A collection of the joy of fermentation, minimalism, simple living, and finding happiness.
A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are.
“Human beings can only truly cherish a limited number of things at one time … that is why I want to cherish properly the things I love, and that is why I have insisted on tidying so much of my life.” Marie Kondo
When you are choosing what to keep, ask your heart; when you are choosing where to store something, ask your house.
A love note to my body… first of all I want to say thank you. for the heart you kept beating even when it was broken
for every answer you gave me in my gut
for loving me back
even when I didn’t know how to love you
for every time you recovered when I pushed you past your limits
for today,
for waking up.
VIBRATIONS
When your body gets a disease, it does everything in it’s power to get rid of it. Energy works the same way. If you come into contact with another person and their energy isn’t aligned with your best self, your energy will try it’s best to push them away. This is WHY you get STRONG GUT FEELINGS around certain peeps that might be trying to unconsciously bring you down. The best thing you can do is send that person love and light and keep it moving.
Take all the time you need to heal emotionally. Moving on doesn’t take a day.
It takes a lot of little steps to be able to break free of your broken self.
Invest in yourself. Meditate. Journal. Read. Eat nourishing food. Drink clean water. Move your body. Dance, sing, play. Spend time in nature. Rest up. You are worthy.
EVERY woman is sensual…
- She dances and sings her soulful truth, through the temple of her body.
- The bottom line, we want to feel pleasure, and flow a continuous passage in our work, intimate relationships + our life. However, many of us believe…
- “I’m not beautiful enough to be sensual”
“I’m not a sensual woman! I wouldn’t know how to do it authentically”
“I don’t have time to be sensual, it’s not productive” - As a society, we are cultured to believe that sensuality has many taboo meanings.
- At the time we strip away shame, blame and marketing, surrounding sensuality we discover a deeper truth…
Sensuality is the simple moment of feeling this body deeply. - Sensuality is the act of being present, with your senses.
I am a firm believer that joy is always possible, in any season of life.
Trust in the universe to unfold as it should, to reveal your path and guide you along on your journey, but also recognise that sometimes fate requires a little push. While the cosmos may provide you with the blueprint to your destiny, it is your duty to get your hands dirty and build something of it.
Don’t wait for things to get easier, simpler, better. Life will always be complicated.
Learn to be happy right now.
Otherwise, you’ll run out of time.
Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect.
It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.
Enjoy every moment of your life..
Life is too short to waste on grudges..
Laugh when you can,
Apologize when you should..
and let go of what you can’t change..
Never throw away a chance to say, “I love you” to the people you care about because we aren’t promised tomorrow.
Surely JOY is a condition of life.
Henry David Thoreau
Be grateful when things are going your way.
Be graceful when they’re not.
Never try to hide who you are.
The only shame is to have shame.
Always stand up for what you believe in.
Always ? what other people tell you.
Never regret the past … it’s a waste of time.
There’s a reason for every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you.
Grow for it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself, and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you.
And, she had this weird habit of being herself all the time;
That is why not everyone liked her.
sit with it
instead of drinking it away, smoking it away, sleeping it away, eating it away, running from it
sit with it
you gotta feel it to heal it
discover.thegutacademy.com
Life is artistry
“All art really does is keep you focused on questions of humanity, and it really is about how do we get on with our maker”.
“Talking about art is like dancing about architecture”
David Bowie
I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone.
And how you talk. Your smile and your personality.
What you believe in, and all your dreams.
The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or your music and how you party, your grocery list.
The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel.
Life is art.
I am strong
because I have been weak.
I am beautiful because
I know my flaws.
I am fearless because
I have been afraid.
I am wise because
I have been foolish.
I can laugh because
I have known sadness.
Remember, our experiences in life are testaments to what we are and who we are today. The best part is we become a better person. Sometimes the strongest peeps are the ones who love beyond all faults, cry behind closed doors and fight battles nobody knows about.
Accept that you will never be perfect,
life will always have challenges,
and other people will
disappoint you sometimes.
Acceptance is the first step toward peace.
pause
for just a second.
a moment.
and be grateful.
even if life isn’t perfect.
but thankful
for the life you get to live.
for the stories.
for the adventure.
and for those
you are blessed to love.
pause.
Life goes by in the blink of any eye.
Appreciate the little things.
2 Heaping cups of patience
1 Heart full of love
2 Hands full of generosity
A dash of laughter
1 Head full of understanding
Sprinkle generously with kindness, add plenty of faith and mix well.
Spread over a period of a lifetime and serve everyone you meet.
Trade to-do lists for not-to-do lists.
How come?
Well, because what you don’t do determines what you can do. It’s a cool way of thinking about opportunity cost… I suppose.
Borrowed this idea from Tim Ferriss.
Who says entrepreneurs should avoid the following eight items like a dirty toilet seat:
(1) When unrecognized numbers call, don’t answer. First, because surprises are no bueno. (They put you in a poor position for negotiation.) And second, because the “cost” of switching tasks is too expensive. (40% of the time, you’ll never return to finish what you were working on, before Timmy Telemarketer called.)
(2) Don’t email first thing in the morning or last thing at night. The former scrambles your priorities for the day, while the latter makes your mind race, preventing deep sleep. Instead, batch emails once or twice daily, but no sooner than 10 am. And don’t leave your email open throughout the day. Remember, most emails are manufactured emergencies; other people’s agenda for your time. (Including this one. Hey, at least I admit it.)
(3) Speaking of which, say no to calls and meetings that have no clear agenda or end time. Pretty self-explanatory, right?
