Commitment

Sometimes I think that committing to a decision is hard.  But really, the difficulty of a decision depends on the amount of change the decision will generate in my life.  Picking out what to order as an entree at dinner will affect how I feel for the next few hours and can make a difference in my weight if I indulge a little too much (or too little).  These are things that are important to me, but I make these decisions daily and have gotten pretty good at knowing which ones make me feel good and which I feel less confident about or regret afterwards.

Then, there are decisions like what to get tattooed onto my body.  This decision will be with me for the rest of my life and is public for anyone who notices to recognize and judge.  With such a big decision comes fear that in 50 years, I will not feel the love that I feel for it in this moment.  There is also fear that people I love will love me less because of it.  In the end, though, this is a choice that I made and must live with.  Because I love it, the people who truly love me will love that it makes me happy.  I must be secure in my relationships to trust the opinions of the people I love and to care what they think but I also must be secure enough with myself to ensure that nobody can change the way I feel about something that only affects my life and body.

Another commitment that can be scary is a romantic one in which love and official "titles" are involved.  Heartbreak and betrayal are the worst feelings I have ever experienced and both of these are possible outcomes of committing to love another person.  I know that I can always leave this person if I become unhappy, but it is scary to be vulnerable to them, for they have the ability to break my heart if I am happy and they leave me or find someone else to be happier with.  Every relationship, even those that are contracted in marriage, can be hurtful, but this pain is something I am willing to risk if it means I can be happy at the current time.  Having learned to be happy by myself gives me the comfort that I can be happy with someone but will also be able to remain happy without them if either one of us chooses to end the relationship.

It is always better to share happiness and have someone share theirs with me.  Therefore, I am committing to being open to commitment.  I do not want to rush into a commitment nor do I want to force one that doesn't feel right; but I also do not want to turn down an opportunity that could lead to something amazing.  Other than a tattoo, every thing else in life should be decided based on what feels right in the moment.  If my favorite food sounds terrible one day, I don't have to eat it just because I already made a commitment that I love that food.  If a relationship becomes stale or causes frustration and stress, I can try to fix it; but I must be willing to go back to being happy on my own if the other person in the relationship does not put in the same effort as I do.  At the same time, though, I must have faith in every decision I make and hope for the best in every relationship I form.

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." ~Hebrews 6:19

HOW TO: Be Happy

Bringing happiness into my heart starts in my eyes, moves down my cheeks, and shows itself by my smile.  When I envision things, people, words, and moments that I love, my heart tingles and my eyes light up and force my cheeks to push out.  I can't get this feeling thinking about anything negative, annoying, weird, or stupid.  I really only feel this way when I am living out a dream or goal and being aware of myself in the moment.  It makes me feel good to share these things.  I can express myself through the things I do and the words I write, but I can also express myself through my features and the way I hold myself.  The way I carry my head, the way my hips sway, and the straightness of my posture affect the way I feel and the way the world understands my feelings.

Love is strong and the reason for keeping everything in alignment is to feel good so the world will know it and will let me feel their love, in return.  The point of being happy is to attract people who are also happy, and together, we can be happier than either one of us could be by ourselves.  It is such an exciting feeling that I never want to go away, but if it does slip out of my consciousness for a time, I know the way to get it back is to focus on what makes me feel the best.  Putting good food into my body, stretching and getting the sore areas massaged away, and surrounding myself with people that respect me and my values are so important, regardless of where I am and what I look like.  As long as my body and relationships are strong and healthy, there is beauty shining from the inside out.  Anyone who wants to look can see it in plain view.  My goal is to show my happiness to everyone and the ones who are happy will stick with me and the ones who want to be happy will seek me.  Those who are not and do not want or try to be happy are people who I do not wish to be around and they will be the ones who are turned off and annoyed by my happiness.  I will not change for them just as I do not expect them to change for me.  Everything that happens to us is created internally.  The best thing to do is to focus on creating happy everything—moments, people, situations, etc. and then once found, keep them going.

Best of luck :)

Patience

Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening at once.

As much as I wish I could develop a dream and watch it happen instantaneously, waiting for my dreams to be made real is what life is all about.  Keeping on the track that will lead me toward my dreams is the most difficult part, but it is all worth it when something magical happens.  Sometimes, it feels easier to just give up and move on to something else, but being patient is what ultimately brings the best feelings.  The most exciting dream I have is to fall and stay in love.  But even the bible says, "Love is patient" (1 Corinthians 13:4).  I do not want to rush the plan God has for me and the vision I have for myself.  I am living happily in a dream that I had in the past, so as long as I know my desires and I have begun to put them into action, I must just sit back and wait.  In the meantime, I must keep living the dream I have made for myself and have faith that my wishes for the future will come true when the time is right.  The best way, I find, to forget about what isn't happening is to focus on what is.  So get busy and keep dreaming!

Words I Love

This quote reminds me to let the world see the real me, for this is the part of me that is worth loving. 

