Happy, Joyous, and Free

When my heart is open, LOVE is my experience. When my heart is closed, FEAR is my experience. When I look into the eyes of a new born, LOVE is my experience. When I watch the news, FEAR is my experience. And when I allow ALL experiences to be exactly as they are, PEACE is my experience. And when I let go of ALL experiences, there is just this moment, exactly as it is. And that is more than enough... -Michael Jeffreys

Showing up for your own life

When you realize that nothing has to be here, you begin to have genuine love for what is here, expressing itself exactly as it is. Look at this moment, without any story. The storyless now. What is your direct experience of this moment when you drop all stories. Life without the commentator in the head. Now is just what is happening minus everything you think. Let it be seen that you are nothing. And in knowing that you are nothing, there is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain. What can happen to you? Something can happen to your body and it will either heal or it won't. What's the big deal? Let life knock you down, to bits. Let it tear you apart. It will only destroy what you are not"

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, my first thought is one of dread. Although I feel embarassed and shamed to admit this, it is wiring that has been in my head for a long time. But just because I know its there doesn't mean I accept that my morning anxiety or sadness is a permanant condition. In fact, I know I may be powerless over my first though, but I am in no ways powerless over my second though. Showing up for your own life means choosing your thoughts. The same way you chose your outfit. Or your lipstick color. Why would you wear black lipstick? Its unattractive, and simply detrimental to your overall look. The same goes with negative thoughts. They are unattractive, and hindering your ability to shine in this life. What thoughts can you throw out? Remember, inadequacy is JUST a thought. They're all just thoughts. So make a list of every thought that is preventing you from being happy, being present, and being the beautifully expressive and full person you are meant to be. Then make a list of all those divine, happy, beautiful and full thoughts that you know deserve the spot in your brain. With the brain being the heaviest limb on our body, it is time we give it the importance it deserves. Once you take out your mind garbage, fill it with spiritual treasures. The same way you take off the black lipstick, and put on a pretty fuschia pink. Throw out, replace. Throw out, replace. Throw out, replace. ALL DAY LONG. Watch your life transform and you change your mind. Remember, if you change your mind...you can change the world.

Sending teen vogue, new york city, fashionista, buddhalicious love to you all.

Thank you for taking the time to read

I am so grateful

L

Happy Monday

People who do not love themselves can adore others, because adoration is making someone else big and ourselves small. They can desire others, because desire comes out of a sense of inner incompleteness, which demands to be filled. But they can not love others, because love is an affirmation of the living growing being in all of us. If you don’t have it, you can’t give it.

If theres one thing that hits you when you stand alone in front of the ocean and let the wind hold you up as you feel your very spirit become perfectly juxtaposed against such a brilliant collaboration of colors, it's that we are all so incredibly small. Such a tiny part of something so complex. Even though we are all lives living in existence with one another, every individual is in possession of their own universe. One in which they grow and learn and mature. We experience love and hate and joy and tragedy. And in the end, all our experiences just add another color to the canvas. Now the human mind is a dramatic structure, and some of us become so engulfed in our immediate lives that we fail to see the bigger picture. There is always, a bigger picture. In love we must always go in believing it will last forever, because no one wants to anticipate an end. Heartbreak comes and heartbreak goes but we have to be willing to accept change in our lives and realize that it all works out in the end. Also, when we do face troubles in life, so many of us choose to take the easy way out, the shortcut. These people end up lost. You have to soak up every lost drop of wisdom and anything else you can get from your experiences. Thats the only way we can strengthen our cores and become a part of the never-ending cycle of obtaining wisdom. And ultimately, our wisdom will be our rock, our steadfast comfort in life.

The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.

"When a thought hurts, thats the sign it isin't true"

Its great to be great, but its greater to be human. The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.