(4) Don’t let people ramble. In person or by text. Small talk eats up big time. Getting things done is about getting to the point. If someone interrupts you, put the pressure on ’em, like: “Hey, I’m right in the middle of something – what can I do for ya?”
(5) Don’t over-communicate with low profit, high maintenance clients. Trying to please everyone is a poor mama’s game. Put the loudest and least profitable peeps in time out: “You get one call a week and that’s it.” If that doesn’t work, fire them.
(6) Don’t work more if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Prioritize. Without prioritizing, everything seems urgent and important, and working more won’t fix anything. So focus only on the 1-2 things that make you money and stop sweating the small stuff. Think harder, don’t work harder. Because, if you don’t have time, truth is, you don’t have priorities.
(7) Don’t have your phone on you 24/7. Take breaks. And try to go an entire day each week with no phone whatsoever. Seems trivial, but “phone addiction” is crippling your productivity… and you don’t even realize it.
(8) Don’t expect work to fill a void in your personal life. Schedule cool activities and commit to them just as you would an important business meeting (with a clear agenda and end time, of course).
Refreshing friggin’ Facebook all weekend is not the way to a full, rich, meaningful life.
Whoomp, there it is. Try it.
Make a list of things you’re NOT to do, daily.
In ancient China, one of the earliest uses of music was healing. The Chinese character for medicine actually comes from the character for music.
— Shen Yun composer Gao Yuan
Life is too short to stress, argue, or worry.
Stay positive,
Be humble,
Count your blessings,
Embrace the lessons.
Cherish the people who support you and love you for who you are.
Cleaning up the mental mess with Dr. Caroline Leaf. Adults addicted to their own stress hormones were once children who lived in unpredictable environments of overreaction, rage spirals, and fear. Healing is becoming conscious to when we unconsciously seek chaos, why we do it, and how often. With this awareness we can teach our bodies safety in the present.
Dr. Nicole LePera @ drcarolineleaf
The act of tidying is a series of simple actions in which objects are moved from one place to another. It involves putting things away where they belong. This seems so simple that even a six-year-old should be able to do it. Yet most people can’t. A short time after tidying, their space is a disorganized mess. The cause is not lack of skills but rather lack of awareness and the inability to make tidying a regular habit. In other words, the root of the problem lies in the mind. Success is 90 percent dependent on our mind-set.
To acquire the right mindset, we need the right technique. There is a fundamental misconception that the ability to tidy comes from experience. Most of us tidy up a little bit at a time. We should however tidy up in one shot. This brings visible results.
A change so profound that it touches your emotions will irresistibly affect your way of thinking and your lifestyle habits. …
When people revert to clutter no matter how much they tidy, it is not their room or their belongings but their way of thinking that is at fault. Even if they are initially inspired, they can’t stay motivated and their efforts peter out. The root cause lies in the fact that they can’t see the results or feel the effects. This is precisely why success depends on experiencing tangible results immediately. If you use the right method and concentrate your efforts on eliminating clutter thoroughly and completely within a short span of time, you’ll see instant results that will empower you to keep your space in order ever after.
The same wind blows us all!
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination”.
All of us are on the sailboat … and the wind comes to us. Entire water of the sea cannot sink a ship
unless it gets inside the ship
Similarly,
Negativity of the world cannot put you down
unless you allow it to get inside you.
If your problem in life is as big as a ship, never forget that your blessings are as wide as the ocean.
My soul is full of longing
For the secret of the sea,
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through me.
This is often difficult but can really change your life……
A lot of walking away will do your life good.
Walk away from arguments that lead to anger and nowhere.
Walk away from people who deliberately put you down.
Walk away from the practice of pleasing people who chose to never see your worth.
Walk away from any thought that undermines your peace of mind.
Walk away from judgmental people, they do not know the struggle you are facing and what you have been through.
Walk away from your mistakes and fears, they do not determine your fate.
The more you walk away from things that poison your soul, the healthier your life will be. –
Dodinsky
When your legs scream stop and your lungs are bursting, that’s when it starts
A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we go through it together.
Garrison Keillor
According to the dictionary, the word frugal means, “careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to: using money or supplies in a very careful way.”
It also means to be simple and plain. And while some may have negative reactions to the mere word, financial freedom and wise money spending are at the core of minimalism. Thus, being frugal plays a part in a simple life.
Because the reality is …
Money doesn’t buy happiness or contentment.
Money doesn’t equal fulfillment or success.
Money doesn’t solve your emotional problems.
Money doesn’t give you a purpose.
If you think it’s ugly, say adios. FYI- if you haven’t worn it lately, you think it’s ugly.
Don’t hold onto gifts due to guilt. In Marie Kondo’s best seller, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” she gives advice about this that truly did change my life. She says that the purpose of the gift was to bring the receiver of it (a.k.a. you) joy. Sometimes this joy is short-lived and only lasts a few hours after opening the present. The person who gifted you the item did not give it to you to burden you with guilt, but to lift you up and make you happy! The gift has fulfilled its purpose of bringing you happiness as soon as you receive it. You can happily let it go.
If you can’t wear it because it doesn’t fit, toss it. The one exception is if you’ve had a new baby less than one year ago.
What about one-of-a-kind sentimental items like my wedding dress?
Don’t use your closet as a scrapbook! It’s 100% okay to be sentimental, but that does not mean you have to hoard clothes to preserve the memories you have attached to them. The clothes may trigger specific memories for you, but the home of those memories is in your heart.
The clothes by themselves do nothing except take up your precious space.
