Not morbid, just healthy.

In my research for the women's organization I am dreaming of beginning (it gives me a reason to live everyday :D), I have been drawing inspiration from incredible, extraordinary women and men. Thanks to a good friend, I have been watching a lot of videos from this wonderful website called TED and I came across this one tonite: Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed. It was short and sweet, but the question he posed afterward was what really struck me the most. Basically, he asked, if your plane was about to crash, what would you regret? What would you wish you could have changed?

For me, I would have regret spending so much time and energy being sad and thinking about my heartbreak so much, hating the situation and being jealous and angry about it. I would have thought as my plane was hitting the ocean that I could of spent that time and energy loving myself, loving others and enjoying the bounty which life gives me.
I would have regret not living well and taking care of myself. I would have regret not living happy and free and instead allowing negative thoughts to consume me and my lifestyle.
I would have wished I absorbed and experienced the beauty of nature more as well as spend more of my time, money and energy on that instead of drinking and going out.
I would have wished I was there for my sister more and less harsh on her as she is still young and in that stage in her life of making her own mistakes and learning from them.

It's time for me to let go of this love tragedy in my life. I have grieved and now I am ready to move on and be so busy being kind to myself and others that I have no time to broad on being angry or jealous.
It's time for me to decide everyday to have a positive mental attitude and allow myself to be happy, because happiness is my choice and no one else can switch it on or off for me. I need to allow myself to let my creative expressions flow freely and not be confined by what people think, say or react.
It's time for me to step outside my home and my city and be one with the stars, the sunsets and the sunrises, the mountains, the trees, the ocean and the wind.
It's time for me to love my sister and in doing so, let. Her. Go. I have to realize that she has to pave her own way in life, and while I can offer her my utmost love, discipline and advice, I can't change her into someone she is not.

I believe thinking about death regularly is healthy and keeps what is important in life and what is not in perspective. Steve Jobs once said that knowing you'll be dead soon is one of the most important tools in helping make the big choices in life, and I agree. It is considered a miracle to escape from a near death experience, and the sad reality is that a lot of people don't ever get to experience that miracle. I hope to think about my life in perspective of death almost everyday, in an effort to never forget that life is like a swift wind and I have only got one chance to live it.

If you were on a plane about to crash, what would you regret? What would you wish you could have changed?

Listen to: Dance the Pain Away - Benny Benassi feat. John Legend

Beauty is...

"Beauty is a combination of a million different things. I think it's the colors of the sky when the sun rises and sets. It's different shapes of clouds and different shades of blue. Beauty is a beach on a sunny day and on a stormy day. Beauty is the autumn leaves falling or sitting under a tree on a hot day. Beauty is friendship and feeling like you matter to someone and that they care about you. Beauty is a smile and a laugh and a moment that you share with someone that you love. I think beauty is any girl on a day that she feels comfortable in her own skin. I think beauty is someone lost in a dance or singing a beautiful song or reading poetry or playing an instrument well. And I also feel like it's not easy to describe and I haven't done half of it."

My best friend said this in an interview I did with her tonight. The question was, 'What do you define as beautiful?' And I love this answer that she gave and even hearing her say it brought me to tears.

Beauty is all these things and more indeed.

Currently listening to: Led Zeppelin - How Many More Times

Little things like these.

As I was walking down the Wellington waterfront one beautiful Saturday afternoon, I saw a couple with their kid. They were standing near some seagulls and were trying to get the kid close enough to take a picture with them. To some people, this scene seems mundane. But to me, at that moment it was magical, and instantaneously I felt a strong desire in my heart to have that one day. To have a husband and a kid, to go to the waterfront and take pictures with seagulls, all rugged up in jackets and scarves and beanies and backpacks. I am surprised that I felt this way because I love my independence and without a doubt marriage and kids scare me. Maybe I am beginning to warm up to it.

