly what you want. The saying, "Never regret anything, cause at one time, it was exactly what you wanted," is so true. 

Feel what you need to feel and go after what will make you happy. Stop living your life by trying to please and impress others. This life is about YOU and what will make YOU feel HAPPY. You need to go out and get after whatever it is that makes you feel full and complete.

Go out and accomplish your goals, shut your ears to the people around you breaking you down and be at peace with your decision. Know where you are coming from and don't look back. And in return, support your friends, family and people around you. For everyone is fighting some sort of battle and need to feel the love and support of someone in their life. To support others, offer them a hand, a shoulder to lean on and to provide no judgement but only support, can be the absolute gift.

You are living your dream...it's just one step away. Get after it and don't let anyone hold you back.

**Inspired by the amazing blog entry posted by CrossFit Lisbeth. Check her out!

Approval is overrated -- http://crossfitlisbeth.com/2012/09/04/approval-is-overrated/

Possibilitarian

Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities – always see them, for 

they’re always there.

Be at peace and move on.

"Be bold. Be brave. Be big.

 And, whenever you can, be kind."

So...I admit, it's been awhile. Sometimes it takes a little more 'umph' to get inspired and want to write. I'm not going to make it bad and I'm not going to make it good. I'm not going to stress over it or get sad that I haven't felt quite like myself and inspired each day... I'm just going to take a deep breath, and be ok with everything, as is. Everything is perfect, in this moment, right now.

Sometimes you need others to push you, help drive you and inspire you. The flame inside of you seems to want to take a time out, to be alone for awhile, to appreciate the dark. And after a short time or some long times, it can take just the smallest of moments, just one person, one action to ignite again.

It's been a beautiful summer and I haven't been more aware than I am right now of how fast time is going by. At this moment, it's September. Summer is over and school is beginning for most. It will be Christmas before we know it, and before that I'll be on vacation to Florida in March to visit my parents...and then in a blink of a second, it will be the CrossFit Regionals and all the hard work that's been put in over the last 7 - 9 months, is put to a test in the blink of an eye. 

Sometimes, we get caught up in one moment. A stressful moment, a tough time, when it's difficult to breathe and see or understand that anything will get better. We get broken down and beat up...and all we want to do is give up. Absolutely not. There is not giving up, only breathing and pushing back.

When life hits you with hard times, these strengthen you. We must remember this. You must experience the bad in order to appreciate the good. Appreciate the good - remember it, love it, embrace it. For we take advantage far too often of the good...and how great it can be. 

So before you blink and everything passes you by - enjoy the moments, the journey. Don't get too caught up in something that's holding you back - embrace it, be at peace with it and move on. For the journey is long and there are so many times, experiences, memories and moments that will add up, that one moment is so insignificant but important in your learning...you must be embrace it. Learn from it, be at peace with it...and move on. Be present and aware to your experiences right now. Live in the moment.

:)

Sometimes to get where you want to go, you have to do what you are afraid to do. You must be brave and push forward. Miracles occur when you give as much attention and energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.

And when I tell you to be brave.

I want you to go after what you want. I hope you stop sitting, waiting, wishing for things to happen to you and for you to get up and start making things happen! Good things do happen to good people, but sometimes we need a push, we need a change, we need to go out there and make something good happen to us, for us.

I want you to open your heart to something new, something wild and something scary. When you go beyond the comfortable, the norm, the regular...when you step out on the ledge, away from the centre...you can see a whole new world, filled with some of the same things that look and feel new, all from a different angle. I hope you take a chance, to make a change. 

"And when I tell you to be brave...I mean open your heart. Open it so wide that you think all hell will break loose and you will surely die. 

Then, breathe and live."

The simplest, the kindest, the most hopeful words. To be brave in your life to be real, to be open, to go after what your heart wants and throw all fear aside. When you let go of all your insecurities, fear, failures, expectations...throw all covers aside, and stand in front of your world aware. Real. Alive. Ready to feel and experience everything that is waiting for you...

I hope you choose to be brave.

the company you keep.

They say you become like the company you keep.

So why not surround yourself with positive, energized, happy people. They always say the bad is so much easier to believe. And it's easy to get wrapped up in the negative thoughts and feelings and words. Especially if you surround yoruself with negative people, they are only going to bring you down.