Advice from a Sunflower: Be bright, sunny and positive. Spread seeds of happiness. Rise, shine, and hold your head high.
When a room becomes cluttered, the cause is more than just physical. Visible mess helps distract us from the true source of the disorder. The act of cluttering is really an instinctive reflex that draws our attention away from the heart of an issue.
Whatever the piece may be- wedding dress, end of school or university T-shirt, your lucky jeans that you can no longer wear- if it brings you genuine joy to own it, and you have the room to accommodate it then keep it. It’s as simple as that. Alternatively- you could take a picture of the sentimental items and store the photos digitally on The Cloud or a jump stick. You may discover that you aren’t as attached to the items as you thought.
But It Cost Me A Ton Of Money!
We all have those items in our bedroom closets that we’ve invested quite a bit of money in with the belief that we are purchasing a quality item that will last us for years to come. You already know this, but I’m going to get you to say it inside your own head, “Sorry, but the money has already been spent.” You can’t get it back. You just can’t. Occasionally, a really nice item can be resold in one manner or another and you may be able to recoup a portion of what you paid, but the longer you hold onto the item the chances of recouping any money goes out the window. It won’t be in style, or someone may create a knock-off version rendering your item less valuable.
Now, I’m going to say something you probably don’t already know.
When you leave an expensive item to sit in your closet unused by you, it is actually costing you money.
What?
Anything That Costs You Your Peace Is Too Expensive
It is costing you money. Studies like this one have proven there is a true link between clutter and depression and the effects are worse on women living in the home.
Think of the many ways you pacify yourself when you’re feeling the effects of depression. There was a time when I would eat my feelings. I know many women who use shopping as retail therapy. Not to mention, if your depression or anxiety becomes overwhelming you might require medication and doctor visits for treatment to regain your health.
Food, shopping and medication all cost a lot of money, and these are just a few common examples. Rarely are these the things we actually want to be spending our hard earned money on.
Let the designer shirt go. And with it, allow your reservations to leave, too. You’re decluttering for your health and your happiness. Any unused item which is not bringing you Earth-shaking joy is standing between you and the ideal life you imagine for yourself. It doesn’t matter if it cost you $200 or 2 cents.
But If I Get Rid Of Things, I Won’t Have Anything To Wear!
First of all, stop putting yourself last, Mama. Secondly, you need a lot less clothing than what you may think you need. It is better to have 10 pieces in your closet that make you look and feel amazing every time you wear them instead of 50 pieces that drag down your mood every time you get dressed. Don’t you agree? If your body has been riding the Mama roller coaster gaining and losing weight like mine has been doing these last 5 years, it’s past time to invest in a few new pieces that’ll make you feel like the beautiful lady you are.
When you come across something that you cannot part with, think carefully about its true purpose in your life. You’ll be surprised at how many of the things you possess have already fulfilled their role. Every object has a different role to play. Not all clothes have come to you to be worn threadbare. It is the same with people. Not every person you meet in life will become a close friend or lover. Some you will find hard to get along with or impossible to like. But these people, too, teach you the precious lesson of who you do like, so that you will appreciate those special people even more.
The successful relationship …
feed small acts of love and attention
Do not be miserable by neglecting the things that are so small. Being together should make you feel positive and good all day long, every single day. Personally, I do not like the idea of two people falling in love … what falls often breaks… it should be a commitment. However, fall in love often. Particularly with ideas, projects, music, art, literature, food and far-off places. Fall hard and forever in love with nothing but yourself.
So, what makes a committed, romantic relationship work?
One single step can change your life is from Gottman’s literature. It conveys the message that small, regular steps are the best way towards accomplishment. This principle is called Kaizen. It is repairing connections between forgotten loved ones.
Relationships are not just about ‘making the heart melt’ but ‘being weirdos together’ and doing the simplest positive things like bringing your partner a glass of water when you get one for yourself. Dancing in the kitchen together in your tracky dacks.
The feel of excitement by the prospect of growing old together.
Can open and tell each other anything.
A partner with no obligation to complete oneself.
Where the love for each other outweighs the need for each other.
Communication is important but comprehending is the key.
Instead of focusing on big romantic gestures and extravagant events, it is about simply giving your partner consistent small acts of love and attention.
A tropical beach gets away or fancy, expensive present will not save your relationship if it is on the rocks. Rather, it is about “the small moments of our lives that take up the biggest part of our hearts”. Those kinds of positive, everyday moments are what makes love last.
Gottman says the most important factor for a happy, healthy relationship is ATTENTION. Small moments of positive attention. He describes as a young boy, his mother once told him that it’s the little things that make the big difference, and, unfortunately, that those little things became non-existent in his parents’ marriage, resulting in divorce – research indicates that when those little moments of attention vanish from a relationship, it’s hard to keep it alive.
However, if you are intentional about giving your attention to your partner, about turning toward them, and about appreciating, admiring, and being fond of them, your relationship can be wonderful and can last for eternity. That is part of the motto “small things often”, leading to big changes over time.
What can we do …?
- Re-evaluate the reasons you are together
2. Communicate …
3. Do something special together … not one that costs money
4. Cut out external influences
5. Forgive each other 6. Come clean about one thing 7. Set boundaries with each other 8. Most importantly is to know oneself … And that is not easy… a committed couple can help one another to be the best version of oneself.
Benjamin Franklin made a freaking powerful statement … “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”
To be beautiful means to be yourself. You do not need to be accepted by anyone. Just accept yourself.
9. Beware of the dream takers. Many peeps are afraid of the thief, they come in the night to steal all our things. But there is a thief in your mind who is after your dreams. His name is doubt.