Relax

Sometimes, I feel like I need to spend a week just relaxing so my body and mind can catch up with the business of my life.  Spending time with family and friends, doing activities like yoga, hiking, and swimming, and just letting myself be without any worries distracting me from recharging can give me a renewed sense of balance that allows me to keep moving forward into new chapters or even just onto the next page of my life.  After becoming fully relaxed, a time comes when I begin to reflect on my future goals and make plans that will ensure I achieve my desires.  I am lucky to be a student on summer vacation with time for all of this and to have a lovely summer home that is the perfect place to forget the world and focus on myself.  I am so thankful for all that I have been given and I am proud of all that I have accomplished.  I want to ensure that I always have this feeling, so I plan to journal into the evening and for the next week until I am set on what I want.  I am ready to go for it and make all of my dreams come true, I just want to make sure I have a clear vision of what they are first.

Sweet dreams!

Attracting Things I Want

I have heard many ways of going about getting what I want, but here is what I have found works best.  Implementing plans are essential, but timing is crucial.  Plans often tend to have an expected outcome; but, we must first be able to feel when the time is right to implement the plan in order to ensure that the expected outcome will be the result.  Also, it is essential to keep a picture of the desired outcome in our minds before we carry out the plan, while we are executing it, and after the plan is implemented.  We must never lose faith in the outcome (that is, unless it explicitly fails because of some unforeseen external force).  For example, buying tickets to a concert and planning to go with a crush can be very exciting for weeks leading up to the event.  However, in the event that said crush's grandma gets sick, has to go to the hospital, and get surgery, there is clearly an external force signaling that the time is not right for us to go on this date.  Without losing faith that the show would still be great fun, though, it is possible to have an even better time than expected and to meet a person that may end up being better for me than my original date.  I cannot say with absolute certainty that either guy is right for me in the long-run, but I do know that I had fun in the short-run because of my long-run goal that I created before the concert in which I envisioned having tons of fun.  If I always keep the future in my mind while I enjoy the present, there will be many more presents to come in my future.

Just think about what it is that you want and then wait for it to happen.  You will know when the right time has come, and you will be happy about the results of experiences in your life.

Tragedy

It shakes up our feelings when things seem perfect one night before you go to sleep and when you wake up, the world has been changed by a horrific tragedy of mankind.  We are all aware of national tragedies, thanks to the dominance of social and news media combining to make a sphere in which most people in our community participate.  Knowledge is power, but hearing about real devastation that is going on in the world can  make me want to completely give up control and hide, like evil wants us to do.  But during times when we have all just witnessed the tragedy of evil taking over man, it is heart wrenching.  I can truly imagine being in the midst of high-death tragedies myself, due to my close proximity to several tragedies in the past.  When a tragedy occurs, it is important to face it immediately and reevaluate the things that we all choose to live for.  Living to be happy and to love others is a common goal shared by the masses.  Although few, there are people out in this world who live to kill.  It is incomprehensible to people like me and you, but when they show themselves by carrying out their plots of killing the masses, we must not fear these creatures.  Instead, we must contain them and ensure that our generation does not let such people go unnoticed for the future generations that follow.  We must learn from history, and today is another moment in history that we must face immediately and learn from in order to prevent other innocent people from falling victim to those who have a mistaken view of life and their purpose on this earth.

May those twelve killed in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater during the Dark Knight Rises movie premier on this day, Friday, July 20, 2012, rest in peace and may the families of the victims continue to live in peace and happiness while never forgetting the loved ones they lost on this day.


God bless.

"Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight."

Motivate with Dreams

The dream each of us has for ourselves is incredibly important, for that dream is what shapes our presents.  While it is important to enjoy the dream we are currently living, we must not lose sight of our ultimate purpose.  It is what leads us when we are lost and what motivates us to get up and live each day to its fullest.  In order to reach a dream, we must set smaller goals.  Accomplishing each small goal brings feelings of achievement which make us feel successful and happy because we are one step closer to our dream.  Dreading any step that brings us closer toward living our dreams is like denying that there will be hardships along the path of life.  We can still remain happy people through these hardships as long as we remember that they are necessary in order to get to a better place in our lives.  Most importantly, never give up on a dream because it seems too big.  Anything can happen to anyone who wants it and works to reach it.  Whether shooting to go to the moon or aiming to understand basic human connections, all of us have dreams that we can make happen so long as we create the journey that will get us there.

~sweet dreams~

P.S. I'm obssessed with...

Round sunglasses : classic, cute and a touch of hippie all in one, faded lenses and brown rims go with everything so you can make them more laid back for casual outfits, dressed up for the evening, and cute at the pool.  Both big and small frames are sure to be sexy and chic in any circumstance or any city...even on your man.  Happy travels pretty people!

Following Passion

Passion is one of those abstract concepts that we learn about as children but don't truly know until we get older.  There are so many things I am passionate about and I want to be sure never to lose any of this passion.  Yes, one day I will have to choose one to focus on and pursue in order to make a living, but it is important to keep everything I am passionate about in my life.  From eclectic coffee mugs to art and music to reading, writing, or even long walks in a beautiful place, there are so many things in this world that fill me with passion.  Blogging has become a passion because my blog is a place where I can release my feelings to the world, without anyone having to see unless they happen to find me.  I love sharing the things I have learned through my experience and I hope that one day people find me when in an abstract place of not knowing what to do.  I even go back and read my posts when I am in need of some inspiration.  Living happily seems to be everybody's goal and yet so many people find it so difficult.  I was like this for so long but have come through and found what I want in this life.  People, places, and activities that I love have come into my life either by chance or by choice, but the ones I love are still here.  I want to keep following these passions as long as I live, for they are what give meaning to my legacy and happiness to my life.