Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

I was recently invited to a glamorous function.

Glamorous functions tire me at times. In fact, they tire me most of the times.
Allow me to explain.
I am what some would call a free spirit - unlike most of my girly mates, my best friends aren't diamonds and I would choose jeans and a white t-shirt over makeup and high heels any night!

So when I saw two flashy women joining our party, I recognized judgmental thoughts running wild inside my organic-cotton loving brain.

Stern thoughts like:
"These two women have the need to shine (literally) in order to feel important"
"Look at the way they move! Can they be more pitifully provocative?"





















Yes, I shamelessly admit I did judge and the free spirit in me screamed like the famous painting.
Feeling true horror at the great lengths some women go to call attention and be adored, I was surprised to hear my monkey mind command fiercely:
"Ignore them, ignore them, don't mingle!"


Maybe because I love a challenge or probably because I don't allow my thoughts to control me anymore, I impetuously decided to engage in conversation with the dressiest of the two.

It turns out that I learned more than I could imagine from the two flashy ladies, so dissimilar to me.
It turns out that I automatically fell in love with the tawdry pair who had a baggage of varied and compelling experiences to share with me.
They intuitively and generously taught me so much about the marvels of life in a matter of minutes.

Astonishingly, I could see so much of myself in them
and they, on the other hand, absorbed my words as a dry cloth does when drenched in liquid.
It was magic, an unexplainable exchange of information and life lessons.

You never know what you will find in the depths of another's soul.
And you never can tell in which way the next person will teach you something new.
It could be your employee, whom you've never cared much about, who says a phrase you've been needing to hear to solve a problem. Or that beggar on the street that teaches you the lesson you had to learn at that moment in time. Or the waiter that speaks words that soothe your hurting soul.

You never know how the message you need to hear, or the lesson you need to learn will reach you.
For this reason I say and I beg of you to
REMAIN OPEN!
Never judge a book by its cover!
Because the message you are to hear will be delivered, yet you will never be able to choose the vehicle that will dispense it.

Keep curious towards teachings and experience the miracle of living a fuller life - even if it means you open the seemingly uninteresting book with the despicable cover you can't stand looking at.

A Kind Soul

How many times can you say you met a kind soul?

I came across one the other day.

I met what I believe to be an indigo soul dressed in a baby blue jacket in a crowded club of a sunny city.

At first sight, other than the baby blue color that called my attention for its tenderness, nothing else stood out - It was just the same as the sea of souls around me.

Until I got to meet the Kind Soul!

You recognize a Kind Soul when you look deep into their eyes.
Eyes of kindness, of playfulness,
Eyes with a consciousness
That have chosen a noble mission in life.

A Kind Soul is a rare treat these days!
In our superficial and extravagant reality, the Kind Soul is as rare as a man who can breath under water.

Generous with words and actions;
Caring and wiser than it even understands,
the kind soul is authentic and spontaneous.

Don't be surprised if it speaks crude words of truth or if this encounter causes a commotion in your life - these souls are usually here to teach and lessons can sometimes be harsh.

Meeting a Kind Soul is a rare present these days.
If you, like me, are fortunate enough to come across one:
cherish the moment and thank your lucky stars.

Most importantly:
Keep the Kind Soul close by!

It doesn't have to be physically.
Keep the kindness of this soul in your heart forever and remember to thank it for making our world a gentler place to live in.

The harsh truth

When is enough, enough?

When do you realize that this job, activity, relationship or that way of life isn't going anywhere?

VIA funny-potato 

More than merely realizing, what does it take for you to choose to take ACTION and leave behind that which isn't working? That which doesn't bring you true joy, that which doesn't help you evolve emotionally, spiritually or professionally? And if you do decide to face the bitter sweet fact that it isn't working, what do you do to leave it behind you?

To say to yourself and announce to the tree tops, the world, the universe that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

What does it take for you to realize that you are WORHTY of all you dream of - and more!

Because you are better than that!

Have you ever caught yourself blaming that person who you trusted and let you down? 

Pointing all the injustice that he/she has committed, all the ways they've hurt you, all that they could have done and decided not to or the other way around? 

I'm sure you have, it happens to everyone at one point or another. That friend who betrayed your life long friendship, that boss that blamed you for his own incompetencies or that person who broke your trust and let you down when you really needed her. 

When anger and blame creep up, it can consume our mind and our heart and can stay there forever. 

The Dalai Lama says a good way to be freed from this poisonous feeling is to make a distinction between the action and the actor.

You can be angry at the action and still have compassion for the actor. Understand that the person is coming from the only place he/she know.  

Regardless, know that placing blame and pointing fingers only keeps you stuck in a cycle of negativity that leads you nowhere. Life is about being hit and standing up again, stronger, tougher and wiser. 

Take time to watch the short video below and be inspired!

Believe you CAN!

Believe you can, believe you can, believe you can!

I know you might be thinking this sounds like positive psycho-blabber and I will share with you my view on why it is actually more important than you think.

I want you to think about a time when you were being interviewed for a job you really wanted.
What would your behavior be if you thought:
"There is no chance I will get the job, others are so much better and I barely have any experience"
Now think, would you act in a different way, if your thoughts were:
"Yeah, I'm going to nail this interview because I'm amazing!"