If you see him call the cops immediately and keep him away from the kids because he is wanted for horrendous crimes and murder. He wears many disguises and like a virus will leave you blinded, divided and turn you into a kinda.
10. A kinda can be lethal
You know what kinda is? There is a lot of kinda peeps. You kinda want to get into shape, kinda want to have more money, kinda not be lonely … Simple maths… if you kinda want something, then you will kinda get the results you want.
11. Struggle and criticisms are prerequisites for greatness. Whether it be life or a committed relationship. Critics told Beyonce that she could not sing… she went through depression, but she kept going. The television execs fired Oprah said she was unfit for TV, but she kept going.
It is the law of the universe and none escapes it. Because pain is life, but you can choose what type? Either the pain on the road to a successful partnership of love and life commitment or the pain of being haunted with regret.
We have been given a gift that we call life. Life is a miracle.
So, do not blow it. You are not defined by your past instead you were born anew in each moment.
Sometimes you have got to leap. And grow your wings on the way down. There is not no overtime in life.
You cannot go back and make a brand-new beginning. But you can start and make a brand-new ending.
Do not live with Regret
Live in Gratitude
Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because Regret is stronger than Gratitude – Anne Frank
In a world where we often focus on how to get more than we already have, sometimes the best approach is to remove something we already have. “Letting go,” Marie Kondo says, “is more important than adding.”
First, put your hands on everything you own, ask yourself if it sparks joy, and if it doesn’t, thank it for its service and get rid of it. Second, once only your most joy-giving belongings remain, put every item in a place where it’s visible, accessible, and easy to grab and then put back. Only then, Kondo says, will you have reached the nirvana of housekeeping, and never have to clean again.
Lesson #1: Tackle Categories, Not Rooms
I’d always tackled clutter by room—take on the office first, the bedroom next. Instead, Kondo’s first rule is to tidy by category—deal with every single one of your books at once, for example, otherwise they’ll continue to creep from room to room, and you’ll never rein in the clutter. She advises beginning with clothing, since it’s the least emotionally loaded of one’s things (books come next, old photographs are much later), so as soon as I found a free afternoon, that’s exactly what I did.
Lesson #2: Respect Your Belongings
With my eyes now open, I realized my closets had hit rock bottom. Everything had succumbed to a mixed-up messiness. Kondo asks that you consider your clothing’s feelings: Are they happy being squashed in a corner shelf or crowded onto hangers? Are your hardworking socks really thrilled to be balled up? It had sounded out there when I read it, but suddenly my clothes looked totally miserable.
Getting nostalgic over old letters or distracted by sweet toddlers might be a temporary high, but it won’t get you anywhere fast.
As I started emptying the closets, I opened boxes filled with letters and old photographs. Serious mistake. Kondo knows what she’s talking about when she insists you put blinders on and focus only on the category of stuff at hand. Read one old letter, and suddenly you’re down a rabbit hole of nostalgia.
To be honest, I was probably procrastinating. In theory, I was sold on the idea of living exclusively with clothing that gives me joy, but I still had hang-ups: What will I be left with? Will I have anything to wear to work? Will I have to sacrifice beloved things, all for the sake of decluttering?
Many minimalists recommend going all digital with their reading material, and while we do like to support the use of the Kindle and eBooks, that won’t help peeps who like feel the connection between mind and hand.
The good news is there are some really practical (and creative) ways to use and sort through your books. Here are five of those ideas:
Use the books you’ve read as décor.
Book shelves can often be the first thing that comes to minds when we consider where to place books in our home. One way is to incorporate books as décor. For example, stack on a foyer table with a pretty plant placed on top. Underneath a table lamp to help increase the lamp height. Stacked on end tables, sofa tables and any place else that could use a pop of color. Use your books to add texture, color, or theme into a room of the house.
Sell the books you already read.
While some of us cannot fathom the thought of selling our books, I would encourage you to locate the ones you no longer read, and either sell them in a garage sale, online or find a place that will purchase them from you. When our son reached the fifth grade, we sorted through his books and found ones well below his reading level and sold them to our local “Half-Priced Books” store.
Trade some of your books with a friend. Start a street library.
For those of us who cannot yet permanently sell or give our treasured books, consider trading books with a friend. This will give you the opportunity to read a new book (for free!) and also share your favorite reads with a friend.
Organize your books according to the room of the house.
Maybe old university books can be stored within a home office. Children’s books should remain limited to their bedrooms or playrooms. Cooking books will remain in the kitchen and handyman books can make their way into the garage.
Sort between books you’ve read and those you haven’t read.
In a family room, have 2 baskets filled with books – one for those you have read and are ready to be loaned or given to others looking for a new read. In the other basket, books that have either been given or ones recommended that not yet had a chance to read. This allow to keep track of what books have been read and which ones are next in the queue.
The meaning of life is to find your gift
The purpose of your life is to give it away
However, in order to give away your gift, someone must receive it … your LOVE
Nobody will protect you from your suffering
In today’s world it is not surprising the rates of depression are skyrocketing. The reality is a normal day for many peeps contains a terrifying amount of pressure. We live in a risk of mass judgement from social media, no mistake goes unnoticed from keyboard warriors who can attack at any given moment.
Our modern lifestyles can sabotage our ability to experience any form of happiness. However, we can rewire our brains and reawaken our sense of beauty and joy.
Nobody will protect you from your suffering. You cannot cry it away; or drink it away with alcohol; or eat it away; or starve it away; or walk it away; or punch it away; or even therapy it away.
It’s just there, and you have to survive it.