Just take the first step. Even if you don't see the whole staircase. Especially if you don't see the whole staircase. Has your higher power ever left you without a staircase? Have you ever been left without a solution to a problem? Which of your life problems have been left unsolved in the long term. That is because God has a solution for every problem the moment it arises. Today, or rather this moment, I choose to put my faith in what I cannot see, which in this moment feels like EVERYTHING. I cannot see if what I'm doing is right, I cannot see if there is something to regret, I cannot see what next action I should do. I am in a daze of my thinking. But I continue to walk. In the direction of the divine. The fog will clear, in time. And I will be dropped off somewhere better than where I was picked up .

The great opportunity is where you are. Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars, every place is the center of the world. -John Burroughs

do one thing a day that scares you. there is nothing more liberating than having your greatest "fear" realized.

If you wan't to be happy, be. If you want to be free, be. If you want to be present, be. If you want to be fulfilled, be. If you want to be scared, be. WE have the choice in our god-given hands. What is the divine choice for our lives?

Letting go takes a leap of faith. It takes a leap. An action. Willingness without action is fantasy. Sometimes you have to "Act as if". Act first, and let the feeling follow behind. Act as if you're complete, not lonely, and completely loveable...and slowly but surely the belief that those things are true will follow. The darker sides of our spirits are just as beautiful as the lighter ones. They in fact are not dark sides. They are the light sides with the light switch turned off. I have a choice today to turn the light switch on. To see the light that is inherent in every minute of darkness. Sorrow is human, and natural, and necessary but it is not forever, because every burnt out lightbulb is eventually replaced, if we are willing. Today I will act as if i am willing to replace the light bulb. I will be with sadness, anger, fear, dissapointment, even moments of deep gratitude and see that every light and dark moment are ephemeral. Like life and its experiences. I reside in the impermanence, in the never-ending transition, and this is an entirely safe place. Feelings aren't shameful, they are human. Can I consider today that my humanness is my best quality?

I am willing to be willing to let it go. Just for today I accept that I am not completely there, but willing to have a different experience of my life. I take a small step in the direction of a life that makes me feel worthy, loveable, fearless, and humbled. I am willing to be willing to let it go. For it is true when they say that your heart is as heavy as what you can't let go of.

"If faith without work is dead; then willingness without action is fantasy"

Someday you’re gonna look back on this moment of your life as such a sweet time of grieving. You’ll see that you were in mourning and your heart was broken, but your life was changing and you were in the best possible place in the world for it – in a beautiful place of worship, surrounded by grace. Take this time, every minute of it. Let things work themselves out here in India.”

Big deal. So you fell in love with someone. Don’t you see what happened? This guy touched a place in your heart deeper than you thought you were capable of reaching. I mean you got zapped, kiddo. But that love you felt, that’s just the beginning. You just got a taste of love. That’s just limited little rinky-dink mortal love. Wait till you see how much more deeply you can love than that. Heck, Groceries – you have the capacity to someday love the whole world. It’s your destiny. Don’t laugh.

He probably was. Your problem is you don’t understand what that word means. 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’s 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 they leave. And thank God for it. Your problem is, you just can’t let this one go. It’s over, Groceries. David’s purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of your marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light could get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you had to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master and beat it. That was his job, and he did great, but now it’s over. Problem is, you can’t accept that his relationship had a real short shelf life. You’re like a dog at the dump, baby – you’re just lickin’ at the empty tin can, trying to get more nutrition out of it. And if you’re not careful, that can’s gonna get stuck on your snout forever and make your life miserable. So drop it.

I've learned. . . that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead, with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child.

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

“Courage is grace under pressure.”

- Ernest Hemingway

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

... imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in - an interesting hole I find myself in - fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. Douglas Adams

...the most memorable concern of mankind is the guts it takes to face the sunlight again. amazing Sometimes, we need a reminder that everything ‘out there’ has nothing to do with what’s ‘in here’. “I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.” ~ Dalai Lama “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

Life is now. It will always be now. At some point we have to decide now is a perfect time to be happy, peaceful, satisfied, and complete.