The more you focus on all the things you can't do, you can't be...all the things you aren't. You're going to add up to be inadequate. I read a quote that stated "You always compare your worst times with everyone else's highlights." And it's so dang true!

So why not surround yourself with people who bring you up? Who inspire you and make you a better person. I want people who believe in me and believe in themselves. Surround yourself with people you like, with people that bring you up, believe in you and inspire you. Spend time with people you want to be like.

Surround yourself with good and you'll soon realize, life just got easier. Happiness is contagious.

Make a promise to yourself to walk away from anything that doesn't serve you, better you, inspire you or make you smile. Make this commitment to yourself, to be better to yourself, your life and world, because you deserve it all and then some.

Life sometimes takes you off course.

People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.

Sometimes things don't turn our how we expect them to. We create this big story of how our lives should be, how our parents have told us to act, the types of jobs we should be working each day....we create these big expectations, and when things don't turn out according to plan - we feel as though we have failed. Not only do we feel like a failure, but we feel like we've let ourselves down, our parents, our family and friends, anyone that believed in us. We've failed, miserably.

Do you ever realize it is so easy to focus on the bad things in your life? How easy it is to zoom in on the imperfections...the hidden insecurities.

Expectations come with feelings, emotions and they tend to be big and bold and heartfelt. We make goals for ourself, for our lives. We want to achieve, grow, consume and live. That's life - we need to feel as though we are moving up in the world in order to feel accomplished. But what is accomplished - to YOU? What do you want to have done - wish you had done - wish you had taken in school? Who do you want to be right now? Where do you want to live? Travel? What do you want to experience? Where do you wish you worked? Where do you want to be...right...now.

Life is so rich and full and it's waiting to be lived. We hold back when expectations don't get met, when the lives we think we should be living don't happen, we throw in the towel, give in and give up - and take in the negative. Negativity is so much easier to spread than the positive. Smile at a stranger - and you can watch and feel a positive action in motion. Little things count.

So with all of the expectations that people have drawn out for us - we build up a big wall, where we need to our lives to be, by when's and how to's. But what if life doesn't go according to plan - maybe you don't finish school, or travel for a year, don't get the job you went to university for. End up still in school after 8 years. So what?

No one defines your life but you. Right now is the time to start living what you want to be in this moment, right here, right now. What do YOU want to achieve? Put away all of the expectations and all of the emotions and try to think clearly. Are you going to let all of the let-downs and heartaches define your world.  Let all of the negative people you've let walk into your life, walk all over you and define the way you feel about yourself?

Hell no.

Don't isolate yourself from the world when things don't go according to plan. Stop right there - stop living life to everyone's else's expectations, to your own expectations. Just because you don't fit inside the dotted line that was created for you, that you thought was meant for you, so what? Be spontaneous, be free to be anything. Drop the emotions and just realize 'shit happens'. Life happens - and it's moving so damn fast that it's passing all of us by. We need to be present, to right here, right now and not let the past define us. 

Moving forward - committing to a new way of being - someone who is contagious, positive and encouraging. I want to believe in myself and everything I am capable of - so I will surround myself only with people who believe I am capable to. I have the ability to shape my world and define it to my standards, to my expectations - and if life doesn't sit true with what I had in store for me? Than I'll fly by the edge of my seat - work with what god gives me...

Life is happening, now and it is so beautiful. Don't let your expectations hold you back from what is available to you, from what is different than you expected.

There is true beauty in being different, in going off course...there is always new adventure, if you're willing to jump in.

Always be ready.

Life is short, isn't it?

I'm 23 years old and I feel like I've been through so much, experienced so much, seen so much...and yet, I feel like I know nothing at all. That I blink and my whole world is going by way too fast, and I don't have enough time to experience everything, meet everyone, go everywhere...do all of the things I dream about doing.

Life is too damn short. That's the truth. Experiences are everything. Memories are going to make up a life time of happiness, sorrows, heartbreaks and dreams. Life is a roller coaster...it's all these great and crazy and wonderful things. And it's happening so damn fast. That if we don't stop to appreciate where we are and what we have - it might soon be gone before we know it.

All those things you want to do? Go do them. It's a shame to wait until tomorrow to dream all of those amazing dreams, and achieve all of your goals. Dream big, be big and be bold.