You have to endure it.
You have to live through it and love it and move on and be better for it and run as far as you can in the direction of your best and happiest dreams across the bridge that was built by your own desire to heal. You can cultivate a mindset of gratitude despite life’s many challenges.
Peeps who fully live in the present are not just happier but more productive as well.
When you clear out the monkey chatter from your head, you are free to give all your time and attention on what is happening right in front of you. So, the more focused you are on the present, the more you get out of each day. This is the key to a richer, more meaningful life! May you be at peace, happy and ready to take on the world!
Relax, Breathe, Meditate, Visualize
Never forget … time passes so quickly you do not even notice until it begins to show. “Tomorrow is promised to no one” so stated Clint Eastwood. The quote acknowledging hope reigns eternal for tomorrow but live for today because guarantees are for kettles and toasters.
So …
use the good china
go on safari
take a tour
travel indefinitely
eat the cake
take a year out
Journal it! Work out what you want to do and get scribbling.
We do not take enough time for ourselves to really think about what we want. Turn off the TV, sign out of Facebook and think about what it is you dream to do.
Wish it! Dream it! Do it!
OK moving on from wishing and dreaming. Let us do it.
And do not plan to do it in 2020 and beyond, think how you can do it this coming year. Embrace the fear, chase your dreams and do not put them off, or they will never become reality.
Take a chance in life
The future is unwritten, and your future starts today not tomorrow so you should never put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
The Clint Eastwood quote “tomorrow is promised to no one” suggests you should live for today because you just never know what lies between you and waking up the next morning. This is not any different for everyone on the planet.
People die every day but very few of us really live
The important things are unappreciated or put off to a later date and replaced with conditioned lives most people live.
The 4 Agreements
I am slowly learning that even if I react, it will not change
anything. It will not make people suddenly love and respect me. It will not bring anyone back.
It will not magically change their minds.
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You do not need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” Thich Nhat Hanh
Sometimes it is better to just let things be. Let people go. Do not fight for closure, do not ask for explanations or apologies.
Do not chase answers and do not expect people to understand where you are coming from.
I am slowly learning that life is better lived when you do not centre it on what is happening around you and centre on what’s happening inside you.
Work on yourself and your inner peace.
If we base our self-worth on the external world, we will never be capable of self-love
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
‘He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing’ is an adaptation of the original quotation from Cicero’s Epistulae ad Familiares (Letters to his friends), book IX, epistle 4, where Cicero on the Ides of June (June 13),46 BC, is writing to his friend Terentius Varro and says: “Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil”.
The literal translation would be: “If you have a garden in your library, nothing will fail”, i.e. “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need” or “If you have a garden and a library, you will want for nothing”.
The most important decision of your life, the one that will affect every other decision you make, is the commitment to love and accept yourself. It directly affects the quality of your relationships, your work, your free time, your faith, and your future.
Why, is it so difficult to do?
Your family of origin
It is like stripping off several layers of paint from an antique piece of furniture. I have worked hard on loving the girl in the mirror, who has been through so much but is still standing. The bad choices of past relationships. It wasn’t the young girl’s fault and she certainly never deserved to be treated badly. The little girl deserves to be loved. To continue to grow into a well-loved teenager and a strong woman. A strong woman deserves to be loved and felt special every single day.
I release my parents and family from past failures and unfulfilled desires, aware they have done their best to resolve situations within consciousness they had now.
I honor you; I love you. I recognize you as innocent.
I am transparent before your eyes, so they know I do not hide or owe anything other than being true to myself and to my very existence, walking with the wisdom of the heart.
I am aware I fulfil my life project, free from invisible and visible family loyalties that might disturb my Peace and Happiness, which are my responsibilities.
I renounce the role of savoir, of being one who unites or fulfils the expectations of others.
Learning through, and only through, LOVE, I bless my essence, my way of expressing, even though somebody may not understand me.
I understand myself, because I alone have lived and experienced my history, because I know myself, I know who I am, what I feel, what I do and why I do it.
We are taught by society that our worth is found in the idols of our culture – technology, status, youth, sex, power, money, attractiveness, and romantic relationships.
If we base our self-worth on the external world, we will never be capable of self-love. Your inner critic will flood you with thoughts of “I’m not enough, I don’t have enough, and I don’t do enough”.
Feelings of lack are never ending. Every time a goal is reached, or you possess the next big thing, your ego will move the line.
Shift Self-Perception
I am worthy … feeling worthy requires you to see yourself with fresh eyes of self-awareness and love. Acceptance and love must come from within.
You do not have to be different to be worthy. Your worth is in your true nature, a core of love and inner goodness. You are a beautiful light. You are LOVE. We can bury our magnificence, but it is impossible to destroy.
Loving ourselves is not a onetime event. It is an endless, ongoing process.
It begins with you, enfolding yourself in your own affection and appreciation.
1. Begin your day with LOVE (not technology)
Remind yourself of your worthiness before getting out of bed. Breathe in LOVE and breathe out LOVE
Enfold yourself in light. Saturate your being in LOVE
2. Take time to meditate and journal
Spend time focusing inward daily. Begin with five minutes of meditation and five minutes of journaling each morning. Gradually increase
3. Talk yourself happy
Use affirmations to train your mind to become more positive. As Tony Robbins says … “If you live in your head, your dead”. LOVE is the way. Put a wrist band on your right wrist. When you are participating in self-criticism, move the band to your left wrist.
4. Get emotionally honest
Let go of numbing your feelings. Shopping, eating, day-sleeping and drinking alcohol are examples of avoiding discomfort, sadness and pain. Mindfully breathe your way through your feelings and emotions.
