Love of Life

(El Capitan, Yosemite)

So can we talk about unconditional love for a moment?

I'm sure we can pretty much agree it is a great concept. The best ever, you might say. Don't we all want to be loved unconditionally, regardless of mistakes or grumpy moods?

I always think of unconditional love as it pertains to other individuals, but what about unconditional love of life? We do not always love our lives every single moment of every single day. But that's natural isn't' it? Sometimes we are just having a bad day or maybe a bad week, month - or couple of years! Maybe it rains when we were really looking forward to going hiking, or maybe we broke an arm and can no longer practice our favorite sport. That is certainly upsetting!

However, adopting an unconditional love of life means that we embrace life exactly as it shows up. This is life.... this is me walking through life..... and it's perfect just as it is.

The practice with this one is that it requires us to step outside of ourselves and observe life more objectively. Instead of being owned by thoughts like, "why is this happening to me?!" or "this sucks" take a stance from the outside and view the moment for what it is - merely a tiny thread in the fabric of life. The design is perfect, and this little thread contributes to the perfection of the whole.

Life brings experiences and opportunities, and every single second we are born again as a new person through our decisions and who we choose to be.

Observe this moment as perfect - offer life your unconditional love.

Dare to Be Different

"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary." - Sir Cecil Beaton




All too often we play out our lives according to someone else's definition of what's "right". Does "right" even exist? How can there be only one acceptable model to live by? In a world inhabited by people from innumerable backgrounds and experiences, each past unique, we cannot expect one way of living to suit everyone. Conceptually we understand this, but why is it that we scowl at an unconventional lifestyle or idea? Next time your crazy cousin tells you he is running off to Borneo to live among the orangutans or your kooky co-worker tells you she is quitting her job to pursue pottery making, before you begin passing judgments on these decisions, ask yourself - why do I want their lifestyle choices to mirror my own?
You might have to take a deeper look at the reason for your own beliefs. Where did they even come from? How are they serving me?

Dare to be different. Define your own life. Live your dream.

Creating the Conditions of your Life

"Happiness is not created as a result of certain conditions. Certain conditions are created as a result of happiness." - from the book Communion with God, Neale Donald Walsch





Take today to consider this quote. Does it ring true for you?

It's funny because I remember having a mindset even as an awkward middle-school-er, that things will be better when ....(fill in the blank) . As a girl in middle school, I assumed life would improve significantly upon reaching high school, oh yeah, that's where it's at. Then once in high school, I was still left wanting and so I couldn't wait to get to college, because I knew then I would have freedom, then I would be happy. Yet, although my circumstances certainly changed when I got to college, I still had the notion that I needed to graduate and get out, because I needed to experience the "real" freedom of living in and discovering the world - that'll bring me joy.
Given the fact that this perceived notion of freedom and happiness was never obtained out of any set of conditions, perhaps I was going about it all backward?
Imagine whatever quality it is you'd like to experience, whether love, joy, abundance, freedom, security, peace - you name it. Now imagine that you already have it. Done. Well that was easy, wasn't it? Say Thank You!
Now watch and notice if your circumstances begin changing in response to this new attitude or quality you have adopted.....

Decisions

(Image: Activegarage.com)

Indecision has been my biggest nemesis. My brain starts whirling a million miles and hour, analyzing the decision from all angles and agonizing over what the "right" decision would be. Getting out of my head and into my heart is a journey I am now taking on as I focus on listening to my feelings instead of my thoughts.
That being said.....
Yesterday I was faced with making the decision of whether or not I should take a teaching job at a school here in Austin. I have been looking for a position and I would get to teach Art and World Cultures, which sounded perfect for me! However, on my first day shadowing the existing teacher, I felt as though a serpent rose up from inside of me screaming "uh-uh, this doesn't feel right,....No!" These strong oppositional feelings to a position I believed I wanted sent me into a feeling of distress and failure. Why can't I find a job I love? Do I really have the luxury of holding out for something better? Are these feelings just confirming my indecisiveness and I should just Suck-It-Up?
To cut to the chase, I didn't take the job. To have accepted the position would have felt like punishment - it was wrong and I knew it - but for awhile now I have lived with this belief hanging over me that says I need to struggle in order to get what I want in life, and that work shouldn't be joyful. But have you ever considered that the idea that struggling and requirement in order to obtain happiness, financial security, and love is simply an illusion and not actually true?
Could you accept the idea that you already are loved without having to do anything? That you already have happiness, resting in and around you, poised and ready to be activated with your simple attention? Or that everything you need, right now, in this moment, you already have - without any requirements or demands asked of you?
These concepts can be difficult to accept because we are so conditioned to believe the illusion. But what if, even just for today, you could release the struggle, let go of the striving, and accept openly and deservingly all the joy, love, and security already available to you in your life?

What's Your Manifesto?

If someone were to write a manifesto according to how you lived your life, would you like what it said? Would it resonate with how you desire to live?
Sometimes I find myself caught up in idealistic thoughts about how to live, but the decisions I make don't always match up with those ideals.  What would it take to start making decisions based upon your personal manifesto for life? Well, the first step would be to actually have a manifesto. Deliberately write down the things, thoughts, and ways of being that you value, then post it somewhere conspicuous so that you will be reminded of it everyday. Often all we need is a little inspiration and a gentle reminder in order to start making decisions that are inline with what we believe.
Don't know where to start? Here is a manifesto that I love.

(The Holstee Manifesto - holstee.com)