My project for the weekend: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1tISM1/www.lifeliteracylabs.com/life-literacy/62-power-questions-you-should-ask-to-reconnect-with-yourself

Sorrow found me when I was young,
Sorrow waited, sorrow won.
Sorrow that put me on the pills,
It's in my honey, it's in my milk.
Don't leave my hyper heart alone
On the water,
Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.
Cause I don't wanna get over you.
I don't wanna get over you.

Sorrows my body on the waves
Sorrows a girl inside my cave
I live in a city sorrow build?
It's in my honey, it's in my milk.
Dont leave my hyper heart alone,
On the water,
Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.
Cause I don't wanna get over you.
I don't wanna get over you.

It's following your own heart, living your own life, and settling for nothing less than the best for yourself.

There is only one you for all time.
Fearlessly be yourself.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” ~John Allen Paulos

"When you miss him, send him love and light, and then drop it."--Eat Pray Love

TEEN VOGUE LOOK BOOK CONTINUED

TRIBAL CHIC

Forever 21 green dress, urban outfitters tan knit vest, vintage tibetan wooden necklace, stuart weitzman beige booties

train yourself to be free. let your heart be your center

I TURN THE MUSIC UP, I GOT MY RECORDS ON
I SHUT THE WORLD OUTSIDE UNTIL THE LIGHTS COME ON
MAYBE THE STREETS ALIGHT, MAYBE THE TREES ARE GONE
I FEEL MY HEART START BEATING TO MY FAVOURITE SONG

AND ALL THE KIDS THEY DANCE, ALL THE KIDS ALL NIGHT
UNTIL MONDAY MORNING FEELS ANOTHER LIFE
I TURN THE MUSIC UP
I'M ON A ROLL THIS TIME
AND HEAVEN IS IN SIGHT

I TURN THE MUSIC UP, I GOT MY RECORDS ON
FROM UNDERNEATH THE RUBBLE SING A REBEL SONG
DON'T WANT TO SEE ANOTHER GENERATION DROP
I'D RATHER BE A COMMA THAN A FULL STOP

MAYBE I'M IN THE BLACK, MAYBE I'M ON MY KNEES
MAYBE I'M IN THE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO TRAPEZES
BUT MY HEART IS BEATING AND MY PULSES START
CATHEDRALS IN MY HEART

AND WE SAW OH THIS LIGHT I SWEAR YOU, EMERGE BLINKING INTO
TO TELL ME IT'S ALRIGHT
AS WE SOAR WALLS, EVERY SIREN IS A SYMPHONY

healing healing healing

The short term pain of change is far better than the pain of staying the same.

In this world within, your world, you are the most important figure. There is a place that no one else can fill. There is an influence that no one else can impart. There is a life that no one else can life quite as well as you can live it. What you do with your life within, in terms of self-realization, self-awareness, self-denial and self-expression, is the greatest challenge that can come to you.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

believing the pain of loss is the only thing keeping us connected to our loved one, or that to feel happy again would be to diminish the significance of the relationship we once enjoyed. by giving pain its moment, its moment passed.

When we love ourselves, we remember that rejection is protection. When we love ourselves we are careful whom we give our hearts to. When we love ourselves, we see every event of our lives as lessons and know that there are no shortages in The Uni-verse. We know that if it doesn’t work out with that someone you had your eye on, or that job you really wanted, something greater is on the way.

Teen Vogue Look Book: Day 3

Day 3: Floral Classy

Joie floral chiffon top, white cuffed jeans, gold dolce vita sandles, yellow medallion choker statement necklace

May today be the day that you finally stop pinning your self-worth on how someone else feels about you.

“Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing” ~Aristotle

Love has its own time, its own season, and its own reasons for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. If it chooses to leave, from your heart or from the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and nothing you should do. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life. If you keep your heart open, it will surely come again.