5. Expand your interests
Try something new. Learn a language, enroll in a workshop. Go places you have never been. Do things you have not done before. You have a right to an awesome life.
6. Enjoy life enhancing activities
Find exercise you like. Discover healthy foods. Turn off technology, lose the tv remote, for at least one day and spend time doing things that make you feel alive.
7. Become willing to surrender
Breathe, relax and let go. You can never see the whole picture. You do not know what anything is for. Stop fighting against yourself by thinking and desiring people and events in your life that should be different. Your plan may be different from your souls’ intentions.
8. Work on personal and spiritual development
Be willing to surrender and grow. Life is a journey. We are here to learn and love on a deeper level. Take penguin steps and life becomes difficult. One step at a time is enough to go forward
9. Own your potential
Love yourself enough to believe in the limitless opportunities available to you. Action it and create a beautiful life for yourself.
10. Be patient with yourself
Let go of urgency and FEAR…false evidence appearing real. Relax and transform striving into thriving. TRUST in yourself, do good work and you will see results. Manage your mind. Rewire your mind to have peace when their is trauma around us. Deal with toxic patterns.
11. Live in appreciation
Train your mind to be grateful. Appreciate your talents, beauty and brilliance. LOVE your imperfectly perfect self.
12. Be guided by intuition
All answers come from within. Look for signs and pay attention to your gut feelings. You will hear two inner voices when you need to make a decision. The quiet voice is your higher self; the loud voice is your ego. Always go with the quieter voice.
13. Do what honours and respects you
Do not participate in activities that bring you down. Do not allow toxic peeps in your life. LOVE everyone but be discerning on who you allow into your life.
14. Accept uncertainty
Suffering comes from living in the pain of the past or the fear of the future. Put your attention on the present moment and be at peace.
15. Forgive yourself
Learn from your mistakes and go forward. Use this affirmation, “I forgive myself for judging myself for ___________________ (fill in the blank i.e.: for getting ill, for acting out, for not doing my best).
16. Discover the power of fun
Self-love requires time to relax, play and create face-to-face interaction with others. Our fast-paced world creates a goal setting, competitive craziness that does not leave room for play. Dr. Stuart Brow says, “The opposite of play isn’t work, it is depression.”
17. Be real
Speak up and speak out. Allow yourself to be seen, known and heard. Get comfortable with intimacy (in-to-me-see).
18. Focus on the positive
Go to your heart and dwell on and praise yourself for what you get right in all areas.
19. Become aware of self-neglect and rejection
Become conscious of your choices. Ask yourself several times throughout the day … “Does this choice honour me?”
20. Imagine what your life would look like if you believed in your worth
Dedicate your life to loving you. Make it your main event.
21. Seek professional help
Self-rejection and neglect are painful. You deserve to be happy. You have a right to be accepted and loved. If necessary, seek help from a professional. It is the best investment you can make.
Because we are all interconnected, when I love me, I also love you. Together through our love, we can heal ourselves, each other, and the world. LOVE is our purpose, our true calling. It begins with and within each of us.
Crisis is followed by victory
The Great Pause…Drop everything.
I have wondered naively since childhood if we could stop to reflect on how we live and begin again.
For a week. A month. To stop the war and caviling.
To end our anxiety and struggle.
To feel how brief and fragile life is.
To know we live together or not at all. I never thought it possible.
But is this that moment now? Stay home. Read, write, sing, cook, clean, stay healthy, love one and another, check on your mates and neighbors’.
Help us win. It is real. No risk. No fear (false evidence appearing real).
We have forgotten how to live, how to love and how to be!!! With fear brings love and love is the place we need to be.
Love is not only an action, but it is a place of being and knowing … love is you…you are love…love is a frequency of light and uplifting.
We must respond. Together. And count our blessings. Gather ourselves in. Then begin again!!!
“Push yourself to get up before the rest of the world – start with 7am, then 6am, then 5.30am.
Go the nearest hill with a big coat, your favourite blanket and a scarf and watch the sun rise.
Push yourself to fall asleep earlier = start with 11pm, then 10pm, the 9pm. Wake in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable. Lie in your garden, feel the sunshine on your skin.
Get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. Fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. Sit and eat it and do nothing else.
Stretch, start by reaching for the sky as hard as your can, then trying to touch your toes, roll your head, stretch your fingers. Stretch everything.
Buy a water bottle. Push yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.
Buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. Write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. No detail is too small.
Strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear into the washi g machine. Wash, then hang them in the sunshine with care. Make your bed in full.
Dig your fingers into the earth, plant a seed. See your success as it grows every day.
Organize your room. Fold all your clothes (and bag what you do not want) clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. Light your favourite candle.
Breath practice your deep breathing.
Have a luxurious bath or shower with your favourite music playing. Wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. Lather your whole body in moisturizer, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck. Wash the day’s stress away.
Push yourself to go for a walk. Take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. Smile at strangers walking the other way. Bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour Realize you can learn from your own dog.
Message old friends with personal jokes. Reminisce, suggest a catch up soon, even if you do not follow through. Push yourself to follow through.
Think loud and hard and what interests you. Cooking? crime? sex? long-forgotten romance etiquette? Find a book about it and read it. There is a book about literally everything.
Become the person you would ideally fall in love with. Let cars merge into your lane when driving, pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine Stick, your tongue out at babies. Help an animal Compliment people on their cute clothes. Challenge yourself not to ridicule anyone for a whole day – then 2, then a week. Walk with a straight posture Look people in the eye. Ask people about their story. Talk to acquaintances so they become friends.
