...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.