Currently listening to: Clarity (Zedd Union Remix) - Zedd feat. Foxes

On Her Way

Goodmorning! ♥

The past couple weeks I feel I have been stretched a little thin. I felt bitterness and resentment toward people, even if they did the slightest thing which should not have annoyed me in the first place at all. When it gets to that point, I know I need to take a step back from everything and check myself before I wreck myself. Ultimately, what has helped me get myself out of such destructive thoughts has been God. Somehow, when I come into His presence or read His word, I feel a peace that He is all I ever really need. He will give me the love, the compassion and the patience I need to deal with people everyday. It helps knowing that the people you come across in your everyday life are meant to be, and in that case, God's grace is sufficient enough for you to soldier through the day. Also, here are some quotes that have warmed my heart and given me much needed encouragement. Most are from a blog I have mentioned here before called On Her Way which is a quote and inspiration blog that I adore. Be blessed!

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable.
Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
Give the world your best anyway."

Mother Teresa, Meditations from a Simple Path

"Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Harold Whitman

"I think a beautiful woman is someone who is confident but not competitive with other women - someone who is warm to everyone. Because my mother told me ever since I can remember that beauty is from within, that looks will fade. I have always been aware that you have to have something deeper to be really beautiful."

Beyonce
 
"Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the hell with sugar and spice."

Unknown

 "The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

Elizabeth Kubler Ross

"A great burden was lifted from my shoulders the day I realized that no one owes me anything."

Harry Browne

 "I was neurotic for years. I was anxious and depressed and selfish. Everyone kept telling me to change. I resented them and I agreed with them, and I wanted to change, but simply couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. Then one day someone said to me, “Don’t change. I love you just as you are.” Those words were music to my ears: “Don’t change, Don’t change. Don’t change … I love you as you are.” I relaxed. I came alive. And suddenly I changed!"

Anthony de Mello

"The greatness comes not when things go always good for you. But the greatness comes when you’re really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes. Because only if you’ve been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."

Richard M. Nixon

"Stay close to anything that makes you glad that you are alive."

Hafiz

"It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to say no to someone you love. It’s okay to say no to a friend. It’s okay to say no to a parent or child. It’s okay to say no to a job or relationship. It’s okay to say no to sexual advances. And it’s okay to say no to a person who’s romantically interested in you. Even if it hurts someone’s feelings, even if you disappoint people, even if you’re judged and ostracized — it’s okay to say no to anything and anyone that causes you pain or makes you uncomfortable... You’re allowed to set limits and boundaries. And you deserve to make your happiness and wellbeing a priority. You don’t ever have to settle for something or someone that doesn’t feel right. And you definitely don’t have to compromise yourself for the sake of making other people happy. You have to take care of yourself, and if that means saying no, it’s more than okay."
Daniell Koepke

 "The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before."

Albert Einstein

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marianne Williamson

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."

 Edward Abbey

 
"Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

Jack Kerouac

"Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough."

 Oprah Winfrey

"You are the only person who is in charge of how you feel about yourself. Nobody else can possibly do that. You get to decide if you believe you are beautiful or not, and nobody can take it away from you. If someone suggests that you aren’t beautiful, you can consider how sad it is that they have such a limited view of beauty. You can consider how unfortunate it is that they have such an exaggerated sense of self-importance that they think you should care about what they think. You can also choose to realize that it has nothing at all to do with your beauty and everything to do with their limitations."
Ragen Chastain

"It's through mistakes and wrong turns that we find our way to the truth."

Yours truly

"If you decide to take just a moment, just a moment to get still, to clear your mind, to open your heart, to listen to that sacred voice that guides you, that protects you, that knows and loves you, you are going to have a good day."

Iyanla Vanzant

"Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction. Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow, and the day after that. Look at who you want to be, and start sculpting yourself into that person. You may not get exactly where you thought you’d be, but you will be doing things that suit you in a profession you believe in. Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become."

  Chris Hadfields 

 "No one can depress you. No one can make you anxious. No one can hurt your feelings. No one can make you anything other than what you allow inside."

Max Ehrmann, Staying on The Path 

"I’ve noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren’t determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they’re satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world."

Beth Clark, Kisses from Katie

"What’s difficult in life is to stay centered when somebody does or says something that tempts us to close our hearts because their heart was closed. That is hard. But that is also how we grow. We go through those circumstances in order to evolve into people who can hold to our loving center no matter what the world throws us."

Marianne Williamson

Listen to: Draw Near - Bethel Music