Lie in the sunshine. Daydream about the life you would live if failure were not your thing
Take small steps to make it happen for you”. Luckysamharrington
Reign in your senses
1. Despite so many colours … Black & White is considered Class.
2. Despite so many voice words & sounds … Silence is considered ultimate.
3. Despite so much to eat … Fasting is considered healthy.
4. Despite so much to travel & explore … Meditating under trees and mountains is considered superior.
5. Despite so much to see … closing your eyes & looking within is Apex.
6. Despite listening to all the outside world … Voice from inside you are eternal.
7. Despite a Sweet charming Life … A Peaceful Soul is Solace & Divine.
Live a Great Life.
Family isn’t always blood.
It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs;
the ones who accept you for who you are.
The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who LOVE YOU no matter what.
Traditions … the glue that sticks a family together
Growing up, food always played an important role.
Families would spend most Sunday’s together. They were magical moments. The tables set with best linen and crockery, passing plates of home-grown goodness, comparing stories of the week. Then, there were stories of the old days and laughter … Tons of it. No disruptive electronic devices! One never rushed a meal!
Sunday leftover followed for many days in creative creations. Do you make time out to sit and eat with family, without distraction?
For Thierry / for your child
If you’re thankful, show it
If you love someone, tell them
If you’re wrong, fess up
If you’re confused, ask??
If you learn something, teach others
If you are stuck, ask for help
If you made a mistake, apologize
If you trip, get back up
If someone needs help, help them
If you see wrong, take a stance
A healthy relationship
is where two independent people just make a deal that they will help the other person be the best version of themselves.
Every relationship is different, and there is no single test to tell you for sure whether yours is healthy.
However, asking yourself a few probing? can help you home in on any prob’s and tackle sooner rather than later.
1. Do you feel as though you can be authentic around this person?
In a healthy relationship, both peeps feel loved and accepted for who you are.
2. Do you feel excited by the prospect of growing old with this person?
3. Do you feel yourself opening and as though you can tell this person anything?
To share your dreams and listen to their dreams?
4. Do you have any suspicions at all they may be cheating, telling excuses or porky pies? GET YOUR RUNNING SHOES ON… trust is the key to a healthy relationship. Get rid of old insecurities and any jealousy. You need to be able to trust that your partner will be loyal and restrain themselves in the face of temptation. True communication will stop an unhappy person from wanting anyone else.
Want each other like no one else for eternity.
5. To protect your happiness
Be the greatest version of you … you deserve to be loved and felt special everyday
Be grateful for what you do have … Love is all we need
Life is a miracle … this world is an amazing place … go create magic.
6. Do you give space?
We do not need to share the same hobbies to be 100% compatible
Do not be needy… allow partners to share with friends and outside relationship activities
Life is short… none of us are guaranteed life on this earth… live fully. LOVE.
Guarantees are only for kettle’s and toasters.
I LOVE YOU. tell them
7. Are you kind and happy?
I know you have a big heart … use it
If you made a mistake … take responsibility. The past is gone. Do not worry about the future.
Be Happy for Today… we come into this life with nothing and leave with nothing
So, spend more of what makes you happy… Love life and Life will love you back
Stone soup
Imagine a world in which we all shared our gifts and bounty with each other, rather than focusing on self-preservation.
There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveller coming into a town beset by famine.
The inhabitants try to discourage the traveller from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food.
They tell him in no uncertain terms that there is no food anywhere to be found.
The traveller explains that he does not need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them.
The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water.
He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it.
A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beetroots–indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all our energy into self-preservation.
We isolate ourselves and shut out others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep them to ourselves, when in truth we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves. The traveler was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a spread that none of them could have created alone.
Are you like one of the villagers, holding back?
If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same.
The reward is a banquet that can nourish many.
She created something that works for her. What will work for you?
The nature of “everything”
Everything is a test,
To see what you will do;
If you do not recognise what is before your eyes,
You must start anew!
From one of the most eminent Chinese Buddhist masters of the twentieth century, the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua (Xuanhua,1918-1995
Feeling angry? Try a Zumba class. About to deliver a big presentation? Pinch your thigh under the table.
Remember you are more than the conversation that is about to unfold.
Thierry learned from Mrs. Cox at pre-prep to use his pointer finger on one hand to trace the outline of his other hand when feeling nervous.
I love this tactic…at least he loved showing it to me!
It has been said that attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference. Man’s rise or fall, success or failure, happiness or unhappiness depends on his attitude … a man’s attitude will create the situation he imagines. – James Lane Allen (1849-1925)
The thing that you don’t want to do is probably the thing that you should do. Now. Today. Go do it!
People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed or felt.
They have come to assist you through a hard time, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. Then, suddenly, the person disappears from your life. Your need has been met; their work is done.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON because your turn has come to share or grow or give back. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh or learn. They give you great joy. Believe it; it is real. But only for a season.
Lifetime relationships teach your lifetime lessons – things you must build upon to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships.
Think about the peeps in your life over the years. Whether they were there for a reason, a season or a lifetime, accept them and treasure them for however long they were meant to be part of your life.
And when they are gone, be thankful for the gifts you received from them when they were here – for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
So, do not be sad if it is over. Be glad that it happened. You grew and learnt your lesson.
People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed or felt.
They have come to assist you through a hard time, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. Then, suddenly, the person disappears from your life. Your need has been met; their work is done.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON because your turn has come to share or grow or give back. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh or learn. They give you great joy. Believe it; it is real. But only for a season.