Be excited about your life and go out and live it. Realize your life has meaning and it isn't going to start when you get things sorted out just as you think they should be. Life has started!  Don't wait for the bad things to go away...don't wait for the good things to come. Start living your amazing and powerful life, right now.

One of the best statements I've ever head - Always be ready to have the time of your life. Life is going to take you a ton of different places, you're going to meet a selection of different people and your going to experience the good, the bad, the ugly...it's all part of life.

So hold on and jump in. Don't hold back! Appreciate your life and the people in it. Show grattitude to your parents, grandparents and siblings for putting up with you and loving you. And love them right back! Give your friends a hug, go after the job you've always wanted, go back to school...just stop over thinking everything and worrying about the consequences and go for it.

It's this one life, all you have - make it yours and be bold. Are you always ready to have the time of your life? Get after it!

Just One.

            One positive thought.

                             It's all you need..

As I got home from work on a rainy day last week, all these thoughts kept running through my head of all the things I want to do before I’m 30. My bucket list, my hopeful thoughts, my wishes, my dreams…the list goes on and on. I’m one of the first people you’ll catch writing down my goals each month…something new to chase after and something different to accomplish. But then I was stuck – I couldn’t see what was ahead of me, what potential there was in each day, what I wanted in my life… just stuck.

There was something holding me back, something I was holding on to that wasn’t letting me see my life clearly. I wasn’t letting myself be here, be present, right here, be available to the people and things around me. What was it?

It could have been the negative clutter of thoughts I was allowing to stay in my head over the last few months. It could be the anxiety that I slowly feel is taking over my body and my mind each day. Maybe my worries about my job and my life and what I’ll never get to be when I grow up. The money I don’t have to buy a home I want in the future, the places I want to go to but I don’t and won’t have the money – hold up, what?

I’m worrying about all these what if’s, all these fears, all these goals I want for my distant future. There was a time when ‘I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grow up’ was ok. That feeling free and young was what I wanted, that even though I don’t know what I want, or I might change my mind tomorrow…that everything is just as it should be and I’m ok. I was getting wrapped up in a negative way of being and negative chain of thoughts…Then I realized: I need to start getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Shit happens. Things get in the way, and I was letting them get in the way of my life. I was letting all of my negative thoughts control my positive ones. All the sickness in the world, the heart ache…was actually creeping through my dreams, my thoughts, my every day reactions, actions and life.

"One small, positive thought can change your whole day. Realize the impact of this - the power you have over your whole world."

We get so caught up in what others want and think it’s what we should want. We think that just because we aren’t built a specific way or look a certain way that we aren’t perfect and that our lives aren’t perfect. This life, the one your living, you – it’s ALL perfect. We need to stop wanting and waiting for things to change. Letting the buildup of the negative hold us back and bring us down.

I was letting all of the bad things in my world bring my down and hold me back. I just needed, needed, needed….what? What is it that I need?

Happiness. A smile. A good friend to remind me that everything is going to be ok. The negative thoughts - they happen, the sadness – it comes and goes. Don’t give up hope.  Don’t let it swell your life and clutter your mind with the I can’t, I won’t and and it’s never going to happen, so give up, give in and throw in your white flag.

I’ll start my diet tomorrow, I’ll go back to school next year, we’ll buy a house when we start saving money, I’ll go traveling when my debt is lower….we keep pushing back life, with fear that we can’t have everything we want – the truth is, you can! Anything you put your mind after, you can achieve. You can build the life you want – just don’t give up on yourself so easily.

This life is created by us. We decide who belongs in it, what belongs it, what is going to define it…what we want it to be filled with.

So I need to stop and let go of all the negativity in my life that I’m holding on to. Stop letting it build up walls where there should be bridges…I just need to choose one positive thought at the start of my day…the domino effect. Believe in your life and all of its possibilities. You can define it and create it – don’t let the negativity swell up and take over.

You deserve happiness and you need to realize this. The good will come and the negativity will wash away – but you need to decide and commit to wanting more and being better. Treating yourself better. Believing in yourself more.

What do you want your life filled with?  Friends, family, memories, a pet, travels, experience…?

I know I want mine filled with happiness and love – and lots of it.