We set ourselves up and live our life according to the quality of our thoughts.
When we are little, our thoughts are mostly an extension of the world around us. How our parents react towards us, what our teachers and friends say to and about us become our guide. Without realizing it, neuro pathways or connections are formed and the more we believe our thoughts (consciously or unconsciously), the stronger the connection becomes.

VIA bookbing.org

Our thoughts have the power to change our physical reactions, thus leading us to live our lives in this or that way, take this or that action. Try it right now! Think about yourself picking up a big, juicy, yellow lemon. With your mind's eye, smell it, notice its color, feel its bumpy texture. Now cut it open with a knife, see the liquid running and stick your teeth deep inside the yellow lemon, tasting its acidity. What happens in your mouth? And you didn't even actually taste the darn thing!!

To quote Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or you think you can't - you are right"
Whatever it is your heart desires, a new job, the promotion, driving your company to success or healing some aspect of your life, you have to BELIEVE YOU CAN!
Even if at first it seems fake. When you start hearing those fearful voices inside your head, just repeat to yourself: "I can do it! I can do it! I CAN do it!"
You are training your brain and making the neurological pathways - with the information that you can! - stronger.  
As they say, where there's a will, there's a way!
You just have to believe you can find that way and remember to pat yourself on the back when you discover that you really could do it!

Don't wish it was easier, wish you were tougher!

The title is a quote by Jim Rohn, an author and motivational speaker known for being the mentor of Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy and T. Harv Eckar, all very accomplished authors in the self development industry.

The quote struck me as I am going through a stressful period. Those who have accompanied my writing  might have noticed that I haven't written in a good long time. Writer's block is what some call it. Others call it drying up. I certainly felt blocked and dried out of ideas!
I felt panic. Is it going to last forever? Am I never going to be able to write again? Will I ever finish the book I am writing? Then I would enter a high voltage zone of self torture and think of all the things I SHOULD be doing to circumvent this horrific dry-block!

Nothing worked. Days went by and the dryness culminated to a drought. This drought in writing reflected the way I felt inside.

VIA Freaque Waves

Today I had an a-ha moment (this a-ha moment is such a cliche, yet it does explain it pretty simply) and realized that I was stuck in a dry block out of shear fear. I am going through a challenging period in my life, having to make life changing decisions while living in a debt and crisis ridden country, where nothing other than how poor everyone is becoming is talked about, anywhere!

It is a stressful period, I resignedly admit. I tried my best to hide (from myself and others) the fact that I was feeling stressed, overwhelmed and most of all scared.

Today after reading Rohn's quote, I understood that I was secretly wishing it would be easier. I was secretly waiting for the universe to send me a buoy that would guarantee everything would turn out the way I wish it would. And I was feeling scared.

No wonder I had a block, I was frozen with fear.
Fear usually does this - either makes you move forth in a rage or freeze up like a fruit popsicle.

Frozen and scared thoughts - frozen and scared feelings - frozen and scared action (or rather, inaction)!

Today I was liberated when I realized it's only my focus that's at fault. Focusing on external circumstances, wishing and praying they would be more favorable. Focusing on measuring how big my problems are and how deep the dryness. Wishing it was all much easier.

Today I decided I will focus on me!
Am I focusing on thinking positive, happy and self loving thoughts? Even after the scary ones come along?
Am I focusing on taking planned action, keep on walking, regardless of fear? After all, isn't this world made of daily opportunities?
Am I focusing on my heart's goal, despite the hardships that make it look so far away at the present moment?

Today, I remembered that I have reached my fullest potential when I had positive thoughts that led me to have positive feelings that led me to take positive action!

If I can dispense one message while emerging from a cold (and dry) and obstructed place, it would be:  Constantly focus on you - your thoughts, feelings and actions!
From wishful thinking to toughness in the most powerful way!

Keep the faith!

I came across a very interesting picture the other day and wanted to share it with my esteemed readers. (credits to facebook!)

It is not my intention to turn this into a scientific or philosophical conversation, yet I do wish to express some of my own thoughts on faith. 

I often talk to people who tell me they have no faith in God (or whatever you want to call it) because He has never been proven. No one really knows  the truth about it and some have even "proved" that there could be no such thing. 

In my opinion, having faith (in something bigger and outside of ourselves) is not about proving if there is or not something out there. 

Having faith is about constantly and blindingly feeding myself with the thought that the creative force that made the infinite space around us, the burning sun, the scented flowers and my toenails, is always available to me. 

It is about indiscriminately believing that this creative energy is within me and you as it is without. 

My faith does not lead me to believe in this or that God, it leads me to believe that everyday of my life I can choose to be this or that person. 

My faith allows me to align my brain in accordance to all the beauty that surrounds me. 

Yes, there are ugly sights to be seen and hardships to be faced, yet my faith helps me believe that even without seeing them at this moment, brighter days will surely arrive. 

My faith allows me to keep positive and positivity is the only road to keeping open for whatever I want to come my way. 

Having faith in God, in the Universe, in the Stars, in my eternal Spirit, allows me to remember that I am at the same time insignificant and colossal. Just like our vast earth is one more spec in the sky, I too can be anything and still everything can come my way! 

Therefore, keep it real and keep the faith, brother!