Lifetime relationships teach your lifetime lessons – things you must build upon to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to
accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships.
Think about the peeps in your life over the years. Whether they were there for a reason, a season or a lifetime, accept them and treasure them for however long they were meant to be part of your life.
And when they are gone, be thankful for the gifts you received from them when they were here – for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
So, do not be sad if it is over. Be glad that it happened. You grew and learnt your lesson.
You are an energy within as LOVE
Be whole
There is so much more to life than finding someone who will want you or being sad over someone who never deserved you.
There is a lot of wonderful time to be spent discovering yourself without hoping someone will fall in Love with you along the way. It does not need to be painful or empty.
Remember, you are an energy of LOVE within. You do not need anyone to ‘complete’ you. Love … becomes a whole being on your own.
Go on adventures, fall asleep at the beach or in the forest with friends. Wander around the city, sit in a coffee shop by yourself, see a movie, leave notes in library books, dress up for yourself, give to others, smile a lot, listen to music and affirmations and funnies, laugh loud and proud.
Do all things with LOVE. Do not romanticize life like you cannot survive without it. Because you are it.
I love you.
With loving eyes …
This ancient blessing was created in the Nahuatl language. It is spoken in Mexico. It deals with forgiveness, affection, detachment and liberation.
I release my parents from the feeling they have already failed me.
I release my children from the need to bring pride to me; they may write their own ways according to their hearts, that whisper all the time in their ears.
I release my partner from obligation to complete myself. I do not lack anything; I learn with all beings all the time.
I thank my grandparents and forefathers who have gathered so I can breathe life today.
I release them from past failures and unfulfilled desires, aware they have done their best to resolve situations within consciousness they had now.
I honor you; I love you. I recognize you as innocent.
I am transparent before your eyes, so they know I do not hide or owe anything other than being true to myself and to my very existence, walking with the wisdom of the heart.
I am aware I fulfil my life project, free from invisible and visible family loyalties that might disturb my Peace and Happiness, which are my responsibilities.
I renounce the role of savoir, of being one who unites or fulfils the expectations of others.
Learning through, and only through, LOVE, I bless my essence, my way of expressing, even though somebody may not understand me.
I understand myself, because I alone have lived and experienced my history, because I know myself, I know who I am, what I feel, what I do and why I do it.
I respect and approve myself.
I honor the Divinity in me and in you.
We are FREE.”
Some see a weed, some see a wish
Some peeps could be given an entire field of roses and only see the thorns in it.
Others could be given a single weed and only see the wildflowers in it.
Perception is a key component to gratitude.
Gratitude is a key component to JOY. Spend a day of gratitude. Deal with positive thoughts in place of negative thoughts.
Surround yourself with dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.
Your vibe attracts your tribe… we think about those who have come into our lives.
Those who have enhanced our existence just by being the beautiful souls they are …
The peeps who are there for you on your darkest nights
Are the ones worth spending your brightest days with …?
Our tribe is a group of unicorns who know the value of gratitude
Who embrace each other with much love and respect, appreciation and compassion?
Our strength alone is multiplied with the strength of our hearts a thousand times more!
We shall never be alone when we have our tribe to support us during those dark times,
Do not ever forget we share a bond of love and peace
No matter what time, what distance,
What distress,
What turmoil,
We are deeply committed to each other,
And we are deeply loved by each other,
Through the good times as well as the toughest times,
I love you all most powerfully,
And I cherish you more than words could ever express.
True wealth
If only more peeps valued good food, cheer and song above hoarded gold… what a joyful world it would be.
True wealth is a deep connection to all beings and all things. It cannot be bought.
It is given freely and not sold. True currency is our connection to people who value the same things. It is an agreement.
Saying … I will be there with what I have and who I am to assist you in whatever you need. If I cannot do it than hopefully, I have a connection to someone who can. It means we must value our relationships more than we value our money. If money is the only thing that binds us, we will be lost to each other when the money is gone.
Faith is the sweetness of a child’s love, and the appreciation of waking up to a new day.
This is wealth!
Being aware of the moment and thankfully grateful … this too is wealth!
You are worthy of having true partnership.
You are worthy of love.
You are worthy of having your heart held.
You are worthy to be adored.
You are worthy to be cherished.
You are worthy to have someone say, “You rest. I got this.” And actually deliver on that promise.
You are worthy to receive.
You are worthy.
You don’t have to earn it.
You don’t have to prove it.
You don’t have to bargain for it.
You don’t have to beg for it.
You are worthy.
WORTHY.
Simply because you exist.
What would you tell your younger self???
“Be kinder to yourself” “Always know your worth” “The world is bigger than you think it is and your worries are not as important as you think they are, JUST BE YOU!!!””You are loved – love is all around you” “Don’t worry if you look different, or feel you look different, you are beautiful” And it is not ego – it is self worth!!!
“Relax, stop being afraid” “Everything is going to be alright”
“Stop and smell the wildflowers”
Over to you- what would you tell yourself. And remember, if looking back fills you with regret, realize you did the best you could at the time.
Fill yourself full of peace, compassion and kindness and use regret to motivate change.
This is your reminder to breathe.
to let go of the stress and worry
That feels so abundant.
To see the good, to find joy
in the simplest moments.
To know that it will be Okay.
BREATHE
I am attracting better because I have discovered that it all starts with me. I am going to change myself first so that everything can align for me. I’m not going to blame anyone. I am going to take responsibility for my life. The better I become, the better I attract.
Big Hugs and Love,
Lynnie Xoxo
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